the PsiXpda - at last a real computer in your pocket?

The PsiXpda is an homage to the long gone but still much loved and greatly missed Psion portable computers. Many who have been in this industry for long enough to have experienced the Psion Series 5 view it as the best pocket computer ever, full stop. It still sets the standard for ultra small keyboarded machines despite having its heyday as far back as the late 1990s.

Now ex Psion employee Paul Pinnock has teamed up with Psion enthusiast and mobile tech evangelist Ewan Spence to produce the PsiXpda, a pocket sized computer with a passing reference to Psion in its name.

The PsiXpda is small but powerful. Base specs are:

Size: 174mm x 84mm x 25mm Weight: 430g Power: 1850mAh battery OS: Windows XP Home Processor: Intel Atom Z510 1.1Ghz Screen: 5.0-inch TFT LCD, 800 x 480 pixels Memory: 1GB DDR2 Storage: 16GB SSD Ports: microSD card slot, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 2.0 mini Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, and 3G options Camera: VGA webcam Headset connector: 2.5mm

The PsiXpda will cost £500. That kind of money will buy any number of laptops and netbooks these days, often leaving plenty of change. But none of these machines is truly pocket sized and nothing that is pocket sized comes close to rivalling the super keyboard on the old Psion Series 5.

I’ve got an order in for a unit and will let you know what I think when I’ve had some hands-on time.

Meanwhile, there’s more detail here here