PDA/Smartphones are advertised as an essential tool for the on-the-go businbess professional, due to their ability to store, view, and edit work documents, such as MS Word files, Excel spreadsheets, and other documents essential to the running of a business. I, however, find them lacking in one key element
to
running a business from a pocket computer.
This elemet is the ability to *compose* such documents. While I'm sure some PDAs, such as Blackberries and Palms, do allow for document composition, I find it a long, tiresome chore to type a lengthy messaage of any kind on such a small keypad, even a QWERTY keypad, because the keys are so small and close together. It's uncomfortable, and my thumbs get sore rather quickly. Even stylus/touchscreen keypads and finger-pecking are too time-consuming for a professional with a lot of demands on his/her time. This means that, in order to compose a work document, type a speech, or send a lengthy e-mail reply, he/she must get to a laptop or desktop PC with a full keyboard to compose the message...
Except for certain Blackberry PDA's, which can be connected with an accessory (a VERY expensive accessory) that projects an intangible, full-size keyboard on a flat surface and reads your fingerstrokes and translates them into text on the screen. But why should I have to pay extra for a component that is essential to performing the tasks the PDA I already bought is supposed to be able to perform?
What I am proposing is a PDA/Smartphone with a built-in keyboard projector, allowing rapid document composition on your PDA. Another feature unique to this PDA is a pop-out stand that allows you to set the PDA in an upright position for easy viewing, and it stays there. The stand has the added benefit of allowing more convenient viewing of movies and TV shows on your PDA.
Other benefits of having a stand are the ability to more easily photograph or video yourself with the Laserboard WPM's 5- megapixel camera (yes, they do make cellphone cameras as high as 5 megapixels, just look up the Samsung Omnia). This of special benefit to the business professional in a video conference.
(by the way, the WPM in the title stands for "Words Per Minute")