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Comment by roc | Hacker News Reader

The only problem I have with his premise is that handhelds don't really -need- more hardware to become the next major general purpose computing platform.

Incremental advancements will make them -better-, but current generation devices are already there.

Every single person I've seen get a Blackberry, iPhone or android device has seriously curtailed their laptop usage. They've also (almost annoyingly) increased the degree to which they reach for their mobile apps, for tasks that could never justify pulling out the laptop.

It's reminiscent of the way that early laptops, while not yet sufficient to replace any desktop, still significantly ate into desktop usage.

The 'tipping point' he postulates is yet to come has already passed. In my opinion, Nokia's n770 was probably the last device that wasn't -quite- there. Everything after has been plenty capable hardware-wise.

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There's a difference between a device that can do the job and a device that you prefer to use to do that job. I prefer my android phone to a netbook, because it has the phone part, and because netbooks which are near it in size don't have typable keyboards (for me), so I'm not losing that much.

A friend and I were talking about this recently, and he mentioned that he'd love to just carry around a single device that he could use for all his computing, but that it would have to have all the features of an iPhone or G1, plus the ability to use a regular keyboard, mouse, and screen when he was at home. With such a device, a laptop that was basically just a peripheral bed for the phone/device would be useful, as well, for that typable keyboard.

I think we're almost there, but not quite. The requisite features could be built into current-tech devices, but aren't, at the moment.

http://philip.greenspun.com/business/mobile-phone-as-home-co...

This conflates "just one device" with "make everything simpler", and sacrifices the first for the second, while it's the first I care about more. I don't mind having a Linux box with a filesystem and a command line -- I actually like that -- I just want to have all of my data available all the time, and all of my connectivity available all the time, and I'd prefer not to have to sync a bunch of devices and figure out which ones to take or leave when I'm out.

Right now I'd be happy with a device that had a dongle that you could connect DVI to, and accepted a bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Higher speed internet than my 3G is a nice-to-have, but not essential.

something like http://www.oqo.com/products/index.html perhaps?

Yes, exactly! Except with telephony and 3G support. :)

You can get it with a 3g datalink built in. Telephony, sadly, not yet.

Yeah, I noticed the 3G support after posting that. With 3G, though, Skype might be enough... I'm now seriously looking at this thing. Google produced some worrying posts and news articles, which may dissuade me, but if not, I may well buy one shortly.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/03/03/gigabyte.debut...

I'm waiting for something like this to mature.

That's still too big for me (while being too small to effectively type on). My G1 is really close, and except for lacking a telephony component, the OQO is nearly spot on.

Checking out the newer OQO (and the dock) it is as close as you can get currently to an all in one device.

What would be perfect is something just like form factor wise it but with the possibility of some sort of fold out/flexible screen (maybe a a built in laser projector?)

The next 5 years are going to be very exciting in the mobile computer market.

Yeah, a foldable e-paper screen (already on a Motorola phone, I think) would be close to ideal. The OQO is much more interesting than I remember it being when I last heard about it. Maybe my needs have changed, or maybe the initial version wasn't so great.

A pocket projector and some of these http://www.senseboard.com/

Best new product of 2001? They're not quite Duke Nukem Forever yet, but small powerful battery powered PDAs are here, pocket projectors are here to sidestep the small screen/low res problem, all we need are good small portable keyboard-replacements, and where's senseboard's ideal looking product? Floating about in Vapourware unfinished probably abandoned land, that's where. :(

Are you a recent startup seller not sure what to do with your newfound millions? Looking for a good cause? Reduced to blogging about learning Salsa dancing? Go give Senseboard a push, they're dead in the water!

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