Ars Technica has an article Death knell for the PDA: market share plummets for fourth straight year based on an IDC report that tracks fifteen consecutive quarters of decline in worldwide shipments of PDAs.

Several factors are mentioned as the reason for the decline of the PDA. The inability to surf the internet and check email are mentioned as key reasons users are moving away from PDAs to smartphones. Several PDA manufacturers are introducing PDAs with GPS and WiFi.

This article really shows why non-connected mobile devices are a dying breed. They are "information islands" without ubiquitous connectivity to the internet. Do these trends that signal the death knell for the non-connected PDA indicate that the market is ready for devices like the N810 with integrated GPS, WiFi and no carrier lock-in?