Instant-on vs. Always-on

With the Samsung Q1 on the way, the comparisons to Tablet PCs and PDAs has been endless. Invariably, the "instant-on" capability of PDAs comes up as a wish list item or point of superiority. Unfortunately, this is an inaccurate descriptor. PDAs are not instant-on; they are always-on.

Just a few years ago, the lack of persistent memory plagued mobile professionals. If their device lost power, their data was lost. The introduction of flash memory fixed this, but the devices remain always-on. Even when a Pocket PC is "off"; it remains active. Whether in its cradle or in my pack, my iPAQ will sound my wake-up alarm or alert me of reminder items. Unless it somehow turns itself on while off, I must assume it is always on, which means turning it on "instantly" is a false term.

For an Origami/UMPC/ultramob or Tablet PC to share this feature, it would likewise need to be always-on. Standby is insufficient, no matter how quick, since they cannot revive from this state on its own. Only a dual boot device, such as the DualCor cPC, can provide this service and I look forward to the day when such advanced always-on devices arrive.