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Want to buy it?
Novinit hasnt yet appointed any dealers for Jackito, though as of now they plan to make all transactions through their website. The Jackito is available for sale on www.jackito.com at a list price of 600. Novinit says that if you are interested in buying product, you will have to order it online through their website by remitting $100 and then wait for about 90 days for product to be delivered to you. However, you can choose screen type (color or monochrome), user interface, removable front cover and changeable stick-on strips of your choice. The Jackito is entirely customizable you can choose between add-ons like internal MP3 player, FM radio, microphone, headset, Bluetooth, solar battery charger and much more at an extra cost. According to Arnaud, they will target at "early adopters" for this product, but product is destined for everybody because product has all facilities that we lack as human beings gigantic memory, vast capabilities for computation, learning, games and communications.
TDAs way to go (or is it not?)
The development of TDA doesnt stop here in fact this is just beginning. Novinit expects that by April 2005 it will be able to make available innovative accessories for TDA you will be able to choose from WiFi modules, GPS, digital camera (CMOS based), micro-printer, micro-scanner, barcode reader, smart-card reader, TV module and much more. Though TDA seems to be an in thing with all features it talks about, there are certain things that work against very concept of digital assistant. The Jackito doesnt come with character recognition software built-in. It means that you will have to type through virtual keyboard on TDAs screen if you want to enter a few important data. This is far more tedious than just scribbling a few notes on a PDA screen with stylus and leaving conversion part to handwriting recognition software. The TDA runs on an operating system called ActilOS, which no one has even heard of before. This means that there wont be any third party applications for TDA, at least immediately. Moreover product is similar to a PDA its just that TDA can be used with fingers / thumbs and supports landscape orientation too.
Though TDA seems promising enough, time will only tell whether it remains stable in market. So if you want to experience magic of TDA, logon to Jackito's website and click on buy!
Chris N. Fernando is a Sr. Staff Writer with Magazine 360 - an IT magazine published by ITNation, Mumbai (India). He has also worked as Technical Editor with Peer Technical Services and as Reporter for PCQuest and Living Digital magazines. He also writes for The Cheers.com.
Get more of him at: www.chrisfernando.tk