3 ms·

Like PDAs ten years ago? Except we all have those now, save for the name. The problem that these solve is that most things you'd want to use your smartphone f

Like PDAs ten years ago? Except we all have those now, save for the name. The problem that these solve is that most things you'd want to use your smartphone for aren't worth the time it takes to get it out, do the security numbers or pattern or facial recognition, bring up the app, etc. Reducing the overhead from 45 seconds to 5 seconds is an enormous win, it seems to me, quite apart from the head-mounted camera aspect that gets so much focus.

coldtea 14y ago
>Like PDAs ten years ago? Except we all have those now, save for the name. No, we really don't. Smartphones are totally unlike PDAs. Except if you call any small device than has a CPU a "pda". Smartphones didn't get popular for doing what a PDA did. They got popular for doing stuff that PDAs never did. From 3D games to Letterpress, and from checking twitter and facebook, to taking photographs and videos, none of these were available for PDAs. Including making phone calls, checking the web in full and listening to music. >The problem that these solve is that most things you'd want to use your smartphone for aren't worth the time it takes to get it out, do the security numbers or pattern or facial recognition, bring up the app, etc. Reducing the overhead from 45 seconds to 5 seconds is an enormous win, it seems to me, quite apart from the head-mounted camera aspect that gets so much focus Why get the phone out? You could have a watch with necessary information (iWatch), or a voice command and output in-ear headset (Siri mkII).
- randallsquared 14y ago
  I didn't have a PDA personally, but people I knew did, and I'm pretty sure they did things like check the web, listen to music, take (low resolution) photos, and check their email (which is what most at my workplace apparently use their smartphone for nearly exclusively). The other things you mention are a function of the improvement of the hardware or the existence of services (twitter, facebook), not being a completely different category. I think to get to a similar appflow to what a HUD enables, you'd have to have both the iWatch and voice commands, and then you'd still be stuck raising your wrist to read from it, meaning you can't operate it hands-free. HUDs combine all the best uses of iWatch and bluetooth mic/earphone combos, and improve on them.

coldtea 14y ago

>Like PDAs ten years ago? Except we all have those now, save for the name. No, we really don't. Smartphones are totally unlike PDAs. Except if you call any small device than has a CPU a "pda". Smartphones didn't get popular for doing what a PDA did. They got popular for doing stuff that PDAs never did. From 3D games to Letterpress, and from checking twitter and facebook, to taking photographs and videos, none of these were available for PDAs. Including making phone calls, checking the web in full and listening to music. >The problem that these solve is that most things you'd want to use your smartphone for aren't worth the time it takes to get it out, do the security numbers or pattern or facial recognition, bring up the app, etc. Reducing the overhead from 45 seconds to 5 seconds is an enormous win, it seems to me, quite apart from the head-mounted camera aspect that gets so much focus Why get the phone out? You could have a watch with necessary information (iWatch), or a voice command and output in-ear headset (Siri mkII).

randallsquared 14y ago
I didn't have a PDA personally, but people I knew did, and I'm pretty sure they did things like check the web, listen to music, take (low resolution) photos, and check their email (which is what most at my workplace apparently use their smartphone for nearly exclusively). The other things you mention are a function of the improvement of the hardware or the existence of services (twitter, facebook), not being a completely different category. I think to get to a similar appflow to what a HUD enables, you'd have to have both the iWatch and voice commands, and then you'd still be stuck raising your wrist to read from it, meaning you can't operate it hands-free. HUDs combine all the best uses of iWatch and bluetooth mic/earphone combos, and improve on them.