This thread made me wonder about the 'one device' preference. If you had the option to buy a phone that had all features and openness of an internet tablet except being (I)phone sized. would you prefer that to a separate phone and internet tablet?

<edit> I wish there was a way to edit typos in topic-titles</edit>

No, because of battery life. I use my cell phone only to make calls. While I use my internet tablet for alot more (thus the battery is more likely to drain). So I'd only prefer a all-in-one solution if it had the battery capacity to last a few days while in use. So I could use it, go without charging (in case I forgot the charger or just forgot to charge it) and still be able to make a phone call.

No, for several reasons, including the ones you've mentioned.
- I don't always carry my tablet, but my phone is always near.
- Battery life of integrated devices is much lower than that of a dedicated phone.
- A small phone will fit behind my tonsils (yes, yes, it's a figure of speech), while I can't squeeze my pocket pc in my ****.
- If someone comes up with a cellular data protocol that is a gazillion times faster than the one we're having now, I only need to replace my obsolete phone.

One huge problem has sofar not been addressed by any vendor: A separate phone needs to universally, effordlessly and seamlessly synch with my pocket pc and vice versa. Nokia's Itablets suck especially in that aspect. It really needs to be: When they're in bluetooth reach of each other, synching will happen automagically.

Our designers need to find a way to get 2 batteries in the device, IMO, before adding a SIM is practical.

If everyone is willing to wait, though, Texas Instruments just developed IC circuitry that takes 1/3 less current than current low poer designs. Of course, that doesn't help the gsm/wifi/wimax stuff...

I actually prefer two devices, but probably not the ones you'd think of... I have both a full feature smartphone and a non WWAN pda of some sort... I start off with just a pda and a standard phone... that was fine until i got my first treo- the 600. I tried using the treo 600 exclusively and i couldn't for what i needed... mostly the fault of the palm OS. i did a lot of stuff with pocket pc apps especially gps navigation... so i went with the smartphone and pda combo. i then went along the line, with a treo 650 and now a treo 700wx. Once i got a windows mobile smartphone, i figured i had all i needed, and i decided to use my dedicated pda (an HP ipaq hx4700) less and less. When the ipaq finally died i tried once again to use just a smartphone exclusively but i couldn't... i needed the larger screen and built in wifi and faster processor to do more intensive stuff when i need to. So i decided to try a nokia tablet because i couldn't find anything in the windows mobile space that could compare to my 3 year old ipaq- it seems like dedicated pdas took a few steps back after the axim x51 and ipaq hx4700 got discontinued...
For me, i need something small and with a dedicated keyboard and phone for most PIM apps and email etc... i will always have my phone... but when i need to do more like surf the web a lot or do gps navigation or wireless pre-surveys i whip out something more robust.

i do agree that it would be very convenient if both devices were able to sync to each other in a similar fashion that palm envisioned the ill fated folio would... when i had 2 windows mobile devices tied to the same exchange server, that was the behavior i got in essence... they were synching to the server and not directly to each other, but the data all was the same... i wish i could get something that streamlined for the nokia n800, but i've only begun using the device....

I would be deliriously happy if I could make the same kind of calls I make with Skype whereever I was, without regard to whether wifi was available. To the person who worries about battery usage, I say that I would rather carry a spare battery than a whole other device. I typically change batteries several times a day and it is almost instantly done.

Right now, I only carry one device with me at all times, and it is my cheap cell phone. I carried my N800 everywhere for about six months, but I finally realized that I really didn't feel like being so encumbered.

Besides, what's the big deal about being able to fit something in your pocket? Most of us travel by car. I would rather have a device that plugged in to the car somehow, and when I wanted to bring it with me to a wifi cafe, I would just slide it out of the slot and bring it along.

There was a time when I traveled daily by PATH train, thru the WTC and on the subways of Manhattan, but I just don't do that sort of thing here in Southern Calif. I still find the N800 handy in the house, whether lying on the bed or walking downstairs, and I often use it while using a laptop or desktop computer, at the same time.

But the only time I carry it in my pocket is when I'm out for a jog.

So, I guess I'm a one-device person, if you don't count my watch, I carry one device, and it isn't my N800. If I could make and receive calls on it, I would dump the cell phone and just carrry the N800. If I carried a purse, it would be a different story and I would take my N800 AND a cell phone.

On the sync thing.

I came across some vnc software that let you see your Symbian S60 based phone. I figured that would be a good alternative. Don't sync, just access your phone screen via your tablet. That would also allow you to synce your phone with your PC as before.

But it would only work over wifi unless you used some sort of bluetooth to tcp/ip conversion software they provided. This was not available for Maemo. WiFi on all the time on the phone would drain battery too much and nobody on the forum had any ideas of how to get bluetooth to tcp/ip so did not pursue any further...

Zuber

http://www.gottabemobile.com/USA+Tod...o+Gadgets.aspx
http://www.celiocorp.com/

I don't want to see my phone's screen on my tablet, I can see my phone's screen on my phone just fine. I want my phone and my pocket computer to share the same data automatically.

Oh, and I personally have no particular need to synch my phone or my pocket computer with my desktop. Because I'm an antisocial b*st*rd, I don't need to check my personals with anyone but me.

I'm agnostic about "one device" vs "multiple devices".

On the one hand, I think "The Unix Way" of each entity being specialized, and interacting with each other in a regular and scaleable way (unix: the pipeline, mac os x: services, phones&pda's: bluetooth). With that mindset, a NIT should be a NIT with wifi and bluetooth (both DUN and PAN), and no picture camera, no WWAN radio (not even WiMAX). It also might fit the phone idea I posted about the other day (phone has keyboard for TXT and for use as a Bluetooth keyboard for the NIT, or your PC, etc.). Or, even more ideal, is the HP idea that their vp of tech talked about in Oct 06: the WWAN radio is only that. It might be built into your watch, for example. And then you have devices that interact with it (a NIT, a phone handset (if the NIT can't also do that), a camera, etc.).


But, I hate carrying a ton of devices. And I hate the idea of having all of that RF energy around my body (for example, I generally dislike bluetooth headsets; I got the Nokia BH-500 so that I don't have a bluetooth radio stuck to the side of my head). So, one integrated device that does EVERYTHING would be good. So, one device with a wired headset option, has WWAN model variations (CDMA, GSM, WiMAX), has a picture/video camera, a keyboard, and sound ergonomic design ... but also a huge honk'n battery ... that might be nice.

So, in the end, as long as either method is done well, and not half-baked (nor half-assed), I'm ok with either approach.