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Handhelds Hardware

TDA (Tactile Digital Assistant) the new PDA? 188

Posted by CmdrTaco from the yeah-i-doubt-that dept.
imashoe writes "BonaFideReviews has just posted an article on the latest thumb-powered up-and-coming mobile device, the TDA (Tactile Digital Assistant), a possible replacement to the PDA."
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TDA (Tactile Digital Assistant) the new PDA? More

TDA (Tactile Digital Assistant) the new PDA?

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  • not yet (Score:2, Insightful)

    by mschoolbus ( 627182 )
    As if some PDAs aren't quirky enough...
    • As if some PDAs aren't quirky enough...

      On top of that, to the best of my knowledge PDA doesn't stand for Pstylus Digital Assistant. A PDA is, by definition, a small portable electronic device to storing and accessing information. This is a PDA turned sideways with an interface that uses large buttons navigable by thumb.

      Woot!

      • Re:not yet (Score:4, Insightful)

        by Unkle ( 586324 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:53AM (#11889018)
        This is a PDA turned sideways with an interface that uses large buttons navigable by thumb.

        In fact, I usually use my fingers to do much of anything with my PDA (Palm-OS based). It's just that this is meant for the thumbs, while my palm is not (necessarily, the buttons are certainly big enough that I'm sure it was a design consideration). In fact, I only use my stylus for entering text (which is a topic this article did not seem to address--how did they implement text entering?) and playing Solitare. And the only reason I use the stylus for solitare is because the program itself seems to have been designed for use with the stylus.

        IMHO, this really isn't a new product, anyway. It's an evolution of the PDA, not a replacement. I've personally been expecting PDAs to more or less drop the stylus for regular day-to-day activities, but keep it around for high-precision activities. Getting text entry out of this high-precision set is the goal, and hopefully this device achieves it.

  • And....? (Score:5, Informative)

    by Morphix84 ( 797143 ) <xanthor@@@gmail...com> on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:00AM (#11888388) Homepage
    Big deal. Engadget was Talking about this last year [engadget.com]

    • Re:And....? (Score:1, Redundant)

      by RevAaron ( 125240 )
      Whilst engadget rules, and usually has news a few days before slashdot, it's not like this thing is new to anyone, slashdot included. [slashdot.org] The reason for this story is that this article is supposed to be a review, whereas all the information about it before was marketing information from the manufacturer.

      The funny thing is that in this instance, /. actually beat Engadget to the punch, posting its story on 12. July, Engadget on the 13th.

      • Re:And....? (Score:3, Informative)

        by sych ( 526355 )
        I don't see any sign of a review - this seems to just be the marketing information with the word "review" placed above it. Nowhere do they say they have actually even seen a unit, nor do they give any of their own opinions about the device. One thing you have to say about the company is that they sure do seem to succeed (repeatedly) in getting editors into a lather over nothing at all.
        • Which is precisely why I said "The reason for this story is that this article is supposed to be a review..." not "this fine review." So yeah, it's retarded for /. to post this as a review when it's nothing new or review, but it's not like it's never been mentioned.

  • Damnit. (Score:1, Funny)

    by Predflux ( 851314 )
    Damnit, I'll have to cut my nails.
    • ...and to wear gloves as finger usually get a ltitle wet or greasy, depending on your skin type.
      I hope the screen is easily washable.

  • again? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by DeusExMalex ( 776652 )
    wasn't this posted a while back with the conclusion that these things were a hoax?

  • Nothing to see here, move along (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Kimos ( 859729 ) <kimos...slashdot@@@gmail...com> on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:02AM (#11888415) Homepage
    First it was the Smart-phone that threatened to oust the PDA but now the PDA looks to take on the TDA.

    As much as it would be nice to not have to fumble with a stylus, I wouldn't say that it's threatening to push out the PDA. You're just replacing one pointing device with a much more imprecise pointing device... *looks at wide thumb*
    • I threw away my stylus years ago and have used only my fingers on my iPAQ, does that give me prior-art?
    • that a big touchscreen ususally equates to something that's very fragile.

      I know a lot of people who've cracked the LCD's on their PDA's because they were dropped. I'd feel somewhat uncomfortable using these iPAQ's these days the fear of dropping one.

      That's probably another reason why Smartphones are gaining ground because they're generally lot more durable than these toyish PocketPC based PDA's. The only PDAs that come to mind that are durable are Blackberries, but I'd say those fit into the smartp
    • Of course its not threatening to push out the PDA, because it IS a PDA. The whole TDA thing is just a buzzword that they used because you use your thumb instead of a stylus. In reality, they will have to compete with every other handheld out there.

  • All I can say is, the're good hardware. Considering the're being built with the same machines that were used to make the SINgars for the tanks and helicopters. :)

    I've played with a few finished units, and would buy one over the cheap feeling palms these days any time.

  • Not exactly novel... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by FalconZero ( 607567 ) * <FalconZero@Gmai[ ]om ['l.c' in gap]> on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:03AM (#11888433)
    Like everyone else, I've been using touchscreen PDAs with my thumb since I had a Casio Cassiopia E-100 [amazon.com] years ago. Granted this TDA can take two touches at the same time, but I work my PC with one mouse, and I don't think two would make me any more productive to have two.

    I use my Sony Erricson P900 [sonyericsson.com] every day with my thumb.

    I'm also unimpressed by the 4.5 colours that the display claims to have (according to TFA). I gave up CGA years ago!
    However (again according to TFA), being able to run on a single AA battery for weeks sounds like the best invention in the last 10 years! They should just licence the power control circuit technology and make millions :P

    • Re:Not exactly novel... (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward
      thats what i thought, my p910 does all that thing does and more touchscreen or stylus, personally ive been filling train journeys watching rips of my dvd's (shrunken down of course) on my phone, or i carry a couple of albums on the mem sticks, when we get this [archos.com] on our phones which should be soon if Sonys current mp3 push is anything to go by (AAPL stock fell 5% this week) then its gonna get interesting (and yes it runs linux:)

    • Re:Not exactly novel... (Score:2, Informative)

      by zerkon ( 838861 )
      The battery life stems in part from the fact that it is a B/W screen. Adding the Color screen option chops that down to "a few hours"

  • Who uses them? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by markmcb ( 855750 )
    Does anyone really use PDA-type devices? I work for a large organization and run around to meetings and all that jazz, but I never have the use for one. I even received a free PDA once, but just threw it in my closet never really using it. If you've got a laptop and you've got a cell phone, is there any need for a PDA?
    • Yeah. I carry books, a dictionary, some games, some excel spreadsheets, and some stories or poems I'm working on, and I'm more likely to carry it than my free-with-activation Nokia (which is great as a phone) or my bulky-only-when-compared-to-a-Palm iBook. At some point when the cost and quality are right, I'll switch to a Treo, but till then, I find it invaluable.

      Alex.
    • Not really, if you have a laptop and a mobile phone. But they are handy if you don't.

      I have a laptop and a cell phone, and like them a lot, but I can see when getting a PDA would be useful. They are a lot easier to carry around (they fit in your pocket, for one thing) than a laptop, and are still more powerful than a simple mobile phone. My mother has one of the über ones that acts as a phone as well as a PDA, so she has no need for a phone now, either.

      In your large organization, are you sitting in

    • That would be "other people" (Score:4, Insightful)

      by sczimme ( 603413 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:21AM (#11888639)

      Does anyone really use PDA-type devices? I work for a large organization and run around to meetings and all that jazz, but I never have the use for one.

      Ah, yes - the "I am the world" fallacy. You are not a statistically significant sample set, so your assessment of something as !useful does not actually mean that the item is !useful.

      Anecdotal evidence: observe other people in the meetings; examine the sales statistics for PDA vendors; observe the myriad PDA options at your local electronics or office-supply store. Obviously there is a market for PDAs, and here is why:

      Laptop: the most features; more weight; larger footprint; generally shorter battery life [compared to PDAs or phones]

      Phone: far fewer features than laptops; much less weight than a laptop

      PDA: in most categories (features, weight, size, power consumption) the PDA occupies a niche between laptop and phone
      • Ah, yes - the "I am the world" fallacy. You are not a statistically significant sample set, so your assessment of something as !useful does not actually mean that the item is !useful.

        [Insert Proper Southern Accent] Sir, I applaud you for insight. The world is ablaze with your firey intellect.

        I seldom see people use PDAs for much more than address books. I know tons of people who own them, but very few that actually use them. I also understand the differences between a phone, PDA, and computer. I ju
        • For E 300 I can get a top-of-the-line PDA (Palm T5). The cheapest laptop I'd consider (12" iBook) is E 1000. The PDA is small enough to take everywhere, unlike a laptop.
        • Well, for a different statistically insignficiant sample, until this year, I'd had various forms of PDA (I think I've been through about 6 in that time, as new features/smaller size became available) for around 10 years now, and struggled to manage my life without one. My problem is that I have an appalingly bad memory when it comes to appointments and peoples' names, so the fact that I can carry my diary and address book comfortably in my pocket and have it automatically update whenever I dock it with my c
      • And some of us are lucky enough to have PDA phones [hp.com].

        Get a clue, dude- what do you do with them? everything! I read my e-mail on the bus, listen to MP3's, surf the web, check my e-mail, synch with MS Money so that I don't have to keep a check register, play tetris... the better question is why isn't there a larger market for PDA's?

    • Re:Who uses them? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by JaredOfEuropa ( 526365 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:32AM (#11888756) Journal
      If you've got a laptop and you've got a cell phone, is there any need for a PDA?
      I might do away with my PDA if someone will invent a cellphone with good PDA functionality in it... or rather if I could take calls on my PDA, I'd throw away my phone.

      The reason is that I always have my PDA with me, so I can always access (and update!) my phone book, address list, to do list, notes and agenda. This functionality exists on phones but it's crap, especially when it comes to updating the info. Laptops are too bulky. A paper agenda is an option, but unlike my PDA I cannot easily back it up, and paper to-do lists and address lists don't really work.

      So the answer is yes: I do really use my PDA, and I cannot think of another device or method to take its place. It does nothing I could not really do by other methods, but it's a godsend for doing these things timely, neatly and without much effort.

      • I might do away with my PDA if someone will invent a cellphone with good PDA functionality in it... or rather if I could take calls on my PDA, I'd throw away my phone.

        Three choices for you...

        1. Blackberry
        2. Treo 600 / 650
        3. Bluetooth headset for the phone in your bag

        Personally, a Blackberry on a corporate BES is the ultimate productivity tool. Look up contacts from your active directory, browse the intRAnet, wireless synchronisation of memos, calendar items and contacts.

        Palm and win.CE devices have more fr

        • Three choices for you...
          I like choices 1 and 2, for when my current PDA breaks and I can justify the expense :)
        • I can't work out why the blackberry ever catches on compared with the P900 and P910, or XDA, esp the newer XDAIIS with built in wireless LAN as well as bluetooth.

          Thesebeat the treo hollow too unless you really want PALM OS

          Blackberry to P900 is like Lynx to Firefox.

          Sam
          • I'm posting this mesage right now from my Blackberry.

            Let me tell you why I'm a firm BB convert after being a Treo and P910i owner.

            I'll give you a clue - it's the same reason why I don't have Linux On The Desktop... Can you guess what it is?

            Everything works straight away with no aditional software or configuration needed.

            With no random downloads from Sourceforge, today I have....

            Interogated my corporate address book.
            Got the friends name and details added to my device.
            Had those details wirelessly synchro
            • So you sacrificed flexibility for... (wait for it)
              push email
              sms to fax

              Apart from the other features which are nothing to do with the mobile device, the P800, P900, P910 and E200, C500 (last 2 are MS smartphones from Orange) all do just what you listed straight out of the box.

              And they run all the same java midlets.

              So what you are really saying is, the blackberry was the closest fit to fit your mind and convoluted infrastructure.

              Fair enough, it lets you get back to work.

              My P900 lets me SSH back to home f
              • Who wants flexability?

                It's a complete corporate solution. Push email, intranet (not internet) browsing, address book lookups.

                Let me tell you, I loved my Treo and I nearly had kittens when I got a P910i. But they all fell back in the draw when I realised they weren't as simple to use as a Blackberry.

                It's the same reason why I love my TiVo - it just works.

                And I can SSH (http://www.idokorro.com/imssh.html) and VNC (http://www.idokorro.com/imssh.html) if I want to.

                In my business, email and voice are like

    • Re:Who uses them? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by gManZboy ( 721688 )
      The real question is: If you've got a PDA/Phone (Blackberry, Treo, etc) is there anny need for a laptop? I'd much rather cary around a Treo than a laptop and phone to my meetings.
    • I used one for a very long time.

      I kept school assignments on it. I kept books on it for bus trips. I kept contact info on it, I kept notes on it. I kept maps on it and bus schedules. I kept basically everything on it, and found it invaluable.

      Then I got out of college and got a job and a car. At home, of course, I had a computer. At work I had a computer also. So I just stored stuff on computers, or online. I didn't take the bus anymore, so I didn't read books on it, I read paper books instead. Sure, I cou
    • I have a Psion 5mx, which I use all the time, and would be lost without. But it's a little more than most people think of a PDA; with its clamshell design, touch-type keyboard and VGA-width screen, I usually call it a pocket computer.

      As well as the usual PDA-type apps (agenda, address book, notepad), I have tons more on it: several bookcases' worth of ebooks and reference works (novels, short stories, the Concise Oxford Dictionary, Encarta, 4 Bible translations, &c); an off-line reader for the BBS I'

    • I use mine all the time. I have a Toshiba e805 Pocket PC and I couldn't live without it. But if it didn't sync with Outlook it would be completely useless to me. I do most of my schedule organization in Outlook and when I am not sitting at my desk it serves as a good task list, calendar, and contact list. Since it uses a transcriber for input I can jot notes in meetings or write drafts in PocketWord and go back to them afterwards on my PC and clean them up. Plus I can do my budget with Pocket Excel. The onl

    • Re:Who uses them? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by WinterSolstice ( 223271 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @11:18AM (#11889300)
      I'll bite, though I have to say this is one of those "use it or don't" kind of things... lots of people sit on both sides.

      I use one. I live on it. It has saved my butt more times than I care to recall, and it is the only posession I have that I literally can't function properly without.

      Why?

      Well, I have a really high-end handheld (the iPaq 5550), with a 1GB SD card. Bluetooth, 802.11b, fingerprint scan, autobackup, swappable battery pack, etc. I use it with a keyboard and recorder at meetings. I sync all of my work on it at 30 minute intervals all day long. Wirelessly, of course. And by all of my work, I mean it literally. It contains every line of code, every document, every script, and every "critical" tool I have ever used. I keep the whole thing encrypted, and set to nuke after 3 invalid login attempts (fingerprint + password). The files are maintained in their native formats (Unix or VMS for the most part, but lots of cross platform files like PDF, HTML, etc. Also all the Office cruft). It's basically a subnotebook on demand. I have a foldout keyboard, and some additional memory cards. I carry them when I need them, and added up they still weigh less than a small laptop.

      I have peformed emergency DB restores from my sailboat and (in one case) a restaurant. I have used it to tweak vacation photos. I use it to keep notes. I use it to write code or docs while waiting for other things. I listen to music on it. I use it to navigate. I read e-books daily.

      I was hired at my most recent position largely because I was able to instantly tap my entire code and documentation library. When I say "Oh, I've done that before", it means give me five minutes, and I'll have it. Not "let me remember how that worked". When I moved 9 hours away and lived in a hotel, I had my entire database of information no further than my hip.

      Oh, and since lots of people like to say "Well, what if it dies/gets run over/dropped overboard/etc?" The answer is simple. It backs up every morning at 04:00, and the backup is transmitted to 3 seperate servers. I do a manual backup daily at lunchtime (to CD as well as the other sites), and small autobackups happen every 30 minutes. For this data to "die" would require 3 seperate servers, the CDs, and my handheld to all choke at once.

      I'm extremely paranoid with the data because it *is* my livlihood. Sure, I could operate without it, and for 3 months I had to when I was between devices. That brief experience proved the usefulness of it.

      I had another experience where my laptop died last year. Corporate policy was to store data on the common drive and the laptop, and sync it. Unfortunately, this only applied to 100MB we were allowed to store on the server. What about the rest? Well, handheld to the rescue. There was the rest of my data, and I was back in business within 20 minutes (USB 1.x) on an old desktop.

      So yes, some people really do use them.

      -WS

      • Re:Who uses them? (Score:2, Interesting)

        by rob_squared ( 821479 )
        And you don't have to be a uber poweruser to find it useful. I go to a university in boston and for just about all my classes I type my notes with a stowaway keyboard. When I'm between classes I can do homework in word format and email it using wifi, my phone's bluetooth, or an rj45 jack on campus. Aside from that its great for books and reviewing class notes. It plays music when i fail to recharge my ipod. And lastly it keeps all my addresses and #s. If I need to make a call i beam it via bluetooth a

      • I have a really high-end handheld (the iPaq 5550), with a 1GB SD card. Bluetooth, 802.11b, fingerprint scan, autobackup, swappable battery pack, etc. I use it with a keyboard and recorder at meetings. I sync all of my work on it at 30 minute intervals all day long. Wirelessly, of course. And by all of my work, I mean it literally. It contains every line of code, every document, every script, and every "critical" tool I have ever used.

        Uh, so "all of your work", including DBs, tools, etc. fits within 1 GB?

        • Yes.

          Docs: 170 MB
          Code: 58 MB (some older projects zipped)
          Utilities for Pocket PC: 70 MB (including Perl, at almost 50 MB)
          Really key desktop utilities: 200 MB
          HTML Doc with links to the other utilities: 6 KB

          Actually, it takes quite a bit less than 1GB. Glad you noticed :)

          -WS
      • I just wanna know about this autonuke feature. If someone pokes at your thumbprint scanner 3 times your system is going to trash and burn?

        Hell, all the data is on the card - they can always pull the card out before attempting their logins...
        • That is actually an extremely good point... I should correct for it. After all, the logon software only forces a hard reset to clear the device... not the card. The card is encrypted, but technically it could be decrypted easily enough by a decent speed computer. It's just PGP. I haven't put a trigger on it that will work from the card reader...

          Hmmm. Definately time to upgrade that :)

          -WS

    • Re:Who uses them? (Score:4, Informative)

      by selfsealingstembolt ( 590231 ) <markus@sablWELTYatnig.net minus author> on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @11:28AM (#11889391) Homepage

      If you've got a laptop and you've got a cell phone, is there any need for a PDA?

      Well, if you do not want to drag a laptop around and still have some computing power with you, there is a need. Besides the obvious (calendering, address book, todos, ...) I use my iPAQ as MP3 Player (1 GB SD card), for running emulators (NES, SNES, GameBoy, Atari, ScummVM, ...), as mobile storage device and to check EMails (in combination with my mobile).

      Yes, I could do that with my mobile, a Gameboy, a MP3Player and with a portable HDD, but why not have all in one device?

      And Smartphones are, at least IMHO, the worst of the bunch. Why? I have a phone to make calls and maybe to send/recieve SMS'. If I wanted it to be a PDA, I'd buy one (what I did). Smartphones either have a large display and are too bulky to have them on you all the time OR have display far too small to be useful as PDA-replacement. Also, my mobile (a Siemens M45 - outdoor) is nearly indestructible and has a long battery life. If it had a high-res display and a 200Mhz CPU that would change.

    • I use my Zaurus mainly to play The Legend of Zelda on an NES emulator while on the crapper.
    • PDAs make awesome portable journals and technical reference libraries. As a systems administrator, I keep many text/howto files for retrieval, notes on a new technical task I've completed, cheatsheets, encrypted password lists, etc. Scientists need to log all their pertinent observations; might as well be on a PDA. Doctors/nurses can store all sorts of patient info and pharmacological references. Even non-tech consultants can use it to log their time, and track their expenses. And regardless of profess

  • The ultimate (Score:3, Interesting)

    by chadwbennett ( 808873 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:04AM (#11888446) Homepage
    The only PDA I will ever buy will have:

    1) Cell Phone
    2) Bluetooth
    3) A good megapixal camera / video camera
    4) more than 20 gigs of memory for the movies and pictures and MP3s
    5) One that can wipe my booty

    I sure hope apple comes out with one of these. In a couple of years

    Get your free MAC MINI [freeminimacs.com]
    • You want something that you can wipe your butt with and then hold against your face to speak into like a cell phone?

      Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
    • With the exception of the booty-wiping aspect, you can get all of this right now from a Treo 650. Caveat - I'm not sure of the pixel count of the included camera, but the pictures it takes are pretty good...

      Sean

  • Star Trek anyone? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Killjoy_NL ( 719667 )
    The first thing I thought of was the "Padd" from Star Trek. Those things might become more realistic if they can be cheaply built.

    But after reading the advertisement (you can't call it an article IMHO) I saw that we have a long way to go.
  • Why did they drop off the P from PDA? Is it no longer personal?

    "PDA"s and handheld computing devices (aside from phones) are the same for most people.

  • I think I've seen this before (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Dark Paladin ( 116525 ) * <jhummel&johnhummel,net> on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:06AM (#11888469) Homepage
    Perhaps even in a Slashdot port (but I won't call "dupe" yet).

    It does look interesting, but my #1 worry: thumbprints. It's just part of my nature, but when I'm working on something with a screen, I get pissed off when I see all the grimy greasy thumbprints all over it marring my view.

    Of course, I'm going to have to see how well this argument stands up as I look into buying a Treo and worry about how my thumbs will mess up the surface.
  • Y'know, we're altering the human race with this stuff... Check out the young'uns with their Gameboys and text-messaging cellphones. Look closely at their thumbs... they're more flexible and muscular, and can pronate them at different angles than those of us who are 30 and older.

    It's a real difference. I can't even get my hands to manipulate the controllers with any speed or dexterity... and I was a gamer long ago... just with joysticks and keyboards.
    • Y'know, we're altering the human race with this stuff

      Altering what's considered a viable user interface, perhaps, but acquired traits aren't very likely to be passed on. On the other hand, perhaps the kids that really excel in the way you're describing are already pre-disposed to thumb-related activities, and will tend to hang out with (and make babies with) equally geeky but thumb-dextrous mates. Then we'd have a separate tribe of Thumble-e-nerds. I for one would welcome our new couch-dwelling, thumb-ce

  • This is the Jackito... (Score:3, Informative)

    by david.given ( 6740 ) <dg@cowlark.com> on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:10AM (#11888519) Homepage Journal
    ...which has been covered here before, back in June 2004, in this [slashdot.org] and this [slashdot.org] article (both submitted by Roland Piquepaille. YHBW.)

    Hmm. June. I'm surprised this hasn't moved along a bit more since then, it looks like a nice little device. However, it does actually seem possible to order the thing, now, from their rather naff website [jackito-pda.com], although the price ranges from 600 USD for the cheapest version to a staggering 3500 USD if you want all the accessories.

    There's a good collection of add-ons, though --- anybody actually thinking of ordering one?

  • screw tactile... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Edzor ( 744072 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:11AM (#11888528) Journal
    i want a Tactical Digital Assistant! mmmm cruise missiles at the touch of a mobile button.

    • NDA (Score:2)

      by Fyz ( 581804 )
      Even better, gimme a Neural Digital Assistant...

      I mean, a Neuronanonic Digital Assistant!

      Hell, while we're at it, give me a Positronic Neuronanonic Thermonuclear Mindcontrolling Personal Digital Master!!

  • No Thanks (Score:3, Informative)

    by Sheepdot ( 211478 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:13AM (#11888544) Journal
    From TFA:
    The Jackito doesn't come with character recognition software built-in.

    I'll stick with my Speak-N-Spell, thank-you-very-much.
  • So a PDA without a stylus is called a "Tactile Digital Assistant"? What next? A bowl without a spoon is a "Concave Multi-Fluid Receptacle"?

    The sort of naming conventions which were previously only applied to pseudo-scientific theories and toothbrush commercials are no making their way into real gadgets. Has technology "arrived"?

  • Nintendo DS ads were right? (Score:4, Funny)

    by the_skywise ( 189793 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:15AM (#11888579)
    It's good to touch?
  • The device comes with a variety of features like finger-touch control, battery life, fast graphics, multitasking, real-time processing, interchangeable skins and much more.
    That's a great feature! Imagine a PDA without battery life.

  • I'm waiting... (Score:3, Funny)

    by curtisk ( 191737 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:17AM (#11888592) Homepage Journal
    until they make one that use elbows for input, once technology catches up with that concept, I'm THERE!!

  • Thumb prints (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rf0 ( 159958 ) <rghf@fsck.me.uk> on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:20AM (#11888629) Homepage
    Am I the only one that find using tuoch screens without a stylus or similar is that you end up with a greasy screen?

    Rus
    • The knack is to use a fingernail, not a fingertip. Much more accurate, too. (You don't need long fingernails; just bend and/or twist your finger a little.)
    • Rus- Didn't I tell you to wash your hands? Now be a good boy and go wash up before you come upstairs. Dinner will be ready in a minute! Love, -Your Momma

  • Extremely Underpowered (Score:5, Informative)

    by cbulock ( 462164 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:26AM (#11888689) Homepage
    I'll start by saying that I have never actually seen one of these devices in person since they haven't been released. But I did do some research into the specfics of this machine and posted that info here: http://www.cbulock.com/2004/07/jackito_tactile_dig ital_assistant.html
    Some of the highlights:

    The base unit, $600. Oh, but you wanted color? Not included, an extra $138. And what about the wireless capabilities? Also, not included. Bluetooth, an extra $80, WiFi, another $150 on top of that. Would you like a camera, add on another $100. So, just for a decent PDA, and by that I mean color screen and WiFi, this device is already going to cost $888.


    The main CPU is a Mitsubishi CPU (M30803) and from what I can find, that tops out at 20MHz. The other "CPU" mentioned is the Texas Instruments CPU (MSP 430), a 50 cent processor that, while it has low power consumption, doesn't seem to be all to powerful. Couldn't find any specs other that it's a 16-bit processor. Seems that it's mainly used to perform simple tasks such as controlling an LCD screen. The other "CPU's" mentioned are simply programmable logic chips probably also used to control other simple functions on the device such as sound and video. So, there are just a number of simple microchips all performing basic tasks to power this device. Every PDA or computer has a number of chips that back up the main CPU to perform tasks.
  • He has no thumbs (really, lost them ice-fishing to an auger)(you insensitive clod).

    -Jesse

  • Nice description (Score:4, Funny)

    by UnknowingFool ( 672806 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:29AM (#11888725)
    TDA (Tactile Digital Assistant)

    Back in my day, we used to call them secretaries.
    Thanks, I'll be here all week. Try the veal.

  • Not Created Equal (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Nom du Keyboard ( 633989 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:29AM (#11888730)
    relies entirely on your thumbs for input, which are harder to lose than a stylus.

    That above is worth Insightful+1.

    But what I want to know is, does it come with a settable thumbsize? All thumbs are not created equal. Given the many attributes of my mouse that I can reconfigure, does this let me set thumb-size, thumb-pressure, thumbprint...

    Thumbprint. Now that would be a great security feature. It knows my thumbs from everyone elses. That alone would make it worth buying, but I didn't see that feature listed yet.

  • The GUI looks like it cost only $5.
  • Seriously, ever lose your stylus and use a finger? If the "Future" is thumb input and STILL no usable keyboard, we are just spinning our tires. I see no advantage to this device other than obvious and lame "Thumbs are harder to lose than a stylus" from TFA. I have *gasp* a pocket pc based PDA and I can say that the snap-on keyboard I use for my PDA took it from "Toy" to "Tool" and the fold out keyboard took it from "Good enough for email" to "Perfect for working out of an airport". With a PDA I carry it

  • Tactile? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by slim ( 1652 ) <john AT hartnup DOT net> on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:42AM (#11888879) Homepage
    This seems like the very opposite of "tactile" to me. I used to own a programmable A/V remote with a touch screen, and I never got on with it because there was no touch feedback. I wanted to feel where the buttons were, and whether I was pressing it.

    There's scope to invent a tactile screen which would achieve this: "touch pixels" ("tixels"?) that can rise or lower under software control.
  • PDAs aren't held back by their manual UI. They're limited because it's still too hard to get data into them, but the camera is the key - becuase it's point and click, with the right SW. OCR that can scan bizcards into contact lists on the spot, and voice recognition for 100% on just phone#s, would multiply their market manifold. Most people never want to get that personal with a machine as to scribble or thumbtype on one, but want the machine to get that personal with them by presenting the data. And other

  • Either product is BS or article grossly wrong (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Dan East ( 318230 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:57AM (#11889067) Journal
    Many facts stated in the article cannot possibly be correct:

    It feeds on a single AA battery, which according to the company, can sustain for several weeks.

    Pretty good battery life for device with "seven processors" and a 320x240 display.

    The Jackito measures 140 x 80 x 16 mm

    AA batteries have a diameter of 14.5 mm. That leaves less than 1 mm thickness for the case on either side of the battery. The unit would have to be thicker than 16 mm.

    a large 4.5 color QVGA LCD fingertip touch-screen

    4.5 color? The pictures of the device show what appears to be a black and white screen, so perhaps that is 4 level grayscale.

    2.5 MB SRAM

    That reduces the capability of the device to legacy Palm-type functionality. How can that compete with new multimedia Pocket PCs with 128 MB RAM that even sport hardware accelerated 3D?

    The Jackito is available for sale on www.jackito.com at a list price of 600

    $600 for a PDA without a color screen, only 2.5 MB RAM, no integrated WiFi or bluetooth, and is not compatible with either Palm or Pocket PC?

    Also Novinit says that the finger's contact area is hundred times larger than that of a stylus and a stylus exerts hundred times more pressure on the screen than a finger.

    First, I've never had a problem breaking the screens of my PDAs with the stylus. Second, they are out-right admitting that you can't achieve the same precision using your finger as a stylus. Third, a great deal of the screen is now obscured by something much thicker than a stylus. Finally, assuming the touchpad driver simply uses the center point of the large touch area (ie your thumbprint) as the pointer position, then it is impossible to touch the very edges of the screen, which is where the scroll bars reside.

    you can choose the screen type (color or monochrome)...MP3 player...Bluetooth

    How can they power a color screen, an MP3 player (ie driving headphones) and bluetooth with a single AA battery?

    Dan East

    • Granted, the review article is of poor clarity and contradicts itself often.

      There's more information about the device at the company's own web site, www.jackito-pda.com [jackito-pda.com]. Addressing some of your issues by using the Jakito at a glance guide [jackito-pda.com] [PDF, 275kb]:

      • Yes, it does run on a single AA (double-A, not triple-A). They quote battery life as ranging from "a few hours to a few months."
      • The screen is 4.5 inches, 320x240 (QVGA). It is available in black-and-white LCD (hence "a few weeks" battery life), 16-bit colo

  • Interesting screen... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by David Horn ( 772985 ) <davidNO@SPAMpocketgamer.org> on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @10:58AM (#11889085) Homepage
    ...a large 4.5 color QVGA LCD fingertip touch-screen...

    Is this 4.5 colours (huh?) or 4.5 inches? Or centimetres? Or Ohms, or light years, perhaps?

    Someone needs to get their dictionary out before submitting reviews to Slashdot. I only read two paragraphs because of the appalling grammar and the fact that it didn't seem to "read" fluidly.

  • I can't get enough [slashdot.org] of this TDA [slashdot.org] thingie.

    Hopefully we'll read about it again soon.

  • Electronic thumb (Score:3, Funny)

    by RichardX ( 457979 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @11:01AM (#11889122) Homepage
    Can I use it to hitch a lift on a vogon ship?

  • All thumbs? (Score:2, Funny)

    by ebvwfbw ( 864834 )
    Great for those of us who are all thumbs! The trouble is those people are usually butter-fingers too.
  • I am waiting for an LCD or OLED touch screen display that can provide tactile feedback. Idealy, it would be nice to be able to dynamically define in software that certain parts of the screen are raised. Then the programmer could implement real buttons that could be graphically depicted and physically raised so that fingers could feel them. Once pressed, the software could even temporarily eliminate the raise level to give full tactile feedback of a button press.

    Only then would touch-screen only interfac
  • This was in the news last year. It is old news, and actually no longer valid. Going to the manufacturer's website, they claim that the projected launch date for mid 2004, and have "projections" for 2003, so I am guessing it hasn't been updated in almost three years. Also, that article was barely intelligible.
  • What about getting a thumb stylus for a Pocket PC or Palm? You know, like the one that comes with the Nintendo DS.

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