Back in 1997 I could add a new calendar entry and include a sketch, memo, contact or an icon within it in one or two clicks. I could add the same information to sketches, contacts and around it went through all of the PIM applications on the Psion PDAs. It worked perfectly and offered a glimpse into the future of mobile application integration which could surely only improve over time. It did not…
Sony tried a similar method of integration in the Clie TH55, but the result was not as fluid as the Psion experience. It was still a useful and enjoyable to use addition to the standard PDA PIM feature set, but was sadly the last stand for Sony in the PDA market and we never saw the idea develop further.
In the twelve years that have passed since the introduction of this concept by Psion, none of the other platforms have attempted to bring a standard of rich integration which would seem to be a logical progression to help PDA users manage their data in an organised and efficient way. It does seem, however, that Palm is about to bring the idea back from the dead in webOS and the demo videos shown to date suggest a level of integration that goes some way to bringing the major applications together. We are still not going to witness anything close to the original Psion offering, but maybe that will happen in time.
Last week I talked about mobile calendars and how Psion and Palm managed to come up with solutions that gave users almost everything they needed in a mobile application, and because of this we have not seen great strides in this area since. Manufacturers vary the look of their standard calendars, but the core functionality is 90% identical to the originals which came to market over ten years ago.
I am convinced that there is much more potential available in making mobile applications work with each other and being able to move data between these applications. It is not just a fancy way to do the same thing; it is a mechanism that allows the individual to bring their data to a central place. Good organisation can be turned bad very easily by having data scattered around in different applications which do not talk to each other, and a PDA is the best organisation tool we have at the moment. It is with us all of the time, it can be updated and synchronised whenever you like, but we still spread data around a variety of applications. Let’s hope the likes of Apple and Microsoft look at what Palm is doing and jump on the bandwagon.
I think I already commented on this the other week, but having come from Psion also, I couldn’t believe why people loved Palm so much. As things improved slightly I got hooked to the Palm size, but if they managed to stick Symbian in it I could have been happier. I never did get the Revo, which may have been a good compromise. I wonder sometimes if they have different teams working on various parts of the OS, and then they all get together at some point to sort of bundle their work together to the best of their ability.
Still, we adjust, and many people don’t even know or remember the Psion. I guess the best organiser of all is still the brain, but having something beeping at you from time to time does help it along!
I’m also very puzzled as why some areas (core areas in fact) did not develop as expected with the new technology… devices are gettin gfantastic, yet the core PIM is still like years ago… why?
BTW… I bought my Clie TH55 recently from jah and I sure love it… it gives a more real feeling the fact of interacting appointments and related stuff in your organizer – very good! But then… SONY left the building…
Yeah, I too am disappointed by the advancement of the core PIM apps. Quick entry & alternate views as well as the ability to use pictures make obvious sense.
My over-arching feeling is that everything took a big step back when smart phones became popular. To make it useable to the mass market the makers seem to think it needs to be simpler. Simpler GUI yes, but functionally more advanced too.
Tom