Perfect PDA...I wish...

[tgeorges]

My first PDA was a Sony SJ30, which gave up the ghost only to be replaced by the nearly-identical SJ22. When that one started to have annoying digitizer problems, I made the decision to get my current Tungsten T5.

I do like the T5. I love the bigger screen, all that memory, and the built-in bluetooth.

However, I miss the scroll wheel and back button of the Sony. The D-pad is nice, but for one-handed operation, the scroll/back combo is, in my opinion, unbeatable. Plus, the T5 is about 1/8" too wide, and about 1/2" too long.

So here's my idea of Tom's perfect PDA, which is really a combination of the best of these, plus a couple extras:

- SJ footprint - easy to hold in hand
- 320x480 with portrait/landscape switchable, possibly using the back button
- Jog wheel and back button
- T5 memory
- Built-in Bluetooth
- Built-in Wifi
- SD slot (not MS)

I laugh when I hear that the D-pad makes one-handed operation possible. I find that to make this possible, you've got to hold the T5 in a very precarious position - not natural at all. The jog wheel is the perfect one-handed tool - it's right where your thumb is when holding the PDA with one hand.

Palm doesn't seem to like the small footprint of the SJ30. It likes the wide bezel around the screen instead. It looks nice, but it's just wasted space that adds to width. PDAs should be only as wide as necessary. Sony had this down pretty well.

YMMV.

-Tom

[minimalposter]

However, I miss the scroll wheel and back button of the Sony....

So here's my idea of Tom's perfect PDA, which is really a combination of the best of these, plus a couple extras:

- SJ footprint - easy to hold in hand
- 320x480 with portrait/landscape switchable, possibly using the back button
- Jog wheel and back button
- T5 memory
- Built-in Bluetooth
- Built-in Wifi
- SD slot (not MS)


I loved my SJ30. It was my third PDA, but the PDA that really started my palm craze. The jog dial was a perfect fit in your hand, but even Sony did not stick with the jog dial/back button combo.

I upgraded to a T1 (then a T3) and although the jog dial was easier for one handed operation -- the 5 way pad has become invaluable.

Let me know if you get your "Tom PDA." I have been searching for a "Curtis PDA" but no one wants to build my SonyTH55/Palm hybrid.

[tgeorges]

I do like the D-pad, but I can't see how it can be sold as a one-handed tool. Maybe I have smaller hands than the average, but I find it very cumbersome for one-handed operation.

And I remember when Sony came out with the TJ series and moved the scroller to where the D-pad is on the Palms. I thought that was a pretty lame place for it. I liked the Sony with the scroll wheel in the middle on top - where it could be operated with your index finger - that got rid of the right-handed bias of the left-side scroll wheel without locating it to the front middle. The scroll wheel location is what kept me from moving to a TJ Sony and what kept me using my SJ22 for so long. In fact, I seriously considered just getting one off eBay rather than getting the T5. To me, the scroll wheel was worth a lot to me. If it wasn't for the larger screen on the T5, I would not have upgraded. Forget any 320x320 PDA. If it ain't got a left-hand or top scroll, then it ain't for me!

-Tom

Oh - I'd LOVE to get my "Tom PDA." The killer is that it doesn't exist, and probably never will...Oh, well.

[JAmerican]

Don't forget Internal Media (built-in flash memory) , and slideout keyboard.

JAmerican

[tgeorges]

^^^

Well, I'm thinking of what I would like in a PDA, not necessarily the Swiss Army Knife of PDAs! I have a wireless keyboard that does such a job nicely. I guess my Tom PDA would basically be the guts of a T5 (memory and processor-wise), including Bluetooth and Wifi, with the case of an SJ30/22. Maybe with a D-pad, although I don't really care either way. You put 55MB RAM, 160MB internal flash, bluetooth, and wifi inside an SJ30 with DIA, I will buy it.

-Tom

[tgeorges]

Here's what the PDA would look like.

-Tom

[pgenie]

aint bad at all...

[jmc12787]

I think the d-pad works alot better for one handed navigation on the T|T1-T3 devices because it is much larger than on the T|E or T|T5. The slider makes it possible, but has its own issues...

[Pdaman]

- SD slot (not MS)

-Tom
why not ms? i would like pda with two slots, sd and ms ;)...

[tgeorges]

why not ms? i would like pda with two slots, sd and ms ;)...

Two slots would be OK. Although I do have a couple MS laying around, one slot is sufficient, and SD is cheaper than MS overall. Also, two slots would probably add to the bulk or thickness, which isn't desireable to me.

Tom