Body Design, Features wishlist for the PDA body Options

[Da_Blitz]

guess someone forgot to tell him that we are having the stylus running at 90 degrees to the frount rather than parrallel to avoid all the [left,right]handed issues

docking sation=backpacks
connectors on one side = backpack

if you dont like the screen app buttons then bind them to do nothing i dont like them at the bottom of my screen ethier, it all depends on what we can get

smart wifi drivers: i am not a kernel dev, plus you do actually have to "listen" for broadcasts and such, perhaps you should look into changing the transmit strength. dont forget that reasociation takes about 1-2 seconds

i will see what i can do about the audio, make sense to me

[derekp]

Two more things...
First, one of my biggest usability issues with a pda is constantly stowing / retreiving the stylus when switching from key input to touch screen. What would be nice, in addition to a stylus silo, is a clip at the top of the screen that you can clip the stylus on temporarily while using the keyboard. A second option would be to have an eye hole at the top of the stylus so it can be connected to the wrist strap connection on the pda via a peice of fish line or similar.

Second thing, for those that are looking at stuffing everything into a phone factor. Instead of trying to figure out how to fabricate a case, just pick up one of those cheap 2 dollar toy cell phones they make for kids. They usually have a keypad on them hooked up to a small circuit board that makes beeps & buzz sounds. Rip out the guts, replace it with the PPZ board, and there you go. Cut out the fake display and plop in your lcd, and wire the toy keypad (which actually works) into your gpio pins or keyboard controller.

[Ferret-Simpson]

But doesn't that completely defeat the object of it being a PDA? Those are usually imitations of a Nokia 7110 or 8110. . . And the screen cutout is about the right size for a 128x128 SPI display and no bigger.

Nice Idea, but only practical for a basic tuxphone. . not for a PDA.

[derekp]

Nice Idea, but only practical for a basic tuxphone. .  not for a PDA.

I was thinking that there is a couple of projects going on, and if you can get to a basic cell phone form factor fairly quickly, then work on the ultimate one while you have something in your hand. I have also seen toy cell phones in a few other form factors, plus you could mod the case slightly to get a bigger screen (i.e., if you get one of the "flip" toyphones, you could hack off most of the flip but keep the hinge, etc.)

Another idea that might work a bit better (but still not big enough) is to get a replacement phone housing (esp. one for a pda phone). They usually run anywhere from $15 to around $60 depending on the quality. Here's one for a treo 600 that might come closer to fitting the bill...
http://www.craytonelectronics.com/tr600cdrehof.html

[Ferret-Simpson]

http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/product/10679.htm

The fabled Universal.

[BarryW]

How can you have a "Handed" stylus clip? It's a STYLUS CLIP! I have PDA's with them left and right. . what's the difference?

Like one of these??

[Ferret-Simpson]

WTH? Never seen one of those before! If I need to use the keyboard, I just bite the stylus. Neither my Z or my Uni, Or Either Palm, or my iPaq had one. What is that, a Palm III?

[Da_Blitz]

i dont think that most phone cases will work, they are a bit small for most of the things i am trying to put in there and most people seem to want a PDA first phone second

using a PDa case does have an advantage or two but my workload then shoots throgh the roof

[Ferret-Simpson]

Not to mention no brushed aluminium case.

[BarryW]

WTH? Never seen one of those before! If I need to use the keyboard, I just bite the stylus. Neither my Z or my Uni, Or Either Palm, or my iPaq had one. What is that, a Palm III?

Apple Newton. You know the first real pda.

[desertrat]

Apple Newton.  You know the first real pda.

Depends on what you mean by "real" pda. I believe Psion are widely credited with creating the whole pda market, first with their Organizers then later with the Series 3 and Series 5.

However after seeing the video of the Newton demo doing the rounds on youtube, I would agree it is as innovative as the Psion machines.

[Ferret-Simpson]

An The old Acorn Pocketbook (Rebadged Psion 3a, right?)

Do they make good Serial terminals?

[BarryW]

Apple Newton.  You know the first real pda.

Depends on what you mean by "real" pda. I believe Psion are widely credited with creating the whole pda market, first with their Organizers then later with the Series 3 and Series 5.

However after seeing the video of the Newton demo doing the rounds on youtube, I would agree it is as innovative as the Psion machines.

Naa, I'm talking chronologically. I'm pretty sure the first Newton came out before the first Palm. I never even saw a Psion untill the Newton's were discontinued. So I don't know a whole lot about them.

[uMP2k]

Ahhh the Newton - there is no love like the first love as they say....

[desertrat]

Naa, I'm talking chronologically.  I'm pretty sure the first Newton came out before the first Palm.

The Psion Organizer was released in 1984. The Series 3 (has all the features of a modern PDA) came out in 1991 - couple of years before the Newton.

I never even saw a Psion untill the Newton's were discontinued.  So I don't know a whole lot about them.

Not much of a market for PDAs in the North Pole . Seriously, Psion were big in Europe but never did crack the US market. Only with the the launch of the Series 5 did they begin to enter the US market, by then it was too late - Palm had got there already.