How far from 4gb Camera, Ipod Video Player, PDA all in 1?

[demonic]

Please no f.a.n.b.o.y.s of any tech.

Question is, just how far away are we from these 3 items actually converging? 1 year, maybe 2?

Firstly, there are rumours of the next gen Ipod. Having touch screen capability, full length of the player showing videos and hopefully an improved battery life.

Secondly, here in the UK a new mobile has come out. Has a 3.2mp camera. Surely 4mp is a year away now, from being standard in mobile phones? Could it be alot of tech to add it to the Ipod?

Thirdly, after apples ill-fated attempt with was it motorola itunes phone. Apparently they are going it alone. What if they just added the functionality to the ipod and then gave a bluetooth adapter to talk?

Lastly, with the touch screen. Who says they cant add PDA functionality? Add in a pen that is able to be inserted into the player when not in use, so you dont lose it?

Could these things be easily done? Now with M$ coming into the market. Can we be seeing a race starting up?

Comments?

 

[epicstruggle]

Optmistically 1.5 years, realistically 2.5 years. Integrating the pda to a video player isnt the hard part, nor is getting a 4mp camera into the mix. The problem is that the market for such a device is going to be quite small. Not many people need all those things in one, and not as powerful as youd like.

epic

 

[demonic]

I agree that some people wont need all that, but think about it for a moment.

When you purchase a top of the range mobile, you get a camera... for Free.

Most people who purchase an mp3 player, be it ipod or another. You can bet they already have a phone. Most likely that phone will have a camera.

What I have and most of my friends have. We all have Video Ipods and mobile phones with a camera.

Like I said. Apple are rumoured to go the mobile phone route. To compete with a decent phone. They have to have a camera with that phone. Otherwise they wont be competitive. You can bet they will integrate itunes and an ipod.

The only things we can guess at, is whether or not what level of ipod they will integrate. Will the device play video, how much memory will it have and then whether or not it will have a pda.

At the end of the day because of market forces. Certain product features, become free. I.e

Video on 5G Ipod
Cameras on Mobile Phones

I disagree with your assessment the market isnt there. I think it is.

 

[Blazkowicz]

I rather think the camera is the hard part. a PDA with 4GB isn't hard to do (add a flash card) and it plays video. (have a h264/mpeg/divx decoder chip)

Number of megapixels is meaningless if you don't take count of optics. you have cell phones with 1.3 megapixel but the picture quality is junk. Better to think of a camera integrated to phone or PDA as a webcam. (well, I don't know about that 3.2MP phone, I suppose it's junk too?)

what you want is a digital camera that doubles as a PDA and not the other way around . yes, you might be right it's a question of market, epic. someone still has to try though. it could be done right now.