Actually, it's a new Palm-sized device that combines a CDMA mobile phone and the Windows CE 2.12 OS in a neat little package. It's made by korean Cyberbank, which also throws in a 640 x 480 screen.
We've written about the CYBIRD before, but back then it was called Multipalm - and it was also in our norwegian version, so most of you wouldn't understand a thing if we pointed you there to read more about it. So guess what - here are all the nice little details, in all their glory (and in plain english). According to Cyberbank, the CYBIRD is "A palm-sized PC which combines advanced technologies in mobile computing and wireless communication". What it actually means is that Cyberbank has picked up a CDMA chipset, built it into a PDA that runs Windows CE 2.12 and integrated their functions - and thrown in a 640 x 480 pixel resolution screen for good measure. CYBIRD is divided into two pieces, whereas one is the main unit and the other one is a handset which is to be used during phone calls. The technology being used here is Bluetooth technology, which means that this might just be an actual product that will hit the market in not too long using the long hailed Bluetooth technology. As a side note; a danish firm were the very first to market with a Bluetooth product - a headset. Cyberbank says that the CYBIRD supports Web and multimedia-based wireless Internet services as well as text-oriented WAP and SMS (Short Message Service). Also, CYBIRD supports connection to various external devices, for example, connection to the GPS receiver, printer, bar code scanner, and LAN by offering various capabilities such as RS-232C, IrDA, CF Type II, etc. It also supports capability extension such as memory expansion. The major benefit from including all these functions in one device would be just that it is all in one single device, instead of being divided into a separate phone and PDA. Another major benefit is that the device has a 640 x 480 pixel resolution screen, which enables users to browse the Internet (mobile or otherwise) in 256 colors. This is a little strange though, because we would have expected more than 256 colors - although this is probably a decision made to prolong battery life. That is also one of the major drawbacks with such combined devices - the functions of two devices call for more power, and when the device has to be as small as possible in addition, some compromises have to be made. If you want to see what's really inside the CYBIRD, you'll get the works - as always - in our PDA Overview. Once again we shamelessly self-advertise: It's not only the largest, it's also the most detailed PDA Overview out there.
