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Will smartphones ever be bright enough to outwit your PDA? Microsoft
thinks so.
Last week we told you why we were skeptical that wireless handhelds
and phones would replace notebook computing anytime soon. But that
doesn't mean we're not excited about all the advances in these smaller
devices.
For a couple of years now, companies have been trying to come up
with the right combination of phone and PDA, but none have really
gotten it right. As a result, most of us are forced to carry around
two or more gadgets (OK, forced is a bit of a stretch). But
a couple of new products are at least showing some promising signs.
The Handspring
VisorPhone, a Springboard expansion module for the Visor handheld,
now offers near-nationwide GSM coverage. And Kyocera has been spending
big bucks advertising its Smartphone (QCP-6035), a remake of the
Palm OS-based Qualcomm pdQ Smartphone that is due out in April.
But the smartphones that are likely to garner the most attention
this year are those based on Microsoft Stinger, a version of the
same Windows CE 3.0 operating system found in Pocket
PCs.
Microsoft recently dropped by to give us an update on the Stinger
project, which has been in the works for some time, as well as to
show us prototypes of some of the phones that should be available
starting around year-end from manufacturers such as Mitsubishi,
Samsung, and Sendo. Though the product demo didn't go quite as planned
-- we warned them that ZDNet's New York office was notorious for
poor wireless reception -- we saw enough to get a good idea of the
strengths and weaknesses of Stinger.
The key design philosophy behind Stinger seems to have been preserving
the one-handed operation of a typical cell phone. Unlike current
smartphone designs, these phones will have no stylus, no flip-cover,
and no touchscreen. Aside from a tiny joystick and two extra buttons
for navigation, the Stinger-based phones look pretty much like ordinary
phones except a little wider and taller. This means you can access
all of the phone's features while trudging through the airport with
a bag in one hand.
Like other smartphones, the Stinger phones can synchronize the
contents of your inbox, contacts, and appointments with a PC or
server. But Microsoft has added a twist by letting wireless service
providers (currently VoiceStream) use SMS to automatically push
-- anyone remember that 90s buzzword -- user settings, e-mail, and
PIM data down to the phone when you activate it. The Stinger platform
uses the same customizable, graphical interface (code-named Luna)
found in Windows XP, so we can all look forward to our wireless
providers hitting us up for monthly surcharges to have a picture
of the kids as the background on the phone's display.
When Microsoft first came out with Windows CE, they were criticized
for cramming the Windows OS onto a palm-size device. Three versions
and several years later, Microsoft is finally just now making inroads
in the PDA market with Pocket PC. Based on what we've seen of Stinger
so far, it appears that Microsoft learned some lessons from the
experience. While the thought of thousands checking their MoneyCentral
portfolios with one hand while driving 70 MPH with the other still
sounds to us like a recipe for disaster, Stinger is nevertheless
the most intelligent smartphone design we've seen to date and it
should be a hit right out of the gate.
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