DataWind's PocketSurfer2 hits the FCC
By Donald Melanson 
posted December 8th 2007 12:07AM
posted December 8th 2007 12:07AM
We've already had some indication that DataWind's PocketSurfer2 handheld internet device would be hitting the US before too long, and it now looks like that possibility just got a whole lot more inevitable, as the device has finally made its first appearance at the FCC. Somewhat interestingly, the FCC's always handy internal photos prominently show a Rogers SIM card on the inside of the device (check it out after the break), although we're guessing that's simply due to the fact that the lab doing the testing is in Canada and not an indication that Rogers is actually picking up the device. T-Mobile, on the other hand, would seem to be a much safer bet, although we'll just have to wait and see if that pans out.
*insert bad word*
It is not that bad! At least on this thing it is portable enough for a purse AND you do not have to squint to read it!
I found a one stop shop for Pocket Surfer 2 at http://www.pocketsurfermobile.com
FUGLY
I think it looks better than a lot of the crap thats out there. The keys look like they are stolen from the RAZR
It looks nice IMO
But what's dumb is the keyboard that looks as though its like the horrid non-tactile samsung u300 keyboard!
I don't know what's worse...the fact that it's shaped like a pillow, or that the keyboard says, "I dare you to even try typing on this."
Looks like Klingon tech to me
Yah, Mobile Planet says it was released today (12/7) and that it's in stock.
http://www.mobileplanet.com/d.aspx?i=158909
look at the size.. i bet this thing blends !
I hope it blends.
What's with the Rogers sticker in there? Is it coming to the Canadian Mobile carrier by the same name, with the same logo?
That's a SIM card, not a sticker.
Did you not even READ the article? It explains that...fairly prominently.
What's with the hideously designed and impractical design of the keyboard?
I blame the RAZR.
Agreed. This company knows how to make one ugly, inefficient product.
But will it play doom?
When its come in Asia market? Thank you
A company in Australia has just released these... They are really nothing spectacular at all, and the screen sucks! I had some time with one and really didnt like it.
There has already been a review on this machine in PC Pro Magazine here in the UK (website www.pcpro.co.uk) The reviewer was not particularly impressed. They were critical of the keyboard due to the fact that it has virtually no travel on the keys. The width of the keyboard makes it difficult to reach the central keys with your thumbs if you are holding the device by its sides. The main menu is a website loaded from Datawinds servers. It has a number of options, search, news, email, word processing and instant messaging. Selecting any of these takes you to an apporopriate third party web service.
The screen apparently is a colour unit, but it reproduces them really poorly. They also found a disappointing amount of vertical branding.
That keyboard looks like a nightmare to use. The keys don't stick up, so you'd always be watching your thumbs; you'd have to stop typing to glance up at the screen!
yes, but does it doom?
You sure you want to play doom on a keyboard like that?
The keyboard looks like it was ripped off a RAZR.
This pile of shit needs WiFi to even decide to make a dent in any sort of mobile market.
BIG JUNK as it is.
The three rectangles on the back struck me as odd, then I realized what they remind me of...
http://www.play-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/nintendo-ds-lite-black-europe.jpg
The DS lite
Looks like something I would want to put my comb and toothbrush in to carry when I travel....
Okay, I know regular keyboards are not Funky looking enough for most people. But the king of small keyboards was Jornada 720. And I can already see how this RAZR style keyboard is simply a nightmare to use, and is an awesome cost-saving device (take a piece of metal and cut a pattern in it). But razr craze is over, and we need to move on with touchscreens (tactile feedback and multi-touch are appreciated) and actual keyboards that normal people can use.
Hey, someone managed to invent a device harder to type on than the iPhone!
I've got an iPhone and do a fairly decent job typing on it, even without looking, due to auto-correct and the keys being in standard places. But I admit it's still not as easy as a physical keyboard.
This device *has* a physical keyboard, but they don't have the decency to put the keys in a standard staggered-key format (like on a real keyboard), and it looks like there is little to no tactile sense of where the keys are, either.
Way to combine the worst of both worlds.
Other than that, the device looks pretty slick though.
Before I read the title of this post I thought this was some home made device. It looks like they took and cut up a acouple pda device protectors for the body, took some aluminum foil for the hinge area and some plastic wrap for the screen and topped it off with messy looking keys drawn with a white sharpie marker and a ruler.