Square Peg, Round Hole

I'm a gadget geek, but please, I'm a man, with man hands and can't really do much on a smaller laptop, much less a PDA or some smartphone doohickey!

So when I read some article ( Will Laptops Get Out-Evolved?) about the demise of the laptop via a PDA or smartphone or similar pocket thingumbob simply because of mobility and supposed "document management", well, that's just utter crapola!

There's some method to the madness when people opt for bigger, wider screens/displays when watching a video, or why the keyboard is still the best way to compose documents...unless you prefer to "talk" like your teenager in some childish quest to be "1337" in your business/professional dealings.

I'm sorry, but I don't enjoy viewing a video on a 3 x 3 screen, well, maybe if I'm stuck somewhere and I'm watching live TV - as in the Superbowl, or World Series or some bowl game! That means live TV and only if I must, as in I just have no other choice at the moment. Otherwise, watch me dump that "smart" phone while I turn to my 10-year old 27-inch Magnavox TV!

1. $1.99 video downloads are destined for a wide screen laptop, desktop or big a__ plasma display
2. phones are for talking, brief messaging, calendaring
   
3. PDAs are just like phones, sorry, I don't have the patience to figure out which finger to use to "finger type"...what? dump all those years with 10-key by touch? 100 wpm??
   
4. Storage? That's just some way for me to move files from one place to another easily...don't expect me to work on it on a phone
   
5. Document access - sure, how about document creation? You must be a masochist if you prefer to create a meaningful spreadsheet on a 3 inch screen!
   

Here's a clue, get connectivity down reliably, in any/all areas, while I'm mobile/moving, in an elevator or building then I'll call you a smartphone. Be as reliable as a landline legacy first - don't try to be a PC!

What's likely to replace laptops? Better tablets.

Update: As this article notes, with the right marketing, Origami or the uh, UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) may also just be the ticket.