A few months ago I got excited about the forthcoming Motorola MPx phone - a PDA/mobile-phone unit running the Windows Mobile OS and sporting a true HTML browser, WiFi, etc. Well the story is even better now, by a long shot:

Research in Motion announced a couple of weeks ago (now how did I miss that?) that the MPx and MPx220 will include BlackBerry Connect capability, meaning the MPx will be a full-blown Pocket PC PDA (Windows Mobile OS), a telephone, and a Blackberry device. The MPx220 (the smaller SmartPhone that will get the software) is a quad-band device - I am going to have to assume for now that the MPx is what their spec sheet (PDF) shows: GSM 900/1800/1900 and GPRS.

I bet it costs a fortune, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. This is exactly the type of device needed for companies that have people who travel a lot, have to be constantly in touch, need the immediacy of Blackberry email but want to be able to kick a PowerPoint presentation onto the screen and have it really work, or view and make some simple edits to a spreadsheet, or browse the intranet or Internet. Who needs a laptop? The QWERTY keyboard is just right. I like the rumor of a dual-hinge capability - supposedly it can open hinging on either the long side or the short side, depending on what you want to do with it. The image look like that's true too, although they all seem to show it its long-side pose.

What the MPx will have:

• GSM 900/1800/1900; GPRS
• Dimensions: 3.9 x 2.4 x 0.9 inches; 99.7 X 61.2 X 24 mm
• Weight: 6.1 oz; 174 g
• Up to 180 minutes talk time
• Up to 140 hours standby time
• Integrated 1.2 megapixel camera with flash
• 2.8” 240 x 320 color touch TFT screen for easy data input that also works with a stylus
• Multi-function QWERTY keyboard with touch screen that also works with stylus
• Opens in portrait view for phone use, PDA applications and games
• Built-in Wi-Fi: embedded 802.11b wireless networking
• Microsoft Outlook on the PocketPC
• Integrated Bluetooth Wireless Technology
• SD/MMC slot up to 1 GB
• Compatible with all Microsoft Pocket PC applications
• WAP and HTML browsing, streaming video and audio
• Multi-Media Messaging Service (MMS)
• IrDA (Infra red) and Built-in "ActiveSync" protocol
• Connectivity via IrDA, USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

If anyone happens to read this who know when and where it will be available (aside from “second-half of '04” that is), comment or email me.

What do you think? What would make the perfect device that could replace a laptop, phone and PDA? Comment your thoughts below.

(...by the way, companies that put search functions on their web sites should only do it if it works worth a darn. Compare this search with the same one in Google... Argh!)