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Small smartphone or a bigger device? Why do we have to choose?

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Most of the time I only need a small candy bar smartphone that is extemely convenient to carry around and which is fine for calling, occasional e-mail reading and some limited Web browsing. However, sometimes I need to type an answer to an e-mail. But I don't have to do it very often so I don't really want to be carrying around a PDA-style smartphone with a keyboard or even bigger device. And sometimes I definitely want a big high resolution screen so I can browse Web more comfortably. And 3.5" PDA screen is not enough anyway.

How do we solve this in the world of ordinary computers? We carry around 12" light laptop and connect it to a big screen and an external keyboard when necessary. So what I want is 5" or 7" screen with dock where I can insert my small smartphone and be able to browse Web and read documents on 7" 800x600 screen instead of 160x120. Same mobile plan, same device, same applications, same favorites, same contacts. No need to decide if you need small device, large PDA or in-between compromise.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    December 27, 2006
    Things I would want:
  1. Once the device was docked with the screen+keyboard unit, the ensemble should look and function as if it was always in that configuration (e.g. no awkward sticky-outy bits). Like a Transformer, if you will.
  2. The OS should detect the screen and configure the display accordingly (incl. resolution) - you wouldn't want just a blown-up Smartphone display. The same goes for the keyboard - and a device running in this mode should for instance be able to run Windows Mobile software of the Pocket PC variety (incl. Compact Framework) with the non Smartphone-friendly elements (such as buttons and so on) present and active, and multiline TextBoxes behaving like true multiline TextBoxes, and so on (I'm thinking touch screen and/or pointing device support would be handy). Such a device would be truly handy...especially if it could dock remora-like with a Vista UMPC (I know the last bit is getting seriously into dreamland, but it's just after Christmas after all).