Re: tlug: palmtop PHS (was PalmPilot)

["J. David Beutel" <jdb@example.com>]

Okay, I took a little field-trip to Akihabara tonite.  
(God, I love Tokyo.)  I didn't have much time to look,
it all closes so early, but there were several of what
I was looking for--pocket-sized 32kbps PHS PDA w/ large
(~12x15 full-width kanji) monochrome backlit display and voice.

The 2 I have data on look very similar--Kyocera DataScope DS-110
and Astel AI-15.  They are flip-phones with LCD on one side and
keypad on the other (numbers, arrows, and about 15 function keys).
Both are about 115x58x27mm and have PDA functions (phone and address
book, scheduler, todo list).  They're a very nice size.

I can't read much Japanese, so it gets a little sketchy here.
The Astel allows handwritten memo (i.e., sketch) input, and
presumably touch-screen navigation, but maybe no PC hot-sync.
The Kyocera works as a PC Card type II modem (w/out cable).
Both do email, but to NIFTY-Serve, BIGLOBE (PC-VAN), and People,
and/or using Lotus Notes groupware.  That doesn't sound like
Internet to me.  Astel might mention fax (perhaps only send
capability when used as a modem from a PC)?  I don't know
if either have a viable kanji input method.

Unfortunately, I doubt these things have real Internet capability
(e.g., IMAP, telnet, HTTP, ftp) and the apps to go along with it.
Both mention PIAFS (PHS Internet Access Forum Standard), but
so does NTT (http://www.nttphs.co.jp/chuo_e/service/service.htm),
and PIAFS seems to imply only all-digital speed (32k), not TCP/IP.

There were a couple other interesting devices, one much more like
the PalmPilot (same size, all screen), but still with built-in
PHS voice and 32kbps.  It also seemed to have RS-232, IR ports,
and some kind of card slot (not PC Card, I think), but I can't
recall the make and model (PCV-100?), and have no details.

Does anyone know more about these things or others?  Do they or will
they have independent developers, like the Pilot?  And, can they access
regular Internet accounts?  (It seems like proprietary hardware and
services are still the norm here.)  Is the Pilot over here?

--
J. David Beutel       "You're inhabited by the society you live in through
11011011 jdb@example.com  your use of language." McCorduck on Turkle on Lacan

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