folding scanner someday?

[jeffy]

....would like to see a folding scanner about the size of a cellphone someday.

jeff

 

[N_Jay]

Someday is a long time, so anything is possible,
BUT . . . .

I would not hold my breath. The level of integration required for that type of size reduction is very expansive and takes millions of units to pay back the development of the chips.

Scanners simply are not near a big enough market.

 

[Don_Burke]

Wow, that would take some doing as there would be little money in it

First, it would have to be a labor of love for a designer to put the time in to come up with a unit.

Second, it would have to use mainly existing cellphone components, probably obsolescent ones.

Third, the assembly would have to happen on the backshift of a cellphone factory.


If the planets could align to make this happen, it would likely be a 700/800 only scanner, which would appeal to some in the major cities.

I go along with not holding your breath.

 

[torontokris]

I saw the 396T is pretty much as small as we will get for a DIGITAL scanner.
Its pretty small now, I dont know how they got everything in there already

If you want a tiny scanner look into some of the credit card sized communications receivers, but dont expect trunking, etc etc

 

[SCPD]

I don't like the idea!

 

[LarryN]

Won’t we benefit from the miniaturization of other products? As other electronics that use same or similar components get smaller they should make their way into scanners.

 

[brandon]

I'm not really a fan of this either. I don't know about you, but I cannot stand radios with tiny buttons, tiny speakers, tiny knobs. I want mine super sized.

 

[N_Jay]

Won’t we benefit from the miniaturization of other products? As other electronics that use same or similar components get smaller they should make their way into scanners.

You already have. The next step is integration. Cell phones are made up a very few highly specialized chips with many of the passive components integrated into the chip, or eliminated from the design.

Surface mount components and generic chips only get you so far.

 

[SCPD]

Won’t we benefit from the miniaturization of other products? As other electronics that use same or similar components get smaller they should make their way into scanners.

It's Called "supply & Demand" the deman d for scanners is NOWHERE near the demand of cell phones so it will NOT happen anytime soon