Rhetorical question - when the PDA will become as popular as personal computers? When the number of owners of handheld machines at least close to the number of PC users? The answer - when the handheld computers will learn to perform tasks assigned today on the fragile shoulders of desktop machines. If you look at the most popular PC applications, and compare them with the applications of PDA, it appears that the differences are only in multimedia. That is a personal computer is often used for viewing video, audio and run the games. However, in principle, can be said about pocket typewriters, though none but - it's completely different level. Even the most powerful, most expensive PDA video view associated with converting files into a special format and the inevitable compromises. A "handheld" games with a textured graphics, there is no sound at all ...? Yes, with sound okay, but again, only in stereo ... Another question - whether a small computer surround sound and three-dimensional graphics accelerator. On business applications of PDAs such complication does not affect in any way, but very substantially raise the cost of computers. And yet, the user spent on a pocket-sized machine a few hundred dollars, waiting for the CCP more than he can give. For the mass market (to Whom is fully and I include myself), pocket computer - this is a computer, not a calculator with advanced functions. In the nearest future the situation could change very drastically. In the world of handheld computers come graphics accelerators. That is soon on his Pocket PC and even, to think only on Palm `s we can easily have fun with, say, Quake. Yes no resemblance to the primitive older "pisishnogo" brother, and textured with a full game. And the options for the gaming handheld for some quality games will surpass desktop machines - just think of the built-in Bluetooth wireless modules, and, accordingly, the ability to integrate handheld computers into the network. Multiplayer games at their fingertips. It would be nice ...
The new chips - new perspectives
Reports of release of chip graphics accelerator companies ATI (Imageon 3200) and MediaQ (MQ-1188) have not lost the status of hot news. While we are talking about the first industrial designs (although MediaQ already produces a second model circuit). Real embodiment in the form of multimedia Palm `s and Pocket PC - Multimedia in a broader sense than today - we'll see will not soon ... but it is a real technological leap, like the appearance of the PDA slot for removable flash memory card or the same module Bluetooth. True, it is not yet on the three-dimensional accelerator, whose presence in the home PC, we have already seen how a well-established standard. The new chip from MediaQ - a 2D-accelerator designed to offload the CPU from routine operations of drawing the screen. As a result, the speed of the graphics system of the CCP is expected to grow at times, and enegropotreblenie small cars, has weakened. On the other hand - and needed if today's PDA, so they are, 3D-boosters? On the small screen hard to see the shadows, background transparency, small parts, and other delights textured graphics. But the "flat" two-dimensional image is clearly slow. Look at the game Doom for Pocket PC. First, it leads the user in delight, but then, almost poobvyknuv, you begin to notice the "lethargy" pictures and graphic design to simplify the game. Three-dimensional graphics accelerators - the future of handheld computers. Their arrival will allow you to connect a small computer to a TV or monitor via a large built-in or external adapters ... It smells of serious changes in the field of gaming consoles. Do not you find? .. The new chips are endowed with diverse abilities. They are, for example, are able to derive the new qualitative level modules of digital cameras PDAs and Smartphones ... but I wanted to talk about another, equally desirable and popular functions of handheld computers - the video playback. Example of successful decisions portable videokonsoli may be a miniature multimedia processor ARCHOS Jukebox MultiMedia. Despite the relatively high cost, about $ 480, this multifunction device is actively sold (including Russia) and enjoyed a good demand.
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Briefly opportunities ARCHOS Jukebox MultiMedia can be described as follows. This is a portable external hard drive-based 10-gigabyte hard disk format 2.5-inch ("Notebook" standard), player audio files MP3 (and not just MP3) with the memory capacity of a giant, a digital recorder with stereo audio recording function in MP3, high quality digital Voice recorder with built-in or external plug-in microphone, digital camera and camcorder (in conjunction with the attachable module) and, most importantly, digital video recorder that allows you to play movies to MPEG4 (or DivX). Tiny ARCHOS Jukebox MultiMedia equipped with a color screen size of 1.5 inches, a video output for TV connection and built-in lithium battery for autonomous operation of the device for 8 hours of music playback and 3 hours of video playback. The picture quality on your TV is not inferior image quality video format, VHS, although the resolution is small - 352x288 pixels. Amazing stuff ... but MQ-1188 chip is able to transform a PDA into a digital video recorder, characteristics of which will be higher than the characteristics ARCHOS Jukebox MultiMedia, because the chip built-in and a hardware decoder and encoder MPEG4. That is, the computer can without strain (in the sense - not loading the CPU) not only play movies in the today popular computer format, but also to digitize video. We can only wait for the first models of handheld computers with built-in accelerators. Or - smartphones ... The full-length video of a cell phone? And why not?
Not only games
Another news item that caused particular concern relates to peripherals for handheld computers. Namely - the printers. Company Mobile Command Systems has released a portable printer for PDAs called Nomad.
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The printer is equipped with every imaginable interfaces - IrDA, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB and LPT, and therefore can work with any handheld, portable or desktop computer. The device has a decent resolution (208 dpi). The width of a sheet of paper - 110 mm. That is, printing on sheets of small size, but, presumably, does not prohibit the use of roll paper. The printer has used the principle of thermal printing of updates ... I have learned from news feeds and recalled their own experience with portable printers. This is a printer Citizen PN48, which I just tested in action, and the rather exotic places for our device - thermal printer Kodak, who faithfully served me for five years before going to another owner. Both printers are designed for laptops, but the Citizen should work with the CPC (with appropriate driver support). As for Kodak, he was released before the advent of handheld computers - in 1995. Besides, I got changed for the port LPT, for which there was no interface IrDA. Citizen pleasantly amazed almost laser quality printing and uncomfortable - the high cost of consumables. One roll of black ribbon was only enough for two dozen pages, with a pair of commercials sold for ten dollars ... The print quality Kodak `but it was worse, but no operating costs (the printer itself cost around $ 500). I still do not know anything better than an old thermal printer. Corporate commercial paper that was attached to the printer, ended immediately. Dismissing warnings from the manufacturer, I took advantage of our Russian fax a piece of paper. And Kodak has worked with her, like a clock. Never choked, never mess up ... However, the prints did not live long - until the first prolonged contact with more or less warm objects. Kodak itself was surprisingly small and could easily fit in your pocket. In it, there were no trays.Only two slots - to receive the paper clip and release the finished print ... Where are these devices? For "marching" applications better than to ... Expediency print from the PDA can be questioned. Indeed, large-format paper (standard A4), pocket computer will not display on screen. We are only a small notes and calculations ... But try to work in a desktop calculator with the press. When the entire course of the calculations is fixed on a narrow paper tape similar to the cash (she probably is). Handy thing! But certainly not for $ 500. Printers PDA released before - mainly for the Palm `s. But in Russian stores, they did not come across ... Printer Nomad attracts primarily for its versatility. And if this is a thermal printer, then - cheap consumables. If Nomad operates on the principle of dye sublimation printing, I would still prefer a time-tested portable Citizen (any model). And then one of the little "struynikov" Canon (for example, the model BJC-55). Drivers for these printers are part of the software keyboard for Pocket PC Jornada 728. Pocket PC, printer, cell phone ... Life is indeed becoming mobile. The authors, translation: