Last updated 1997-07-22.

My PDA concept

Often, I wish I had a small device with the following attributes:

• Very low price (under $50).
• An RS-232 serial port. If I want to take a book with me somewhere, I'd like to be able to download it, instead of having to type the whole thing in first, and if I type something on it, I'd like to be able to upload it.
• Portability. I'd like to be able to slip it into my pocket, which is usually at least 5 inches by 8 inches.
• Ability to display, scroll through, and search 80-column ASCII text.
• Ability to store a modest amount of ASCII text reliably for up to a few days. Perhaps a few hundred kilobytes would be enough, although it would be nice to have a megabyte or two.
• Some rudimentary ability to type and edit ASCII text. Preferably, this would be screen-oriented.
• Some amount of easy programmability. If I happen to feel like coding, I'd like to be able to code, wherever I am.

I really only want one of these guys. I don't know if this is possible -- I'd sure like to live in a world where it was.