1SRC Editorial: Is There Still Room for the PDA?

I have posted this week's editorial over on 1SRC.com.

Last week’s editorial, The Evolving Treo, took a look at the transition from the traditional Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and what is rumored to be an entry level Treo to be released in the near future. This week I look at what it would take for Palm to deliver a new PDA that will be popular with customers who don’t need an integrated solution.

Time to Freshen Up

There are currently three handhelds in Palm’s PDA line up: the Z22, the Tungsten E2, and the TX. All three of these devices were released in 2005: the E2 was released in April and the Z22 and TX were launched a few months later in October. This October all three devices will be two years old, and the E2 will have passed the Tungsten C as the longest available Palm device. It is time for the Tungsten E2 to be retired. Aside from the screen resolution and Wi-Fi radio, there are no difference between it and the TX. The Z22, I believe, still holds a niche place as a low cost entry point for new customers who want to get their feet wet, so to speak, without a large upfront investment in hardware. The Palm TX should be updated so it can compete with new handheld devices that will be released by Hewlett-Packard later this year.

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