Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Development
    • Development

    Requiem for the PDA

    By
    eWEEK EDITORS
    -
    May 15, 2003
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Does anyone remember the original idea behind the “PDA”; the device was to be a personal digital assistant — emphasis on that last word — as opposed to merely an organizer. Newtons showstopper was that it parsed natural language, so if you scribbled “lunch with Joe at noon,” it would schedule it assuming the low likelihood your handwriting was recognized.

      Since then, the “handheld” (the adjective to the unstated noun “computer”) has followed a very PC-like trajectory. Faster processors have driven richer platforms, which have driven a cottage industry of third-party software. Too much of this bandwidth has been used toward the questionable goal of “media-enabling” the devices — allowing them to show too-few pictures, play too-few MP3 songs, and show too-choppy video — and some of it has been used to create increasingly ambitious Microsoft Office wannabes.

      Not all handheld evolution has been a compromise, though. In some cases — such as in the niche electronics categories of GPS devices and touch-screen remotes — the economics and scale of handhelds are allowing them to compete very well against their standalone counterparts.

      But the original vision for the PDA got lost somewhere; nowadays PIM features have become such second-class citizens that Danger, for example, provides no way of syncing contacts and calendars to its devices. Furthermore, it isnt that old story about a product turning into a feature. Third-party handheld PIMs — like those from iambic — have gotten more sophisticated but by and large are just doing things better instead of doing better things. Theyre not very assistive, and theyre not very personal except for working with your data and offering the standard kinds of preferences that many programs offer.

      One reason Newton could never fulfill its promise was simply that it was not a networked device, and to really manage a persons world, you need better connectivity with it (that was the dream of General Magic and Telescript). With handhelds sprouting increasing storage and wireless links, the PDAs of the future should be able to, for example, calculate and update in near-realtime the driving time between appointments, or interface via Web services to almost plan a business trip for you instead of passively recording or syncing to the schedule. This is all theoretical, though, because even on beefy, connected desktops were far this level of seamlessness.

      Continued on Next Page

      Mitch Dad, Kapor Dad

      Paradoxically, the savior of the PDA concept may ultimately prove not to be anyone at Microsoft or PalmSource or even Nintendo, but a smal development group spearheaded by Mitch Kapor. Kapor is best-known for founding Lotus (and less-known for also founding group-calendaring-turned-network-management company On Technology), but another of his great claims to fame was Agenda, an innovative idea management software product that Lotus traded for the eye candy of Lotus Organizer. Agenda had some of the intelligence that was also present in Newton.

      Now, Kapor has teamed up with Mac legend Andy Hertzfeld to imbue the “spirit” of Agenda into a new open-source product called Chandler, the first development release of which occurred last month. Chandler may not be focused on artificial intelligence, but it has several key components – easy information sharing, an eye toward Web services, and a platform focus intended to enable people to create add-ons within a matter of days, not weeks.

      Solutions built on Chandler could create applications that truly conform to your life rather than just the workaday brain supplements of tracking contacts and calendars. Its a longshot, though. Chandler will be available on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux; the team is still mum on how theyll even sync to todays PDAs, but hopes other developers will bring the product to other platforms (such as Windows CE?).

      Palm defined the body of the modern PDA, but no company has developed its personality. Without an application that has a daily impact for the average consumer, the market potential for handhelds will be caught in the middle — split between geeks who can appreciate the often abstract value of a versatile handheld computer and those who download their contacts and calendars to their cell phones.

      Did the original mission of the PDA die with Newton? Is it waiting in the wings at Microsoft? Or will Chandler deliver it? E-mail me.

      Wireless Supersite Editor Ross Rubin is a senior analyst at eMarketer. He has researched wireless communications since 1994 and has been covering technology since 1989.

      More from Ross Rubin:

      eWEEK EDITORS
      eWeek editors publish top thought leaders and leading experts in emerging technology across a wide variety of Enterprise B2B sectors. Our focus is providing actionable information for today’s technology decision makers.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Careers

      SThree’s Sunny Ackerman on Tech Hiring Trends

      James Maguire - June 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Sunny Ackerman, President/Americas for tech recruiter SThree, about the tight labor market in the tech sector, and much needed efforts to...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×