Wednesday, December 18, 2002
Are Headset-Enabled PDA's The Future?
Posted by Janak Parekh in "THOUGHT" @ 02:36 PM
Much research has been done towards wearable computing. We would probably call PDA's one practical implementation. However, how about combining our existing PDA's with modern research in head-mounted displays?
The Xybernaut Poma is one such device. I'm surprised we haven't picked up on it before. This WinCE unit is broken down into three pieces: the headset, the handheld, and the mouse. The handheld is a 128MHz SH4 with 32MB RAM and a type II CF slot, weighs 10oz and fits in your pocket; the mouse can be kept in your hand as you walk. The headset has a whopping 640x480 resolution.
While it's not a Pocket PC, according to their webstore it has DirectX, Windows Media Technology 4.1, Windows Media Player 6.4 Control, Pocket Word, Inbox, and Internet Explorer for CE. Not a bad bundle for $1,499, and I suspect the device design doesn't match the Pocket PC requirements anyway.
Now, if only the headset was a thin sunglass-style display, I would be all over it. I somehow don't believe the stylish people featured in the Poma's specification PDF would actually be caught wearing this, and this review seems to agree with me. However, such display technology is evolving rapidly; it's only a matter of time before it becomes a small and practical mass-market item.
The advantage of a headset is that it creates a virtual image that's much larger than a 3.5" or 4" handheld LCD, so you can see higher resolutions, and you can read it while walking and looking ahead. The disadvantage (apart from the fact you look like a cyborg, which is solvable) is that the virtual image can be distracting and tiring. Interaction with a virtual display is also difficult.
What do you think: do you think our Pocket PC's should be moving in this direction? Should there be a CF adapter that you can plug into a headset and table-free mouse?
The Xybernaut Poma is one such device. I'm surprised we haven't picked up on it before. This WinCE unit is broken down into three pieces: the headset, the handheld, and the mouse. The handheld is a 128MHz SH4 with 32MB RAM and a type II CF slot, weighs 10oz and fits in your pocket; the mouse can be kept in your hand as you walk. The headset has a whopping 640x480 resolution.
While it's not a Pocket PC, according to their webstore it has DirectX, Windows Media Technology 4.1, Windows Media Player 6.4 Control, Pocket Word, Inbox, and Internet Explorer for CE. Not a bad bundle for $1,499, and I suspect the device design doesn't match the Pocket PC requirements anyway.
Now, if only the headset was a thin sunglass-style display, I would be all over it. I somehow don't believe the stylish people featured in the Poma's specification PDF would actually be caught wearing this, and this review seems to agree with me. However, such display technology is evolving rapidly; it's only a matter of time before it becomes a small and practical mass-market item.
The advantage of a headset is that it creates a virtual image that's much larger than a 3.5" or 4" handheld LCD, so you can see higher resolutions, and you can read it while walking and looking ahead. The disadvantage (apart from the fact you look like a cyborg, which is solvable) is that the virtual image can be distracting and tiring. Interaction with a virtual display is also difficult.
What do you think: do you think our Pocket PC's should be moving in this direction? Should there be a CF adapter that you can plug into a headset and table-free mouse?
