Not like the old days.
I find it rather interesting that the PDA trend has become as popular as it is. It seems like only yesterday that PDAs were the domain of pure geeks, who toted around Palm-based machines to scribble quick notes and keep track of appointments.
Nowadays, though, PDA integration is not too uncommmon, especially with product announcements like Sony’s new Clie. With an integrated camera, even, it bears questioning just what the advantages are of having multiple-accessory integration. Do you really need your camera along wherever you take your PDA, and vice versa?
As someone who just dumped his Compaq iPaq PDA in favor of an Apple iPod, I have to admit that while the PocketPC arena is ripe for portable computing, it simply doesn’t hold up to the hype. With battery run-times as low as they are, a PDA is nowhere close to replacing even a low-end notebook.
While the PC battleground was paved with the idea of home-built systems in mind, allowing consumers to pick and choose which parts to upgrade, it seems almost backwards that PDAs are so prepackaged. While one can add third-party extensions like a keyboard and wireless adapters, for the most part, PDA integration kills the spirit of peripheral selection. This is the very reason why I would rather have a digital camera, and a separate PDA, than have the two combined, particularly when one of them is too outdated compared to what’s available on the market. With integration, you can’t very well just dump one item.
While additional features sure are dandy, a better way to go about integration is by way of software features, not hardware. Take the Apple iPod for instance - built as an mp3 player, it now has the ability to synchronize contact and calendar data with a desktop or notebook. That’s the kind of integration I want to keep seeing.
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