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The PDA that never was might be making a comeback some time in 2004. Gateway is said to be working hard on a media-centric PDA with wireless and other features needed to reach out to the consumer market. The X100 was initially supposed to come out with the Windows Mobile 2003 release in June.

The original Gateway X100

At the time, deciding to wait was a great idea. The X100 would have been a disaster, as the design and specs didn't come close to touching units from Dell, HP and Toshiba. But the X100 is far from dead. Since the plug was officially pulled in August, the team has been working on ways to make sure their PDA fit the company goal of producing consumer electronics, rather than the commercial market where most PDAs are sold.

In an article with InfoWorld, Gateway spokesperson had plenty to say.

Gateway hasn't killed its PDA, but is looking at a wide variety of different technologies that might accompany an entry into the market, said Ted Ladd, a company spokesman. Those include Internet connectivity in the form of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth chips, as well as voice capabilities, he said.

"If we're going to do something, it has to be highly differentiated," Ladd said.

While Gateway is saying the right things, I seriously doubt they have much of a chance. There's simply too much competition in the market; and given what we know is coming (i.e. HP iPAQ 6300), it’s unclear how Gateway can be “highly differentiated.” While Gateway has the sales and support infrastructure to make a go of it, in all likelihood they would simply have to settle for selling their PDA as an add-on for those who buy one of their PC's. Even if they converted a high percentage of buyers, that revenue wouldn't be enough to make the PDA business profitable. I welcome more competition, but if you're going to jump in, you have to go strong. From what we saw in the initial X100, there's no reason to think Gateway can step up in the way they need to in order to make the PDA business work.