Is it all over?

[robertotoole]

I recently went to a supplier (will remain nameless) who advertises prominently in the Palmtop magazine - and when I asked him how he sees the future for Psion users, he answered: 'it's all over - change your machine as soon as possible'

I was surprised to hear this mainly because I at least expected someone who seemingly seems to take such an interest in the machines and wants to attract Psion business being so very bleak about them. It got me thinking - is this really the case and where exactly does it leave those of us who are so unimpressed with what else is on offer on the marketplace of PDAs. I am not so much thinking of support, I know Psion will continue to support till 2004 bla bla bla but more what the long term prospects for us the users are?

Surely the future is very bleak when the mother firm Psion are essentially drying up their customers and quite frankly do not care about them (have you ever tried getting through to Psion on the telephone - it's a real adventure not for the feint hearted). Is there a possibility that things would turn round with Psion and they start redevloping?

Basically I would like to find any excuse possible to continue using my Psion but I suppose I am haunted by the inevitable urge to update technologically and keep in pace not to mention the presumably bad economics of holding a Psion when shops are getting rid of them everywhere. At some stage I am sure I will lose my Psion (I hope not but I know myself) and am wondering whether I will repurchase a new one or go for something completely different?

I was wondering how everyone sees the future - will owning a Psion become like owning an antique trainset? And what are the options for exchange of machines for Psion users - why is there nothing that Psion users will accept that is any good on the market at the moment? I certainly havent seen anything but I am not really an expert and one may have passed me by.

[nitrile]

The future for new Psion PDA's is quite bleak, I'm no close follower of the PDA market but perhaps there is some small chance the Teklogix subsidiary will produce some interesting devices down the road.. a good possibility exists that we get a symbian based smartphone that's more a PDA also. It's wishful thinking, but what you said did apply directly to me; I'm a Psion user and simply don't want a PDA if it's not EPOC.

On the other hand, new technology will come and go, but any device is only obsolete when it no longer fulfils its purpose - the one I have and the ones i'll get second hand later will last me until something surpasses it in functionality at a price I'm willing to pay.

The only bad effect of Psion's withdrawal from the market from my perspective is the lack of really nice new PDA's - an effect that my wallet will be thankful for. Bad economics are irrelevant, I already paid. On the support issue - if they're maintaining that until 2004 that's a large window for someone to make a device for all those homeless Psion users, and in that time spare parts can be expected to be available. The software scene seems reasonably active, all is not lost - not yet.

[netBookBabe]

Originally posted by robertotoole
'it's all over - change your machine as soon as possible' I find myself at a loss to understand the rationale behind this attitude - why rush to get rid of an item which is still serving a useful purpose, simply because no more are scheduled to be produced?

To me, one of the main strengths of Psion/Epoc is that it's lean and efficient, not bloated with unnecessary bells and whistles, nor pandering to the whims of the latest technology for its own sake. It does the job, and it does it superbly well! So, why on earth should I discard it and replace it with something that doesn't fit my needs? I'm very much in accord with nitrile on this one, I'm expecting my current Psions to serve me for a good while yet, and I'm looking after them with extra care!

Admittedly the netBook is my flagship, and I'm expecting to be using that, or one like it, for as long as they continue to be produced. I use the smaller machines in partnership as well though - I'm planning to pick up a 5mx before it's too late, as a back-up in case my MC218 gives up the ghost.

I shall continue as normal, and await developments over the next 2 to 3 years.

Julie

[Jack B Nimble]

I expect that the psion users in the next few years will have a lot in common with the Newton users of the past few years. Still happy with their machines, still using them, just not able to find much new software or accessories for them. There will be some new software, almost all non-commercial, user-written, but the device will continue to function as needed. And in some cases, we will need to do some real tweaking to get what we want. As easy as EPOC is, this will become a community of hobbyists.

For a while I considered trading my Series 7 in for a notebook to get what little I was missing - fast file access to my server and fast browsing. Instead, I upgraded to a 7Book, added a WLAN card, and setup a FTP server on my home server, and I am set for some time to come. Not something I would recommend to the casual PDA buyer, but I am very happy with it.

[WolfUK]

I recently returned to Psion devices (netBook and a 5mx) after two years with Palms. I really decided that a decent keyboard and logical screen orientation and good screen resolution were essential for me (try writing a report on a 160x160 screen using a folding keyboard that lies completely flat on a table yet still requires you to use a stylus for a lot of the time since the OS was not designed with keyboards in mind).

I now intend to stick with Psions and will continue to use them for as long as possible. No other machine on the market offers anything like the functionality of the Psion as far as I am concerned so why force myself to use another device simply because Psion are no longer actively developing a new machine.

[Beakynet]

To me, this is a bit like saying analogue TV is dead - throw away you analogue TV and get a widescreen digital TV!

Why? The analogue TV works fine and still many programs are not broardcast in widescreen!

As a business tool and for fun, the Psion works great! Personally I am not really interested in streaming video which is about all it can't handle! So, unless C# (Microsoft's version of Java) takes off, my Psion will be viable for probably 5 years.

I only upgraded my PC because the OS was unstable and XP needs a better spec than I had!

[diem]

Beakynet - you are the voice of reason! This is exactly my point of view. I used to live on the '(b)leading edge' of technology, but I found out that if you live there that all too often you get cut! These days I want my technology to work, not be newer than what my mates have...

[makoman50]

keep this in mind
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, shall be remembered on the feast of Crispian - Henry V
i think that we need to think carefully about this new challenge that psion's dicontinuation presents us. there are other machines that run on EPOC and i might be willing to buy one. granted the PDA world won't quite be the same but there is hope that someone else will buy the psion name and continue to make the machines. i do however agree with Julie about the issue that we should not just throw our psions away, they will work for many years to come and we will continue to use them and produce software for them.
cheers
makoman

[robertotoole]

I read many of the replies to my original thread with interest.

Clearly there is no point throwing away ones' Psion machine just to stay on the cutting edge of technology if it is still functional - anyone who would suggest doing so would be crazy especially in view of the paucity of quality on offer elsewhere on the PDA market.

However the terrifying dilemma is what to do if you lose your psion or it becomes totally uneconomical to repair it? If you lose it and I was just hypotheticallly putting myself through the dilemma - would it really be worth trawling around to buy a replacement. And surely this is a very real dilemma for all of us - every machine, however good dies at some stage. And what is on offer at the moment that even approaches the effectiveness of say the 5mx or the Revo?

[WolfUK]

Robert, you make a very good point about what to do when it comes to replacing your Psion and in reality we have four options ...

1. Have the device repaired (if it is not lost) if this is still possible.
2. Buy a replacement device on EBay (or similar) if possible.
3. Switch to a replacement device that has been bought about now (and I believe that some people are stockpiling).
4. Switch to an alternative device.

Eventually we will all be forced to accept #4 but the longer that we can delay that then the better. It may be that by that time comes Psion will have re-entered the PDA arena or that another manufacturer has developed a realistic alternative to the machines we know and love.

As a final point, I primarilly use a netBook which Psion will hopefully continue to manufacture for a few more years and will then be supporting for a while longer due to industry demands.

[netBookBabe]

I am completely in accord with Simon on this one, but then my circumstances are pretty much the same, given that I too use a netBook as my main machine, in partnership with an MC218.

Thanks Simon, you saved me from writing a post! ;)

Julie

< scuttles off to eBay in search of a 5mx > :D

[makoman50]

julie;
i think that e-bay would be a great place to get any psion at most times. i bought my revo new in box on e-bay when someone had bought about 20 of them and then didn't use thema nd sold them. i got mine for what i thought to be a good price ($130). i also think that the pool of psions on e-bay at any given times will still remain fairly diverse for at least a year after psion's dicontinuation of retail units. the price of psions on ebay will obviusly rise over time as the units become rarer and rarer but i think that unless people stockpile the units wiht the intention of selling them much later, not only would there be no units left but the units remaining would suffer from hyperinflation. now a message to people who are considering stockpiling:
DO NOT STOCKPILE PSIONS!!!!!!!!!!
cheers
makoman

[WolfUK]

I don't think that many people are going to stockpile but rather buy one or two spare machines. This is a double edged sword, however, if people do not buy spares or stockpile then Psion will certainly stop manufacturing but if they do then there may be shortages.

I guess that without an official statement from Psion themselves we don't really know what the future production plans are.

[walterg]

My opinion is that we must not despear. psion stop to produce devoices, ok, we don't know how much time teklogix will continue to update so for nB.... probably even they don't know it!
maybe in 2-3 years all these devices will be substituted by god knows what. it has been almost a decade since i began to hear about the apple crisis and its losing market, and now lokk at what they produced last 2 years.... such jewels hardly will be imitated... so, i invite all of you not to be pessimistic.
i feel myself a neophyte in psion/epoc worls, just for last 3 years, but i want to continue. not just for a snobistic mood, i really consider the devices i possess (P5 & nB) ad hoc for my needs (work + leisure). maybe a day they'll crack down and i'll be forced to change them. so what? it happens to all of us with radios, cars, wash-machines, etc.. i am convinced that then i'll find anyway a solution, within (i hope) or not psion world.
ciao
walter

[MixiMera]

MC218 and Psion5MX are great little PDAs excellent replacements for a Newton. I have used several Newtons and NEVER considered a Palm device. If Psion had focused on MACINTOSH users and left the Palm's for PC users, then we would have had a completely different story. The Psion is very much a Macintosh machine even more than a Newton ever was. The problem must lie in: 1) Psions screen cables beeing poor quality, 2) The lack of development (USB FireWire) 3) Lack of Macintosh focus and 4) Symbian collaboration with Mobile companies in focus.

If the MC218 came with a FULL MAC set, we would have a bunch of satisifed Macusers.
It is not dead, just carry on using it and ask Apple to support it in iSynch.

[hcamstra]

For the near future I predict the demise of garage-startups like Psion and Palm as manufacturers of hardware. This is not a bad thing, because it will allow them to concentrate on OS. Demand for PDA-like thingies will explode in the coming years, and they could never deliver that kind of volume. The gear will be produced by the big boys (Sony is an early adopter) in electronics who will integrate it in their other products. Things like: your PDA/tablet/phone downloads the TV/radio listings through the internet; then you use it to control/program your TV/video/dvd/radio/whatnot

Even more interesting is the PDA in the car. Think of a gizmo that sits in a cradle in your car and:
- controls part of it (your seat adjustments, favourite radio stations, recorded music etc.; possibly acts as a key)
- act as an integrated carphone, Email/fax device, gps device, emergency tracker
- downloads pre-set information through the radio FM-channels (news (papers), traffic info, nearest gasstation, hotels, restaurants, stock-listings; stuff like that)

Car manufacturers, however, will insist on a VERY stable OS for these things and this is where I can see a bright future for EPOC, if they play their cards right. So hang on to your Psions, however terrible their screens are; you'll never know how experience with EPOC may come in handy.

[netBookBabe]

Hmmmm.....

Am I the only one here who HATES the idea of these integrated devices? :mad:

Julie

[walterg]

julie, I'm with you ;) all those ideas must not condition our way of live. devices have to simplify the daily existence: I still love to decide by myself which tv channel I'll see tonight, or choosing (and cooking!!!) my morning breakfast. and when I drive a car. I hate to hear the phone ring.... and most, for my notes and agenda, I need my little brother psion5.:D a PDA??? puahh...
ciao
walter

[Bren]

I'm with Julie too. At present, my Revo works great with my Nokia 6210, both are light and compact and I prefer them separate. I don't envy my friends still struggling to get any value out of their "integrated" devices. The PC market has always tried to dictate to the marketplace since seeing how Bill Gates got away with it. The success of Psion was an example of the market choosing their own favourites.

[markdeppe]

I'm with MixiMera on the Mac thought. I know MS have 90+ % of the market but Mac seem ok and if they had adopted Psion or vice versa then they would be on a win win situation especially as as far as I can tell psiwin never quite delivered the perfect syn functionality, espcially with outlook and diary etc. Yes a mac psion would please me and makes sense, I guess I am missing something as it seems so obvious they must have thought of it themselves. Stlil I can but dream. Long live the netbook, one day with usb and/or firewire and a screen that works in bright light conditions - no worries here in UK but handy for when I travel.

Julie I'm with you (not too crowded I hope :-)) on the seperate device score, while I admit to liking having a database and diary on my phone so I do not to carry psion and phone always to avoid feeling lost without a brain. And to paraphrase Waltberg, I do not need to complicate things just because its possible.

[brianh]

There was once an article located somewhere on PsionPlace that someone had written about how Apple should buy Psion. That sounds like a very good idea...

EPOC and Mac OS X have strong similarities in their stability, multi-tasking and in their thread and kernel handling.

Go ahead Apple, bring Psion back and satisfy many Mac users...

[WolfUK]

Originally posted by brianh
There was once an article located somewhere on PsionPlace that someone had written about how Apple should buy Psion. That sounds like a very good idea...

EPOC and Mac OS X have strong similarities in their stability, multi-tasking and in their thread and kernel handling.

Go ahead Apple, bring Psion back and satisfy many Mac users... The only problem with this idea is that the rock-solid operating system is EPOC which is now owned by Symbian, not Psion ... There is nothing to stop Apply licensing Symbian and creating an ER5-based device (this is the OS used in the 5mx, Revo, 7 and netBook). It was Psion themselves (or external contractors) who designed the physical devices which is where much of the joy for me also lies. I guess that Psion could sell the hardware design rights to a third-party for further development but I imagine that it is fairly unlikely.