Recently I was asked, what makes PsiXpda so special? To which I have to go back in history…
I started my electronic engineering career over twenty five years ago, working at Psion. I was their first service engineer, with the responsibility to repair as opposed to ‘swap-out’ machines. With that, I was allowed access to most of the secrets of the Psion software and hardware. I enjoyed technical privileges without limitations and under Dr David Potter’s school of thought; I was exposed to all things PDA.
In 1995 I resigned from Psion, with the approval of key directors, and was then given the platform to continue where Psion left off. I then successfully established POS Ltd to expand the service and support being offered to Psion users. Our productivity as a company cumulated in a signed agreement with Psion and Symbian, and POS Ltd was able to continue the development and manufacturing of the Psion 5mx under license and into the 21st century.
Recently at POS Ltd l was asked by a Psion enthusiast if l could find him a modern replacement for his Psion Series 5mx, I was somewhat dismissive – because of my Psion architectural background, I knew there was nothing comparable on the current market that I could recommend. The simple fact was, the device for the job was yet to be built, but the concept for an updated Psion 5mx was never far from my mind.
25 years later, l am still a fan of Qwerty keyboard based PDAs. I’m naturally in tune with the current and former Psion users, whose needs remain unsatisfied. There was a niche in the marketplace that needed to be filled. And due to my skills, knowledge and experience, I decided it was a challenge I had to accept.
l knew we needed to find:
- A manufacturer willing to share the view that a small pocket computer with a Qwerty keyboard is better for data input than a touch screen.
- An investor willing to ask the right questions, such as, how much of the share can you take from the market leaders and at what cost?
With these key questions answered, I was then able to start to turn the dreams on my hard drive into reality. The challenge to create PsiXpda has already been a long journey to reach this point, and the road stretches off even further into the distance, but now I’m ready to share those dreams with you. Starting today.