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Another idea, minidisc SB?


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Topic: Another idea, minidisc SB?

PipSqueak
Member

Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Asia
Posts: 15

Another idea, minidisc SB?

Hmm....
I was thinking...

Handspring could have used minidiscs (pretty popular in Asia), and SBs, which are the size of minidiscs, for the slots. They are, after all, almost the same size....

First of all, minidiscs can store a whole lot more files than flash or SM cards. They are also very cheap and it's re-recordable.

Instead of buying a SB which is an mp3 player, HS only needs to add sound capability, then it'll already be an mp3 player! I think all PDAs should have sound/mp3 capability built-in, not bought separately.

It'll be an mp3 player + pda + infinite expandability

Hmm...

09-14-2002 09:02 AM

Uncle Roger
Member

Registered: May 2001
Location: San Francisco, California, USA
Posts: 90

Re: Another idea, minidisc SB?

quote:
Originally posted by PipSqueak
I think all PDAs should have sound/mp3 capability built-in, not bought separately.

I would agree with one minor change:

quote:
I think all mp3 players should have sound/mp3 capability built-in, not bought separately.

PDA's are PDA's. MP3 players are mp3 players.

If I want to drive really, really fast on a windy mountain road, I'll buy a sports car -- a Mitsubishi 3000gt or a Corvette or something. If I want to go off-highway in the desert or to explore the African continent, I'll buy a Land Rover. I don't want a vehicle that will do both, because it won't do either very well.

If music weren't important to me, I suppose something like a Minijam would be fine. For the amount and variety of music that I listen too, something like a Rio Riot or an Archos Jukebox makes a lot more sense. I don't want to clutter up (or sacrifice other functionality on) my PDA with music and I don't want to limit my music to what a PDA can do.

quote:
Handspring could have used minidiscs (pretty popular in Asia)

In the US (Handspring's primary market) minidiscs are only used by high school boys -- putting a minidisc slot in a PDA would kill any chance of being taken seriously as a business tool.

09-14-2002 08:51 PM

hitman
Member

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Chicago
Posts: 67

MD users

quote:
In the US (Handspring's primary market) minidiscs are only used by high school boys

How do you know this? Many classical musicians use them as a practice aid to record themselves quickly and easily for instant feeback with high quality sound. Many school music departments use them because of their flexibility, ease of use, and sound quality.

09-15-2002 12:38 PM

PipSqueak
Member

Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Asia
Posts: 15

For your example of using different cars for different purposes, yes I agree... but think of this. All cars now have built-in radios, CD players and such... why?

It's the same as mobile phones now have SMS services...

See, where I'm going here? :P

Furthermore, I'm not saying that minidiscs are supposed to be use for recording music and stuff... but files too! I mean, why not a minidisc pda that can store 200mb++ of files??

PDAs are also NOT business tools, I think of it as a lifestyle tool.... I'm a student using a visor deluxe, and I use it for contacts, class schedules, homeowork, games etc.

09-16-2002 05:25 PM

dkessler
Member

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Plant City, FL
Posts: 385

Re: Another idea, minidisc SB?

quote:
Originally posted by PipSqueak
Handspring could have used minidiscs (pretty popular in Asia), and SBs, which are the size of minidiscs, for the slots. They are, after all, almost the same size....

Handspring could have done a lot of interesting stuff with the SB slot - including minidiscs. But it seems pretty clear at this point that the only thing HS wanted to do with Springboard was the VisorPhone. And just about the time when the Visor had enough momentum to be attractive to third-party developers (and developers finally figured out how to really use the SB slot), Handspring dropped the ball and decided to run with the Treo instead.

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09-17-2002 01:26 PM

chesswrangler
Member

Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Illinois - not Chicago
Posts: 45

quote:
PDAs are also NOT business tools, I think of it as a lifestyle tool

This is really true! However, I would guess that MOST people do not know this. I bought my first VDX as a planner for my job(I'm an Engineer for an automtive supplier). I now have a Prism and I use it for my whole lifestyle. Everything - work, church, games, study, pictures, you name it. But you cannot discount the fact that many people do not realize the potential PDA's have and therefore they are typically considered to be business related. But you hit the nail on the head, I think Handspring would have been better off to market their Visor line as a lifestyle tool in addition to marketing to the business world.

I also agree about the MP3 thing. I am not a music enthusiast like Uncle Roger appears to be, but I listen to music all the time. I will probably buy a minijam soon, but I wish it was built right in.

I don't know anything about minidiscs, so I can't comment.

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"Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?"

09-17-2002 01:55 PM

Digisane
Member

Registered: Jun 2002
Location: By the toilet.
Posts: 174

Minidiscs

It's a pretty good idea�

Relatively low cost + 200MBstorage on a Visor� That would've made the Visor instantly the largest capacity PDA on the market!

The potential of recording voice and music, playing music, and storing files
and such� I would have certainly paid twice the price i paid for my Visor for that functionality�

Here's a pretty good combo that should work well in gaining market share in theory, but fail in pratice�

But - we should consider this:

Recording and playing back minidiscs need high amounts of POWER� I would say that even if minidiscs were used the Visor would last only at best 8 hours before needing a recharge, and AAAs are out of the question�

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I'm just a dreamer..

09-17-2002 06:00 PM

Gambit
Member

Registered: Jun 2002
Location: 3rd planet, Solar System
Posts: 112

Minidisks have moving parts. Moving parts require much MUCH more power to run than solid state media. Also Minidisks weigh more than any solid state media. Only benefit is storage capacity and even that's not as much of a benefit because nowadays you can purchase 512mb CF cards. True cost is higher but then again - who needs more than 512mb

Also - Minidisks never caught up in the US - they've been around for 8 years now and have extremly limited market place.

Last edited by Gambit on 09-17-2002 at 07:01 PM

09-17-2002 06:52 PM

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