RIM: Connectivity is a "must" for PDAs nowadays

[Colin Dunstan]

"International wireless solutions manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) believes the days of disconnected PDAs are gone" is how an article in today's ZDNet UK begins.

According to RIM Asia-Pacific vice-president Patrick Spence,

"Disconnected PDAs were great in the past but today, people's information is changing too rapidly for that type of model and customers want to synchronise their PDAs with their PCs fast."

This statement is not suprising in light of RIM's announcement from last month of the 7270 BlackBerry, the first Blackberry to support VoIP and 802.11b WiFi. The device is due to go on sale in early 2005, with selected customers testing it already.

[TadW]

I agree with RIM. There is no reason to go with a disconnected PDA today. WiFi/BT implementations work with a tiny single-chip solutions, thus not making the device any bigger. And prices are going doooooown, too.

[hacker]

Originally Posted by TadW

I agree with RIM. There is no reason to go with a disconnected PDA today. WiFi/BT implementations work with a tiny single-chip solutions, thus not making the device any bigger.

I'll give you one... Government buildings. How about another: Medical and pharmaceutical facilities.

I'd much rather have my PDA with me, than have it confiscated at the door, because it has a camera or 802.11x or GSM capabilities built into it. I still need to see my address book and calendar while I'm at these locations.

Being forced to store my PDA in a locker at the door isn't an option for me.. so, while I think "always-on" PDAs are very useful, their use is limited when you get into the business world where they present a significant risk to the security of the business itself, and aren't allowed on the premises at all.

[TadW]

I totally forgot about that!