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Which means pocket pc's can't be that far behind, one would think. With hard drives and iTunes, it seems music on your mobile device is going to be simple in the future. It's a good read, although mainly about cell phones. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4311871.stm
They are converging. Some people will want a converged device, and some people will want more advanced features.
To me, the biggest problem with convergence is the lack of separation of power domains. By that I mean I want a phone with lots of battery power and lasts a long time. The phone functionality is much more critical than the Pocket PC functionality. I don't want my Pocket PC to drain my phone battery. The best (only?) way to acheive this is with separate devices.
Another advantage to separate devices is that you can get the "latest" functionality. A VGA Pocket PC combined with an EDGE data phone is higher quality and faster than any single-device phone today.
And another advantage is that you can leave the $400-$600 Pocket PC home when you're doing something athletic.
The convergence of the phone and music devices, in my mind, is perfect because of the common use and battery expectations. All I want now is a Nokia 6820 (has flip-out keyboard and EDGE) with music capability. I'll carry that with my Pocket PC (currently iPAQ 2215) when I want better communications or more functionality. One thing it's missing is the ability to use the Nokia 6820 as a bluetooth keyboard. If that's done, I think we have the best combination (for me) of speed, functionality, and battery.
Greg Smith
Author, FeederReader - The Pocket PC RSS reader and podcatcher
Catches video, too! www.FeederReader.com - Download on the road
Another advantage to separate devices is that you can get the "latest" functionality. A VGA Pocket PC combined with an EDGE data phone is higher quality and faster than any single-device phone today.
This is true. But remember like me you are a geek. The general public really don't want "edge" capability.
They want:
-functionality
-ease of use
-reliability
-fashion!
You know I don't see the general public using pocket pc's out on the streets. I think that pocket pc's are morphing into mobile phones.........
Personally... I simply got tired of babysitting my PPC. It needed to be charged every other day and there just wasn't a convenient way to carry it around. I used to take it everywhere with me. It was just a hassle. Especially when carrying a phone too.
I sold my 2215 and all of my accessories for an incredible amount of money on ebay. And purchased an Audiovox SMT-5600 smartphone. Add to that a 512MB mini-SD card and Bluetooth folding keyboard and I'll have virtually all of the functionality that I had with my 2215... in something the size of a phone.... with a VGA camera to boot.
I haven't received the 5600 yet, but after messing around with my friend's phone, I can see the lure of the smartphone. It includes Pocket IE and WMP 10... movie playback was surprisingly good! (I've been a wmv proponent for years now, so it is quite nice to be able to use previously created wmv files on the phone).
The real test will be when I take it on my next cross-country trip.
Okay... I received my WMT-5600 smartphone and bought a Bluetooth folding keyboard and 512MB mini-SD card. All I can say is... WOW! I now see why PPC sales have flattened and dipped while smartphone sales are growing.
This thing is incredible. I can already see this thing doing everything that I needed my iPAQ for. Video playback is incredibly smooth. MP3/WMA music playback is surprisingly rich (I can retire my solid-state MP3 player).
I unlocked the phone for use with any GSM service provider and activated it for T-Mobile's prepaid plan (TMobile-to-Go). Call quality is excellent. I still have to run through some cell reception tests, but it looks like this will replace my PDA, phone, and music player. Wow.
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