Less gear on the go

I admit it.  I'm mystified by the need to have a cell phone that does everything.  What I'm not mystified about is a PDA that acts as a cell phone.  I'm a gadget geek.  I love gadgets.  I've had three different cell phones this year, and one of them was a Treo.  I loved it.  Unfortunately, it had a small glitch so I had to replace it.

But the fact that I loved it made the announcement about the Treo 680 that much more interesting.  The Treo 680 is everything I love in the Treo at a much more affordable price. 

So, what's the difference, right?  Well, to me, the Treo isn't a cell phone.  It's a PDA that just happens to work as a cell phone. Of course, most people don't see it that way, which makes this CW article about the declining PDA market all the more understandable.  Still, I think it's so much semantics.

The PDA market isn't dying.  It's merging with the cell phone market.  Big difference.  And it's the natural progression of technology given the drivers--people who are constantly trying to do more with less.  We want to have all of our technological capabilities available to us.  And we don't want to have to carry a bunch of equipment to have that.

Here's what I mean.  I'm currently working at an outside office.  That means I have to carry a laptop computer to the office with me.  Then, because I usually work alone most of the time, I also like to have my MP3 player.  And, of course, I don't want to be out of touch, so I'm carrying a cellphone.  And I carry my PDA because it is my lifeline.  Everything I do is on the PDA, and if it's not on the PDA, it doesn't get done.

If I could accomplish everything that I do on a single piece of equipment, of course I'm going to choose it.  That would reduce the amount of equipment that I have to keep up with, and that alone is a blessing.

So, is it any wonder that the PDA market is declining?  It's not because PDAs are going away, but rather, because PDAs are merging with other technologies, and ultimately, that means life is getting easier to navigate!