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New Device? Multifunctional Combo Device?

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Original poster
While reliable reports indicate that a communication device will be available in the next few weeks... some unconfirmed reports provide some details:

According to these reports the new device will be a multifuctional device -- both phone and pda functionality with iCal, Mail and iChat integration. The new device is claimed to have Quicktime embedded as well as a camera to provide support for video.

The device is said to be co-developed with Eriksson.
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2003/04/21/new-device-multifunctional-combo-device/
So is this device different than the other communicating device found on page one? They seem to conflict with each other.
 
this sounds very exciting if true, being able to phone, IM, video conference, take photos (if res is good enough) and do pda type tasks on the go would be great...would remove the need for me to get a laptop completely i would guess as long as it was fully intergrated with os x, and included developer tool so i could program on the go too. Only thing is the size of the device for phone, I'd feel dumb having a huge box held to my ear like in 80's films especially with the size of phones these days, and could be awkward to carry round every day instead of a small phone (though easier than a laptop and if quite big then easier to input things than on a phone or pda. I suppose bluetooth headphone/mic would remove the dumbness of holding a big box to your ear to phone someone....
 
I'll believe it when I see it, and I don't think we'll see it (at least the way it's described here).
 
Originally posted by Natron
I'll believe it when I see it, and I don't think we'll see it (at least the way it's described here).
Click to expand...

I hope you are right. I already have a cell phone that I am happy with... I want an mp3 player, but if I have to wait for my cell phone contract to expire then I'm not going to be getting it from apple.

If this is the case, I hope apple continues to sell the current iPods along side them.

--nw
 
Apple isn't entering the phone market. They can't compete there.

Also, Apple isn't going to release any kind of cookie-cutter PDA. They can't compete there, either.

I'd put my money on a mini-tablet, al la Macwhisper's 8-inch enclosure.
 
Originally posted by pyrotoaster
Apple isn't entering the phone market. They can't compete there.

Also, Apple isn't going to release any kind of cookie-cutter PDA. They can't compete there, either.

I'd put my money on a mini-tablet, al la Macwhisper's 8-inch enclosure.
Click to expand...

I agree - about wanting a tablet -

but if you are asking if Apple can be the no. 1 phone developer hmm maybe maybe not. but if Apple had a really good offering ALOT of mac users would buy one, and since a phone doesn't have to be Mac compatible alot of pc users might as well. -I also think the above, probably totally speculation, is in no way cookie cutter pda sounding... if you know where to get one that has those features... please, do tell.
 
Erricson P800

Erriccson have just released the P800, after spending ages to get out - delay after delay.

I really doubt they will launch a phone than will effectively complete against it.

Of course unless they have just loaded extra software on to the phone to make it work with iCal etc. (And I don't think there was QuickTime for Symbian port (Symbian is the OS that the P800 runs on)).

Also, if there was such a phone, what sort of a market would there be? Very Mac orientated. The P800 has a camera, and full PDA features, just like just this rumoured device.
 
One thought I had is if iChat is going to get video conferencing, would Apple put some kind of webcam out? Same with a microphone if they enhance Speech further? Or some kind of tablet with Inkwell?

I don't think Apple is going to do a tablet, pda, or cell phone, at least not with how they are today, but rather something that does well what all three of these do OK.

I suppose we just have to wait and see.
 
The min-tablet is not a new rumor. It mimics the direction that the industry is taking as well as follows Apples past development scheme.

I picture a g3 iBook like tablet, with out an easily replaceable battery, blue-tooth, IR, AirPort, and 3rd party card connection (networking, slaveing and control being the key points of a device like this). If you believe this then the question is, would you buy a clunky, keyboadless, dumbed down iBook? Do you want/need a para-notebook in your life, and is there a market for a single digital hub in your house and a giant networked controller?

The paperless office has yet to come, the Newton is dead, so I am skeptical, but hopeful.
 
Originally posted by Natron
One thought I had is if iChat is going to get video conferencing, would Apple put some kind of webcam out? Same with a microphone if they enhance Speech further? Or some kind of tablet with Inkwell?

I don't think Apple is going to do a tablet, pda, or cell phone, at least not with how they are today, but rather something that does well what all three of these do OK.

I suppose we just have to wait and see.
Click to expand...

This thinking sounds valid to me, as it follows on from Apple's recent product strategy with the iPod and iApps -- not something entirely new and different, but a "best in class" implementation of an existing product or service.
 
Re: Erricson P800

Originally posted by Stella
Erriccson have just released the P800, after spending ages to get out - delay after delay.

I really doubt they will launch a phone than will effectively complete against it.

Of course unless they have just loaded extra software on to the phone to make it work with iCal etc. (And I don't think there was QuickTime for Symbian port (Symbian is the OS that the P800 runs on)).

Also, if there was such a phone, what sort of a market would there be? Very Mac orientated. The P800 has a camera, and full PDA features, just like just this rumoured device.
Click to expand...

good point... must be something else...
 
nothing you might expect

There's no reason apple would make a device that already excists.. Why do you think iPod was so succesful? There was no small 5Gt (-20Gt) mp3 players out there!
This is not gonna be anything you'd expect 🙂 Then again, I might very well be wrong.
 
thoughts on iChat & new devices

Since we know that Apple would only introduce a digital hub accessory device if they thought the existing offerings blew chunks (consider MP3 players prior to iPod) and we know that iChat has precursors of videoconferencing built into, though not yet actively implemented, might I suggest that some manner of videophone device might be in store, possibly with internet phone capability (internet phone apps are pretty poor overall, and really thin on the Mac side)? Existing web cams propped up on top of monitors or off on the side introduce horrible parallax issues and the frame rates ... I'll be charitable and say that in my opinion, all web cams so far suck (this is my opinion, so if you disagree, let's just agree to disagree, ok?). A streaming MPEG4 two way video conferencing device and phone would, in my opinion, be very cool, and be something that doesn't truly have a competing device at this point in time (to the best of my knowledge). Any thoughts on my wild conjecture (no, I'm not calling this a rumor... this is pure speculation with a couple of educated guesses thrown in).
 
Re: nothing you might expect

Originally posted by Windowlicker
...Why do you think iPod was so succesful? There was no small 5Gt (-20Gt) mp3 players out there!...
Click to expand...

Windowlicker, I think you mean 5GB... not quite sure what 5Gt is.

Video for iChat sounds like a good possible device.
 
Re: Re: nothing you might expect

Originally posted by iElvis
Windowlicker, I think you mean 5GB... not quite sure what 5Gt is.

Video for iChat sounds like a good possible device.
Click to expand...

He's from Finland, maybe it's Gt in Finland?
 
Re: thoughts on iChat & new devices

Originally posted by longpath
Since we know that Apple would only introduce a digital hub accessory device if they thought the existing offerings blew chunks (consider MP3 players prior to iPod) and we know that iChat has precursors of videoconferencing built into, though not yet actively implemented, might I suggest that some manner of videophone device might be in store, possibly with internet phone capability (internet phone apps are pretty poor overall, and really thin on the Mac side)? Existing web cams propped up on top of monitors or off on the side introduce horrible parallax issues and the frame rates ... I'll be charitable and say that in my opinion, all web cams so far suck (this is my opinion, so if you disagree, let's just agree to disagree, ok?). A streaming MPEG4 two way video conferencing device and phone would, in my opinion, be very cool, and be something that doesn't truly have a competing device at this point in time (to the best of my knowledge). Any thoughts on my wild conjecture (no, I'm not calling this a rumor... this is pure speculation with a couple of educated guesses thrown in).
Click to expand...

What you say makes more sense than anything else.

I thought Apple had made it clear they were not going into the phone or PDA business, and I think this rumor (the Page 1 rumor more than the one for this thread) sounds like something OTHER than the rumored tablet device.

This is Page 2, after all. I don't buy this rumor, but the the Page 1 story is a possibility.

A good firewire webcam with high quality video makes a lot of sense.
 
Re: New Device? Multifunctional Combo Device?

Originally posted by Macrumors
While reliable reports indicate that a communication device will be available in the next few weeks... some unconfirmed reports provide some details:

According to these reports the new device will be a multifuctional device -- both phone and pda functionality with iCal, Mail and iChat integration. The new device is claimed to have Quicktime embedded as well as a camera to provide support for video.

The device is said to be co-developed with Eriksson.
Click to expand...

The ROBOT MONKEY idea sounded more promising... 😀
 
Re: Re: Re: nothing you might expect

Originally posted by sparks9
He's from Finland, maybe it's Gt in Finland?
Click to expand...

Could be, some countries do have different names. For example, France (I think) uses Mo instead of MB (not sure about Go/GB) which means "mega octet" (which kinda makes more sense than byte since octo means 8).
 
According to these reports the new device will be a multifuctional device -- both phone and pda functionality with iCal, Mail and iChat integration. The new device is claimed to have Quicktime embedded as well as a camera to provide support for video.
Click to expand...
Okay, so amalgamating everything that's been said so far, imo we have a wireless video phone (with added nifty still camera) that runs over internet protocols with functionality as a thin client for basic work around the house/internet access plus with the new itunes music service it would double as an in-house jukebox that remotely controls your home theater system with a catalogue of all songs known to mankind.

And the perpetual motion machine will be announced in September but won't ship 'till Christmas. 😉

In all seriousness, that would be hella cool. What sucks is waiting eight more days to find out, and then being disapointed but upbeat when a basic webcam appears. Here's hoping for the best! Cheers!
 
It's obviously not an Apple Tablet. The features sound very close to the Sony Ericsson P800 phone, which has the Symbian software and is supposed to be a vastly better PDA than this stupid T68i that I have, and it has bigger, more usable buttons and a bigger, more readable display too. (Should have waited. 🙁)

And we've already heard that 10.2.5 now supports the P800, so this rumor probably is a confused report of that fact. The only part that makes no sense is connecting it to the Cinema Display.

Maybe there's some kind of Tivo-like gizmo coming out which will allow the Cinema Display to be used as a television, with a Mac as a PVR. If so, we'll be needing an inexpensive headless Mac to go with it...
 
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