Personally, I think it’s about time that the PDA market collapse. My last PDA is Sony Clie N760C and since the emergence of phones with simple calendaring features, I have relied lesser on my clie. In fact, I have stopped using it now.
The only thing that I have not found a replacement is probably games. But I think I have already passed the age whereby I need games for moltivation. :wink:
short notes/minutes/contacts/mp3 - TR3
calendaring - T610
Yeah, I’ve seen this coming for a while as well. It just came sooner than I expected.
It’s sad for the palm platform because Sony really kept that platform alive when it was dying and was one of the major contributors to advancing the platform with their innovative features (even if they were just fluff).
I suspect they’ll sit out for a while and then come back with a vengeance with even more innovative products….perhaps some tablet-based devices that Truthseeker’s been looking for.
Wow, that’s a shame, as my TH55 is a fantastic unit. Since my next phone is going to be a SE S700, I was planning on ditching the PDA in the fall anyway. Too bad for Palm, as Sony really did some innovative things with the hardware and software to bring the platform up to where PocketPC was in terms of multimedia. You’ll be missed, CLIE.
BRIGHTHAND: Here’s one. DRACHEN: Ninepence. SONY: I’m not dead! DRACHEN: What? BRIGHTHAND: Nothing. Here’s your ninepence. SONY: I’m not dead! DRACHEN: ‘Ere. He says he’s not dead! BRIGHTHAND: Yes, he is. SONY: I’m not! DRACHEN: He isn’t? BRIGHTHAND: Well, he will be soon. He’s very ill. SONY: I’m getting better! BRIGHTHAND: No, you’re not. You’ll be stone dead in a moment. DRACHEN: Oh, I can’t take him like that. It’s against regulations.
That’s life in journalism. I wish the NYT did their corrections to Monty Python skits. 8)
Here’s an interesting article on the “winners” and “losers” in Sony deciding to pull the Clie from the US market. I actually agree with a lot of what they’re saying.
Of course, what Sony really needs to do is also take a look at their product lines and come out with a more unified product launch. They need to stop releasing a bunch of products that keep competing with each other. Perhaps, that’s the reason for the pulling of the Clie. You know that Sony will heavily push their PSP as the new multimedia walkman of the millenium…
[quote author=“gr00vy0ne”]Here’s an interesting article on the “winners” and “losers” in Sony deciding to pull the Clie from the US market. I actually agree with a lot of what they’re saying.
Of course, what Sony really needs to do is also take a look at their product lines and come out with a more unified product launch. They need to stop releasing a bunch of products that keep competing with each other. Perhaps, that’s the reason for the pulling of the Clie. You know that Sony will heavily push their PSP as the new multimedia walkman of the millenium…
GroovO is the link correct? does not seem to work here in Nepal?! I would like to read. I retired my Clie as soon as I bought my first TR, and it’s just sitting here collecting dust - anyone want to buy one with all the trimmings? car charger, keyboard, stick, etc?
jiggles
ps. Goove, I am visiting my friend in Marina Del Ray next month! She lives right on the water in some swanky condo with a boat dock - ya gunna be around? Need anything from Nepal? Tiger Balm, a flute, etc?
As for the collapse of the PDA market, I’ve been hearing it a lot lately, but unlike Sony/Palm, M$ has deathgrips on most of its markets/products. I don’t see WinCE going the way of Palm, especially considering the amount of backing M$ has put into it. As well as the sheer power of the current PocketPCs, (Dell’s 600Mhz beast) The Palms, for years, were to me, the Amigas of the handheld world. Pocketpc has left them in the dust for too long.
You can argue that it’s not a defeat but rather a smart move on Sony’s part. The PDA as we know it isn’t really going anywhere. Also Sony isn’t completely canning the Clie…they’re simply not releasing any new models in the US anymore (for the time being). They will still be developed and sold in Japan.
As you’ve mentioned, smartphones are starting to pop up all over the place and Sony has invested heavily in its relationship with Ericsson. The P900 and forthcoming S700 only scratch the surface of what’s coming soon. You can already see the features available in the SE phones available in Japan. They’re another generation and a half ahead of what we get and are being refined as we speak.
Instead of a PDA solution, I think Sony will go the route of smartphone + PSP multimedia device or smartphone + tablet/ultralight notebook. The smartphone will handle voice/data communications and decent contact management. It will talk to the PSP or tablet/notebook via Bluetooth, WiFi or UWB technology and provide a larger screen for manipulation if needed.
Sony made wonderful “hacks” with the Palm OS software but they were never really comfortable using someone else’s platform that they could not control. Most of their multimedia functionality was limited by the platform so it makes sense for them to move in their own direction. Yes, Palm OS 6 may have opened more possibilities but again, Sony did not control where it was going and they have a possible platform in their own PSP that they can leverage.
We’ll see what happens…there’s a lot of losers in the pulling of the Clies…and for the most part, it’s not Sony when you consider the other players.
[quote author=“Anonymous”] Does everything turn into television in the end?
Well, yes, it all boils down to entertainment, and here is what i was thinking about today as i tried to get my phone and/or ipod synced to outlook and the weather and all of that.
1. Phones have replaced PDAs for contact/email/data stuff: my sony ericson looks like my clie, only smaller, and syncs via bluetooth just fine.
2. The ipod has replaced PDAs for mp3 music. The mini 40gb harddrive killed all other schemes.
3. Hey, my Ipod is about the size of my old cell phone, and at some point should display video - unless Apple goes under - so there ya have it: an Ipod with a mini keyboard, cell phone built in, wifi enabled, color screen, and i’m happy.
[quote author=“Anonymous”] Does everything turn into television in the end?
Well, yes, it all boils down to entertainment, and here is what i was thinking about today as i tried to get my phone and/or ipod synced to outlook and the weather and all of that.
1. Phones have replaced PDAs for contact/email/data stuff: my sony ericson looks like my clie, only smaller, and syncs via bluetooth just fine.
2. The ipod has replaced PDAs for mp3 music. The mini 40gb harddrive killed all other schemes.
3. Hey, my Ipod is about the size of my old cell phone, and at some point should display video - unless Apple goes under - so there ya have it: an Ipod with a mini keyboard, cell phone built in, wifi enabled, color screen, and i’m happy.
This turn of the topic is actually quite interesting for me.
I just got a TH55 and am not sure I want to lug all that around, since I also have a small cell phone and a 40 GB iPod. Honestly, a couple hundred MBs in an MP3 player would keep me happy if I could have an all in one.
So it leads me to ask about the P900—can it replace the stuff I lug around? I use my TH55 for contact lists and appointments, not really for much else. Is the P900 such a good replacement for a PDA? I’m actually planning to get a new phone next week, my contract is up…
[quote author=“babahi”]This turn of the topic is actually quite interesting for me.
I just got a TH55 and am not sure I want to lug all that around, since I also have a small cell phone and a 40 GB iPod. Honestly, a couple hundred MBs in an MP3 player would keep me happy if I could have an all in one.
So it leads me to ask about the P900—can it replace the stuff I lug around? I use my TH55 for contact lists and appointments, not really for much else. Is the P900 such a good replacement for a PDA? I’m actually planning to get a new phone next week, my contract is up…
well, if ur cel phone syncs with ur pc and has an organizer as good as the SE T610, then that’s all ya need! Toss the PDA. I also sync the ipod with contacts, calender, notes, etc. just in case i forget my cell phone (‘cause i never leave home without the iPod!).
i use the TR when i need to do work on the road or want to watch a movie, it’s almost as light as a PDA! well, slight exageration, but if u have a good subnotebook this is all u need.
That’s life in journalism. I wish the NYT did their corrections to Monty Python skits. 8)
