1
General Discussion / Is The Z, Archos Pma, Etc Dead?
« on: August 16, 2007, 10:50:29 am »
I will say that no device has excited me more than the OpenMoko/Neo1973. The base phone has pretty much the ability to do everything I regularly did with my Z, but the lack of a keyboard was a killer--on the other hand, the small device size looks great.
However, with the possibility of a USB host cable and the ability to carry around a small USB (or bluetooth if supported) keyboard if I expect to need it will probably push it as my favorite mobile device. I love the Z as a 'mini pc' but it has never quite lived up to that promise except for a few times (biggest block to me when traveling: getting the browser to click that "I accept the hotel's rules" page when getting a net connection; just never was happy most of the time).
So yeah, I'd say the era of the "pocket PC" as a mass device is probably over. I still think you'll see them around for some time in niche markets.
However, with the possibility of a USB host cable and the ability to carry around a small USB (or bluetooth if supported) keyboard if I expect to need it will probably push it as my favorite mobile device. I love the Z as a 'mini pc' but it has never quite lived up to that promise except for a few times (biggest block to me when traveling: getting the browser to click that "I accept the hotel's rules" page when getting a net connection; just never was happy most of the time).
So yeah, I'd say the era of the "pocket PC" as a mass device is probably over. I still think you'll see them around for some time in niche markets.