A few months ago I took hold of the 4.1 inch Toshiba TG01 and said no! It’s too big for my pocket.
It’s the size that really struck me. For a phone, it’s HUGE! There’s simply no way that the average person is going to be able to use this as a 24/7 phone. I don’t mean to imply that the TG01 is meant to be a 24/7 phone but it proves that convergence between the full internet minimum screen resolution of 800×480 and the 24/7 total convergent device is simply not going to happen for most people.
Yesterday, following news on the HTC Leo, a Snapdragon powered 4.3 inch slate phone that we covered a while back, WMPoweruser asks the same question.
It seems that most of you readers really are happy with big screen devices.
52% of UMPCPortal readers voted ‘No’ 4.3 inch is not too big for a pocketable phone.
64% of WMPowerUser readers voted ‘No’ 4.3 inch is not too large on the HTC Leo.
This drive for convergence doesn’t bring me any closer to my ideal 3-device strategy but I’m happy to accept that there are a ton of people out there that want ONE device to cover phone, MID, navigation, camera and a certain amount of productivity tasks. All I can say is that that the voting numbers probably represent a niche of high-end gadget and mobility users and that I fit into a class of people that doesn’t wear cargo pants!
On a serious note though, I find this drive for convergence a bit cheap from a marketing perspective. I think the long-term practicalities of converged devices are limited, that quality suffers due to physical constraints and that eventually, people end up buying dedicated tools for their tasks anyway. The marketing people just want you to THINK that it can do everything. Don’t they?
I’m guessing we’ll have a good discussion about this below and that someone will say – ‘the best camera/pnd/pmp/umpc/mid is the one you have with you.’ You have a good point. I’m off to have another sleepless night over the matter.
New article: 4.3” is not too large for a Smartphone (say WM and UMPC fans.) http://cli.gs/4jgm9
4.3†is not too large for a Smartphone (say WM and UMPC fans.) http://bit.ly/33SdTe
I doubt this poll. How many of these people actually *have* a device of that size?
I do. Both the Nokia N800 and N810. They’d have been ideal with phone functionality added. And my biggest disappointment about the N900 is that it wont be that same screen size.
Anything smaller than 4.1″ is inadequate for my pocketable device. And, anything at 5″ or bigger is probably too large for a “pocketable”. So, 4.3″ is a nice sweet spot.
I have an N800. I can carry it around in my ‘normal’ jeans without any problems. I can sit don’t etc. Only problem is you can’t get it out when sitting, but that is true of smaller devices too.
I am 5.11″ (180cm) tall and not unusually proportioned and don’t see why anyone else would have a problem with this size.
I think the thickness of the device along with it’s weight are key factors.
If I got a UMID I would expect to carry it in my jacket pocket and not my trousers. But who, when going out doesn’t take a jacket/coat of some description? I would say 160mmx100mmx20mm is the maximum size for trousers, but smaller would be more comforatble.
Within that size you can fit a 5.6″ screen. Reduce it to 120x90mm and you can still get 4.4″ screen. This is only a tad longer than iPhone and their ilk and half as wide.
I think the N810 is the biggest I’d accept. Which according to wikipedia is 4.13 inches. I think if we are going to go bigger, I’d want to have a folding screen sort of like the Nintendo DS but with no gap between the screens.
The thing that you have to bear in mind is that some of these people that say “no problem; 4.3 is good) are using bluetooth headsets. So the screen size does not matter at all to them.
Ignore that 483×127 figure in the lower graphic. It came from my screen capture s/w.
I thought it would be too big, but it’s not. I think they pushed it to the limit, though.
It’s all about minimal bezel and maximum screen.
I’m going to be all over that HTC LEO when it becomes available. Perhaps this will finally be the replacement for my HX4700 (after 5 years!) and meh… I get a phone for my trouble too.
My HX4700 is a video and reading device, mostly, with some Internet surfacing. The LEO will excel at these.
Now, if my main use for this was a phone…. different story. I’d get the Nokia probably
>It’s all about minimal bezel and maximum screen.
True
iPhone is actually about 4.8″ in diagonal, you could probably fit 4.3″ display on it (removing black margins below/above screen would be necessary).
I’m for two devices:
small, thin and light phone and
13cm*9cm MID (but 800*480 screen means that MID will be longer and more narrow, like Archos)
I don’t see this concern over size. With a bluetooth headset you never have to hold it up to your ear. The question might be: Is the screen large enough to handle all the non-phone things you want to do with it or does it’s small size force to many compromises?
For me it’s not an issue of putting it to your ear, its an issue of keeping it in your pocket. I’m also having a problem with one-handed (thumb) use of touchscreen smartphones. I’ve spent so many years with numeric keypad devices that I can’t get out of the habit of one-handed use.
A buddy phone, to me, has to be smaller than these 3.5-4.3″ devices.
4,3″ device (p.e. SmartQ5) is enough big to you (to be used as pocketable)?
Chippy ur such a silly bloke! You make me LOL!!! :D
When you talked about n900 you said it had too small screen to be usable & now 4.3″ device is too big for you. Oh my..
BTW i expected Leo to appear much much bigger but really is not that bad, it’s smaller than a pocketable TI calculator, biggie it is but for some stuff there is something like bluetooth watch like SE MWB-150 and good plantronics bluetooth headset like recent Discovery.
But you missed an important point. N810 is too small for a web tablet, 4.3 inches too big for a phone. Its exactly the reason I talk about a three device strategy.
I don’t agree with you on this, chippy.
In my experience, the N810 as just about the perfect size for my pocketable device (which, for me, has to be a phone).
You’re right that it’s too small to be my device for taking intensive notes and such (what I call a “mid-range” device — between pocketable and full-size laptop). For that, I need an 8″-10″ screen device. If that’s what you mean by “web tablet”, yes, the N810 is too small to be a mid-range “web tablet”.
But it’s not too big to be a phone/pocketable. To me, it’s exactly the perfect size for a smartphone/mid-phone.
(not the ideal styling, mind, you, but the ideal size. the ideal styling, to me, would be like the HTC Touch Pro 2 or Nokia Surge, each scaled up to a 4.1″ or 4.3″ screen; except that I would want the Touch Pro 2 to have a dpad on the face)
4.3†is not too large for a Smartphone (say WM and UMPC fans …: A few months ago I took hold of the 4.1†Tosh.. http://bit.ly/msUJt
Maybe its me, but i noticed a sense of distaste on this site from several articles that deal with smartphones, with a large screen size.
To me, its actually even more amazing, that this HTC HD2 ( Leo ) is actually smaller, then a Dell X50v PDA from 4 or 5 years ago. Guess what people… That Dell X50v fits in a normal jeans pants ( and no, i’m not somebody who uses cargo pants ).
So, for me, i don’t see the reason for this constant “its to big”, “it will not fit”, or “cargo pants” criticism.
People seem to forget, that this device is not much bigger then several other 3.7″ smartphone’s ( even smaller then some! ). The big difference with this device, is the fact that the bezel ( the room between the screen, and the outer edges ) is extremely small. From what i have been reading, thats for a part thanks to the Capative Touchscreen technology that it uses.
When a lot off people voted that 4.3″ is not to big. They mean, 4.3″ is not to big on THIS device. I can easily show several other devices that are 4″ or 4.3″, and that are a lot bigger.
So, that brings back the point, that i notice this bias from some people, who look at the screen size, and go … that must be to big, and do not bother looking at the real size. And this site.
The comments like “Its to big for the average person”. Well, if you are a average person, to bad for you. Then buy a 3.5″ smartphone. But what about people who do have bigger hands ( like … most guys! ). Every 0.1″ off extra screen space is a godsend, especially on a touchscreen device.
What about devices like the PSP… Thats 4.3″, but a lot bigger. You don’t hear people going around, its to big. Noooooo … We must constantly criticize it… Else we feel to small … ;)
And no offense to the site maintainers, but i have been following the UMPC market, from the original Microsoft concept device. Tell me, what has the UMPC market been doing these last few years? There are less real UMPC devices, and the entire market has changed into a mini laptop/notebook market.
Just look at the devices these days. There is not exactly a lot off innovation going on. Hell, news about this market is so slow, that at times there is nothing to report. And even when there is a big trade show, the news from those is mostly … well, the same crap as before. A few new devices, that are just notebooks.
Maybe the HTC HD2 ( Leo ) is not a ideal device for some people. But it seems to have sparked a rather big interest in people there hearts. Something that i can not say about any UMPC devices these last months. The biggest thing these period is the Umid M1…
The snapdragon that is being used on several devices ( Toshiba TG01, Asus F1 ( S200 ), HTC HD2 ( Leo ) ), is a power house. And brings x86 computing power, in a smartphone. Before you had the Atom, or maybe some Via cpu, and thats it. Nothing that was able to fit in a smartphone, because a) size, b) multi chip solution c) power drain!
Now we have a device, that can match a Atom’s power ( at around 1Ghz ), is lighter, and last longer then any UMPC device ( comparing battery size ), so where is the love? No, just another “its to big”, boe hoe hoe article.
A article that acts surprised that people voted that 4.3″ is not to big ( for this device ).
Maybe i’m venting a bit off steam here, but for people who are to stay up to date, with new technology, this site seem to be rather big on being actually negative. Why is converging devices a bad thing… Instead off lugging several big clumsy devices with you, you just carry one device for general usage.
When you need a specialized device, then you take that specialized device with you.
Most people don’t need to carry a notebook with them, to make notes during a meeting… You carry a smartphone? Then use its audio recording capability to record the meeting.
Need to take a quick picture, like most people… You don’t carry around a dedicated camera all the time, now do you?
Want to play a quick game… Well. I don’t see people carrying there PSP with them all the time. ;)
Need to find a street? Shit… I left my GPS device at home. I can remember a lot off times that this has happens to me. Because there is no reason to carry it with you all the time. So when you need it, suddenly you realize there you are, with it not around.
And there is a good reason for this. People don’t like to carry several devices with them. What is the one thing that people do carry around with them, these days… Yes. There phone.
Its not going to replace all those specialized devices, but it allows people more convenient in there daily lives. You always have the capability with you, in one device… Maybe that device is not as good as some off the specialized devices, but it will still get the job done. Better then NOT having the specialized device on you, when you need it…
This remind me off when several crisis’s happened, like 9/11 in the US, or that subway attack etc. Thanks to those phone’s with camera’s, you all off a sudden had pictures, movies, audio, from those events. I don’t see people doing out, and saying. Ho wait, today feels like a nice day where something big will happen. Lets take my camera with me…
When you get into a car accident ( fender bender ), you don’t have your camera on you. Yet, being able to take pictures off the accident scene, allows you to have proof for the insurance, about what happens. Instead of a my word vs the other drivers word.
I know that this text has almost turned into a small blog. But acting like these devices, with there capabilities is nothing but a paper weight is low.
I remember from the x50v, h4700, etc PDA period, one off the biggest request by the PDA community was … Having Phone capability on those high end devices, so that they can leave there cellphone at home. Its at that moment in time, the first baby steps had been set, for the smartphones we see today. In those days, if you wanted a PDA+Phone, you got a Major underpowered smartphone, or a Powerful PDA + a Phone extension module ( in the CF slot ).
Now, these days, you have a powerful smartphone, with all the trimming, thanks to the new generation off Arm v7 devices. Just thinking back to the x50v ( that i still own, and that we still use for oa GPS navigation ). Its amazing to see the new power that those Omap, Smartdragon, etc devices bring to the table.
256MB ram … wow. 320MB ram ( HTC HD2 ). O_o
About 3 times the performance increase on the CPU’s.
About … well… 20 times the performance increase on the GPU ( compared to the dedicated! GPU solution on the x50v ).
The Smartphone market, has today surpassed the PDA market ( took them a lot off years, with little advancement in technology, but today, they made up for that a lot ).
So, i’m going to stop my small blog here, or else i’m going to be going for a lot longer. But to conclude, stop being so negative. Accept that this device brings a lot to the table.
And maybe its time to start thinking about reporting more about these Smartphone’s on this site, because lets face it. The UMPC market these days has little that sparks people to drool over a device, unlike the Smartphone market… ;)
The End. Stay tuned for part two off my best seller next year. *lol*…
My take on the situation, Chippy, is that if you really care about a particular device (be it camera, MID, video recorder, game device, PMP, GPS, etc) you’ll by a high quality dedicated device, but for devices you don’t care greatly about having convergence is a Good Thing, even if they’re only of utilitarian quality.
For example, most people out there don’t care that much about high quality photography, so they aren’t going to walk around town with a full-frame DLSR and a set of prime lenses slung over their shoulder. But having a camera of usable if not great quality in their pocket might be something they’d find use for.
In other words, convergent devices are not there to replace high end specialist devices, but to make it so we don’t need to carry everything we might find handy in life (which are numerous) with us all the time. You can still take a dedicated device along with you when you know you’ll need it.
4.3†is not too large for a Smartphone (say WM and UMPC fans … http://bit.ly/1MOcr4
Chippy, the bueaty is in hands of a beholder. Most people who buy smertphone expect from it more than just to make a call and read email from time to time. These day we expect it to be “multi-media powerhouse” so to speak. And that would require bigger screen. And looking at domentions of Leo it is pretty slim and should fit in the pocket perfectly. I use HTC TP2, it is little smaller, but thicker, yet I have enough room to fit my walet next to it in my pocket, and it is a suit pants, not a cargo ones. When iPhone came out, it was one of the largest smartphones in the market at that time, yet no complains there. I guess it is just stylish to critisize anything that has Microsoft logo on it. No matter how good or bad device is, as long as it has anything by MS in it must be put down.
Well I wear 31″ waist jeans that are relatively tight and due to the thickness the toshiba TG01 fit rather well in my pocket. I have a phone only pocket in my jeans anyway for scratches. Wallet+keys in the other. Works fine.
Only reason why i didnt get the TG01 – it was crap – crap interface, crap speed, awful resistive screen and tiny battery. I hope the HTC leo is better on those fronts but I think you’re right – jack of all trades, master of none.
However I primarilly want a case and legislation reader with easy emailing on the tube, not really a phone. And blackberries dont cut it. nor do 3in screens for pocketable readers.
I agree with Carl, converged is the way to go however this discussion brings up an interesting question. Do people in Europe carry their Smartphones, MIDs, UMPCs differently than they do in the US??? Here in the US half the population, women, would not be caught dead with a device in a pocket, assuming their pants or skirt had any pockets to begin with. Most men I’ve observed here in the US carry their phone on their belt. (I know no one who owns cargo pants.) How are you guys carrying around your stuff in Europe and Asia?
Well Realty,
In my case in the past, when i needed my x50v pda, i carried it in my pants, but mostly in my jacked. My cell phone, on the other hand, thats always outside my pants, using one off those clip-on carry bags ( looks a bit like a mini holster ;) ). I see a lot off people that carry there equipment on there belt ( but i’m in the IT business, so, for us “geeks”, that can be considered more normal ;) ). Most normal people carry there cell phone’s in there pockets, or in there vest etc…
If the price point off the HTC HD2 is not too bad, i will end up carrying it with some kind off clip-on also, in other words, replacing my cell phone, with that thing. Its a bit bigger, but its not that bad. The HD2’s dimensions are 2cm longer, and 2cm wider then my very old nokia 3100 cell phone. But its also 1cm less think then my cell phone…
For my personally, using a clip-on make it a lot less intrusive, then carrying it in your pockets. Better then “Is that a cell phone in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me” type of things ;)
Benjiro, where are you located? Since you mention Vest Pocket I’d guess you are not in the US. Haven’t seen a vest in years here in the Midwest USA. If it is determined that most carry their gear in a purse or on a belt then size of device becomes much less important.
I’m in Europa ( Belgium ).
From what i see with people around me, its depends a bit. PDA’s, or PDA’s with phone ability, most people carry those in there vest pocket, or in there briefcase. I have seen that plenty off times with sales people, management, directors, etc.
Cell phone’s is a bit a mixed group. Some carry it in there pocket, other in there vest, other in there purse ( women do that almost all. The bag off wonders :) ).
People adapt … If the device is a big to big or clumsy, they will just switch to something more comfortable. I don’t like to carry my wallet in the back pocket of my pants. To dangerous to lose in my mind. So i carry it in my front pocket.
The x50v is a bit to big now with the extended battery ( 3600mAh ) to carry in my pocket, so, i carry it in my vest when i need it… Like i said, people adapt to change. To be honest, i don’t think there is a lot off difference between how people in the US, or people in the EU carry there devices. There are probably the same differences between the groups. Man or Women. What clothing they have on, and how easy it is to carry a device in those clothes. Do you where a belt? Then its more easy to also have a holster. Etc etc …
You make a great point Realty, one that i’ve always wondered about, but never got around to asking. I too am in the U.S.(east coast), and know of NOONE.. seriously.. not one person that does not carry their “smart”phone either in a purse(women of course), or their belt.. it’s just the way it is here lol.
For me this is the reason i found it reasonable to pursue UMPC’s when i first arrived at this site about a year ago. If it can fit comfortably on my belt.. then it will be obtained. If i wanted to carry a bag.. i’d buy a netbook/laptop.
You know, I’ve hardly every encountered anyone who _didn’t_ carry their phone in their pocket here in New Zealand, women included.
Then again, lots of people seem to have the phone permanently in their hand and be halfway through a txt message here.
There are facinating cultural observations taking place in this thread! I wonder if people in Germany, where Chippy is, are pocket people like those in New Zealand? I hope others chime in too. We may actually be looking at two different types of potential UMPC users. Pocket people who will forever be constrained by pocket size if not willing to buy Cargo Pants and the non-pocket people who will debate whether a 5, 7 or 9 inch screen would better serve their needs while still fitting in their purse or on their belt.
I agree with Aura Mae below. Aging eyes and fattening fingers will force most of us eventually toward larger screens. Even if it means a change in life style, non-pocket storage.
Chippy,
First of all, I’m not extremely tech savvy when it comes to understanding all the technical information that alot of the people are talking about on these sites but I have been learning a little. I’m just a business man who wants the perfect convergence device.
I have been on the what we now call the UMPC sites since Febuary 2004 waiting for the clamshell device that was supose to revolutionize the industry, Flipstart. When I finally came out and was a bust for many reasons including the rest of technology not ready yet I continue to look and to this day I haven’t bought a device. I want a convergence device that this industry has been saying is the future. The HTC LEO might finally be something I buy. I might be in a niche market but here is what I want as a business man. There are many business people who want the same things I do.
1. Long battery life for all day use
2. Largest screen that still fits in my pocket or in case on hip.
3. Phone/Bluetooth
3. Fast web browsing
4. Fast email
5. Look at and make minor adjustments to microsoft office docs,including pdfs.
6. Take handwritten notes
This is what we want in a device. I think you should dedicate sometime to this subject and find out what business people want and the best device for them.
Anyone and everyone please reply.
I agree 100%, that’s why I settle for HTC Touch Pro2. Slightly smaller screen, not as powerful, but it up to the task, and I can get US 3G on T-Mobile network. Leo, or HD2 on the other hand has capacitive screen, so forget about handwriting and no US 3G. Both are very important deatures for me!
Maybe you have better luck with your handwriting, but for me, those handwriting applications are on the same level as most speech to text applications…
They mess up more, then when you write something using the display as a keyboard. Ofcourse, my handwriting is horrible. ;) And, most off those text to speech programs are focused on Americans. Most off use Europeans speak with a heave accent when we say something in English. ;)
But yea… Its up to the consumer to pick what he wants, and that fits his/her needs. No use buying a 4×4, when all you do is shopping around the corner ;)
It does takes a little learning to use transcriber productivly. But then again, it doe takes some learninh and excersise to type on a keyboard fast. ;) If there’s a will there;s away. :) As far as woice recognition goes… I speak with heavy Russian accent, and Voice Command on my Touch Pro 2 picks up and recognizes my words, even those “crazy, hard to pronaunce” Russian names from contacts ;)
P.S. When I type I have a tendency to miss or press some keys on keyboard, handwriting cancels this problem :)
Everyone,
Also, I can spell and understand grammar. I just can’t type.
I read recently that a large segment of new smartphone purchasers are “mommys” using them to keep their family organized on the go. As a woman who routinely keeps her phone in a purse (and a former HTC Advantage user) I can say that a big screen makes all the smartphone features a pleasure to use and it is no sacrifice to give up “pocketability” in exchange. Besides, as a person ages, smaller screens are harder to see. Will be picking up the Leo the minute it is available in the US.
I have a HTC Magic and would have not problem with a bigger phone. Will be replacing it with a next gen Anroid device, next year. Mainly would like a larger screen with higher res and more onboard RAM. The Leo’s formfactor looks great to me.
I have no problems using it as a handset (I do have fairly big hands though), use it with a car mount, both handsfree and as a GPS, and keep track of my life via Google calendar and Gmail. It also supplies me with always connected 3G for my netbook. Other generating content (I am way faster with a real keyboard) I use my phone more for other tasks, than for phone calls.
I don’t get the obsession with pocketable. Even with my Motorola Razor I always used a belt case. If I am wearing pants/shorts, I have a belt on… If I am not I don’t need the phone… :-) The Magic just lives in a slightly bigger case (actually since it is a horizontal one it is actually shorter). Even though it fits in a shirt pocket I don’t find that very secure and even a light phone is annoyingly heavy there.
bj
I read recently that a large segment of new smartphone purchasers are “mommys” using them to keep their family organized on the go. As a woman who routinely keeps her phone in a purse (and a former HTC Advantage user) I can say that a big screen makes all the smartphone features a pleasure to use and it is no sacrifice to give up “pocketability” in exchange. Besides, as a person ages, smaller screens are harder to see. Will be picking up the Leo the minute it is available in the US.
Regarding belt / pocket / bag use, most people in Germany and uk.would not use a belt holster. For younger people its a definate no-no. In the uk I see most people leaning towards smaller phones.
In the us, big is better most of the time from what I’ve learnt.
Chippy,
I wonder if you could create a survey that asks two simple questions.
1). Where do you and your friends carry your smartphone: pocket, belt, purse/briefcase
2). What country do you live in?
I think this would be very interesting information and once you know the numbers would show the market that a particuar device, due to size is really aimed at. I wonder what percentage of the UMPC population are pocket people? The USA seems not to be based on above comments. New Zealand and I guess Germany, Belgium and the UK are pocket people? I understand that gadget people who carry multiple devices all the time will eventually have to put some in pockets. Otherwise their belt would look like an amo belt or their purse would look like a backpack. The question here is if you only carry one item where would you carry it?
I’m in the US … and I wouldn’t ever use a belt-clip or holster.
For a phone/smartphone/MID (screen 5″ might start to get uncomfortable for my pant pocket.
For a netbook/UMPC (7″-11″ screen)? Gadget-bag/backpack/briefcase/murse (murse = man-purse).
(and that purposely leaves out screens where 5″ <= screen-size 10″ … I wont carry one of those, either … and, IMO, that’s no longer within the realm of what I come to UMPCPortal to talk about :-} Maybe with the right feature set, I could go to 12″, but that’d have to be about the most perfect device ever … and come with a pre-trained puppy, for under $100 total (with the puppy))
“Tablet” is ambiguous enough to go into either category, depending upon the screen size. That’s why I mainly answered based on screen size, instead of “tablet” or something like that.
The N810 fit in my front pant/shorts pocket without any problem. Sure, nothing else would go in that pocket, but that’s true anyway — nothing else goes into my pocket with my G1, for example (wouldn’t want my keys to scratch the screen, things like that).
The two XP-Phone designs I’ve seen are probably too big for my pocket (5″ screens, 7″ long). That size would be really pushing it. But the N800/N810 size is not too big.
The HTC HD2 is smaller than the N810 in all dimensions: height, width, thickness. And yet due to its thin bezel it packs a 4.3 inch screen. I can comfortably carry my N810 in my jeans pocket, so the HD2 would be no problem.
I’ve carried in my shirt pocket a Palm pda ever since the very first generation Pilot. Two factors influenced my impression of comfort: first and foremost is the weight, then is the width & thickness of the device.
My current Tungsten E2 weighs in at 136g; its width+thickness are 76+13mm (3+1/2″). I find this fits easily and comfortably in a shirt pocket. This width is nearly ideal for a 4.3″ screen (or even a 4.8″ screen, but the device would need to be a little longer and the bezel reduced).
I still use my E2 because I still have not found a replacement that meets my needs at a price and monthly fee I’m willing to pay. Yet I keep looking for a device with a 4.3″ or 4.8″ WVGA screen (or better) that does not feel like a brick when in my shirt pocket. I’m willing to sacrifice a hardware keyboard to reduce weight & thickness.
The N810, by the way, was about 128x72x14 mm (5×2.8×0.6 in) and 226gm (8 oz.).
So, similar width and thickness, but 66% heavier.
I must say, I’m with chippy on this one – I personally see no reason to use phones in the size of a small internet tablet. Actually I don’t even see a reason to use a phone in the size of a Blackberry or N96 or even iPhone. Those phones either have a too large footprint or are too thick for my pockets. The only solution to the convergence problem – and I am kind of “waiting” for this to actually hit the market – would be the famous foldable/rollable displays. This way, a device with a small footprint/size and nevertheless a big screen would be possible. Until then I’ll stick to any small phone not larger than my old SE W810i, which – at least for me – was the limit one is able to carry in a normal jeans pocket.
4.3†is not too large for a Smartphone (say WM and UMPC fans… http://tinyurl.com/ygqngvb