Wireless Entertainment/Communications Devices (WECs)

by Stewart Teaze, N0MHS - October 4th, 2000


Wireless Entertainment and Communication with PDA devices has a good chance of being like those other rages that started in Japan, and spread to the USA...

Space Invaders - 1980
PacMan - 1981
Nintendo(NES) - 1985
Tamagotchi - 1996
Pokemon - 1998

I think the Space Invaders/PacMan/Tamagotchi analogies are especially relevant, since they all involve the use of earlier breakthrus in miniaturization of core electronic computer-based device technologies which allowed breakthrus to occur at the "application" level.

Space Invaders - Intel 8080
PacMan - Zilog Z80
NES - Standard cartridges, usable with standard TV set.
Tamagotchi - PIC?/LCD
Mobile PDA - Palm mp100(combo of processor,RF,LCD,OS S/W, packaging)

Space Invaders/PacMan/Nintendo/Tamagotchi/Pokemon were ALL games - and I suspect that is a big part of the driving force behind the sucess of the mobile PDA in Japan(I kind of consider Newsgroup participation to be kind of a "game").

If you look at the Japanese PDAs for kiddies - they really look like games. I've noticed that the American PDAs are getting more colorful and are starting to sprout more gamelike capabilities - they look a LOT like a Nintendo GameBoy - don't they?

But the PDAs still have a serious side to them - I carry mine everywhere, because I find the "To Do" list feature totally cool. The PDA is better than a paper-based system, because you can't merge prioritized and catagorized paper-based "To Do" lists. Besides, the PDA also has scheduling, notes, phonebook, games and other applications, all in the space of a paper notepad, and you never have to sharpen your pencil or lose your pen.

I think we are overdue for another "Japanese Game Invasion". I think this time it will be RF-based. Evidently, the Japanese really know how to make good games.

Now, the only thing missing to make these things catch on in the USA is a good, American name. I think a good name would be WECs for Wireless Entertainment/Communications devices.