Sony Exits the PDA Market – For Now
Bargain PDA reports on a conference call with Sony announcing suspension of the Clie line in the US with development continuing in Japan. The tech sites have been checking in with their opinions: Gizmodo, Brighthand...
It's about time to accept that the concept of the PDA is a thing of the past. Much credit should be given to Sony for the the many models they produced which added to the variety of options available for PalmOS handhelds. I returned the TH55 I purchased, and while I appreciated the screen and the better VGA camera, the most remarkable feature was the energy-saving system that could reduce processor's drain when it wasn't needed. This is particularly important with units that support Wi-Fi. And, IMHO, handheld Wi-Fi is all about battery life.
Some designs, such as the UX50, are coming close to the ideal handheld, but none are quite there yet. My attitude is that with any handheld that requires you to use two hands and a stylus should probably have a feature set approaching a small notebook computer. The gaming/video device is developing as a separate market, and Sony is probably paving the way for the release of the PSP.
No device allows one-handed operation as with the Treo 600, and I can't imagine any way that this design can be improved upon. For a PalmOS smartphone, or any smartphone it faces no competition. But even Jeff Hawkins, designer of the 600, is leaking information about his next device which will be completely different. I suspect that it will be similar to the UX50 but with tri-wireless.
Right now, there is a need for a line of Wi-Fi handhelds that can manage the battery drain throughout a typical day's work. Hewlett-Packard will be releasing its candidates soon, with the better models being tri-wireless. Dell has made great strides in producing handhelds at a lower price point, but it needs to expand its feature set.
With Sony's announcement, the onus is place upon PalmSource, and its ability to find another major licenser. But I would think that evolutionary change has occurred, and the only viable handhelds devices either be great at supporting video and gaming, or wireless networking. The stand-alone PDA is history.
1:50:11 PM 
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