Tactile Digital Assistant Announced

The Jackito is an upcoming handheld that has been designed to be controlled entirely with its users' thumbs, not with a stylus or hardware buttons.

This device won't run the Palm OS or Windows Mobile. Instead, its operating system and user interface have been specially created for this device. The UI, called 3ACTIL Ergonomic, is oriented around allowing the Jackito to be used with the fingertips, rather than a stylus. The theme UI can be changed to fit the user's wants.

Text will be entered by typing on an on-screen keyboard.

This handheld will have a 320-by-240-pixel, 4.5-inch screen, with color or black-and-white versions being available.

Personal Information Management applications are a requirement for any handheld, and the Jackito will come with ones for storing addresses, calendar, memos, and to-do lists.

It can also handle multimedia, but it has to be added. An MP3 player costs $45, and an internal FM radio is $30.

The Jackito will use seven processors. It will have 2 MB of NOR Flash that is reversibly write-protectable (like ROM), and 14 MB of NOR Flash supporting random read and write access (like RAM). An additional 64 MB of Flash ROM is an option. This handheld will also have a pair of SD card slots.

It will run on a single AA battery. Its maker claims it will run for weeks without needing a battery change.

The base price for the Jackito is $600, and adding additional options, like a color screen, multimedia capabilities, or a USB cable, is added to that.

This handheld is not available at this time, but pre-orders are being taken. It is expected to be released in three months. People wishing to order one now must put down $100.

More information is available at the Jackito web site.