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Feed: OSnews
Title: The worst PDA of all time
Author: Thom Holwerda
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2026 19:18:35 +0000
Link:
https://www.osnews.com/story/145764/the-worst-pda-of-all-time/
Today, you can get low-quality knockoffs of just about any popular
smartphone on sites like AliExpress or Temu, whether they be iPhones,
Galaxy phones, or whatever else. They have terrible build quality, bottom-of-the-barrel components and specifications, and all run outdated versions of Android rCo badly. At the same time, various consumer
electronics brands, once popular in a bygone era, sell the rights to
their brand name to unknown companies, who then put these brands on
generic hardware to give their products a sheen of legitimacy. ThatrCOs
why today, you can still buy Nokia smartphones, Polaroid cameras, and low-effort Hi-Fi equipment from various once-respected brands.
None of this is new, however. In the late rCO90s and early 2000s,
companies were already doing the same thing. In fact, thererCOs one device
from this era which combines both business practices rCo itrCOs both a cheap knockoff of a wildly successful device, and it carries a once-revered
brand name. Also, just to add some juice, this story involves stolen
source code.
LetrCOs take a look at the worst PDA of all time, the Olivetti daVinci.
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In 1997, Palm launched the Palm Pilot, and it and its successors proved
to be a massive hit. Where countless before it had failed, Palm found
the magic formula to make pocket computing work. I wrote an in-depth
article about Palm[6] over 13 years ago which goes into much (much) more detail, but the reason the Palm Pilot succeeded where things like the
Newton, PenPoint OS, and Windows for Pen Computing failed, is that
PalmrCOs founder, Jeff Hawkins, realised that they were competing with
paper, not with desktop computers. Instead of trying to shove the
capabilities of a full personal computer into a (barely) pockatable
device, a pocket computer had to be as fast and convenient as paper, and therefore extremely strict about which features to add, and which to
omit.
To this day, the entirety of smartphone computing stands on the
shoulders of Palm. PalmrCOs ideas, implementations, approaches, paradigms,
and even people were absorbed by Apple and Google, where they shaped
both iOS and Android. The phone yourCOre looking at right now has a ton of
Palm DNA in it, still. After all, yourCOre still using the
homescreen-with-apps paradigm Palm already perfected in the late rCO90s
and early 2000s.
The success of the Palm Pilot and its successors did not go unnoticed. Microsoft, most prominently, felt incredibly threatened by PalmrCOs
success:
The success of PalmrCOs products got the attention of Microsoft, and the company pretty much announced it was going to crush Palm. According to
Hawkins, Microsoft had a sales conference, where, at some point, a big
target appeared on the projector screen, with the Palm logo dead in
the centre of it: rCLwe are going to crush and kill these guysrCY, was the central message. Hawkins recalls that he got condolence letters after
that, stating things like rCLSorry Jeff. Too bad.rCY
ra2 Thom Holwerda[6]
While Microsoft proved to be unable to rCLkill and crushrCY Palm, it did
manage to build a relatively successful business selling PDAs running
various incarnations of Windows CE. Together, Palm and Microsoft
dominated the PDA market pretty much throughout its entire existence,
and while the market was a mere fraction of the smartphone market of
today, other companies still wanted a piece of this pie too. One of
these companies was Olivetti, a storied Italian company with a long
history making typewriters, computers, and other electronics.
IrCOm not going into detail about OlivettirCOs history[7], but the company
was renowned for its attention to design[8], creating iconic products
like the Lexikon 80[9], Lettera 22[10], Elea 9003[11], Programma
101[12], and so, so many more. Olivetti also entered the personal
computer market, first with a variety of custom machines featuring Z80
and later Motorola 68000 processors running a variety of custom
operating systems developed by Olivetti (including its own UNIX variant,
X/OS). After a few machines using MIPS and Alpha processors in the early rCO90s, the company would eventually focus entirely on Intel-based PCs (including this amazing failure[13]) running Windows. Like so many other computer makers from that era, Olivetti eventually left the PC business
by selling it off in 1997.
To this day, Olivetti PCs tend to cost more on the used market than
those from other brands, despite no technical merits dictating so.
At around this time, our current story begins. Seeing the success of the
Palm Pilot and the emergence of copycat devices running MicrosoftrCOs
Windows CE, Olivetti wanted in on the action. And so, in the late rCO90s,
the company introduced the Olivetti daVinci, a line of PDAs whose
software looked suspiciously like Palm OS. ThererCOs not a ton of
information out there about the development history, but it seems that
while Olivetti designed the hardware, it contracted the development of
the operating system out to a company from Hong Kong, Echolink Design.
And this is where things went horribly wrong for Olivetti. The software Echolink Design developed for the daVinci didnrCOt just look like Palm OS,
it was Palm OS rCo at least, according to Palm. After being on the market
for about a year, the Palm Pilot maker, then a subsidiary of 3Com, filed
for an injunction, alleging that the daVinci operating system designed
by Echolink Design contained actual Palm OS source code. In addition,
Palm also filed suit against CompanionLink Software, the company that
developed the Outlook synchronisation software for the daVinci. Palm won handily, and within a day of the filing, temporary restraining orders
were put in place on both Olivetti and CompanionLink, stopping sales of
the daVinci and its software dead in its tracks.
It seemed to have been a pretty clear-cut case. From The Wall Street
Journal at the time:
U.S. District Judge James Ware ruled OlivettirCOs Royal daVinci
organizer contains software that appears to have been copied from the
operating system for 3ComrCOs Palm organizers. Judge Ware said a review
by a software expert found the daVinci software contains private Palm
code and even grammatical mistakes that appear to have been rCLcopied verbatim.rCY
ra2 Wall Street Journal Staff Reporter[14]
ItrCOs difficult to ascertain what code, exactly, was stolen, but my
personal educated guess is that it probably involved PalmrCOs unique
Graffiti handwriting recognition system[15]. Graffiti actually predates
the first Palm Pilot, and was available on a variety of non-Palm
devices; it doesnrCOt seem entirely unlikely to me that the code for it
escaped containment that way, eventually finding its way to Echolink
Design. IrCOm just guessing here, though, as I canrCOt seem to find any of
the original court documents concerning the case.
In a bind, Olivetti claimed the copied code represented less than 2% of
the operating systemrCOs code, and set about to release a new version of
the software for the daVinci.
[image 1 (link #17)][16]
And so we end up at the device I have in my collection. Several years
ago, I bought a boxed version of the Olivetti daVinci DV3, including all
of its original accessories for a pittance on eBay, and IrCOve been
fascinated and repulsed by this device ever since. It looks like a cheap
Palm knockoff, and it feels like one too; the hardware is made out a
really unpleasant form of plastic, with buttons worse than what you find
on the cheapest possible pack-in remote control. The case feels creaky
and unrefined, like the cheapest possible childrenrCOs toy.
The display has a resolution of 128|u99, much lower than the 160|u160 of
even the first Palm Pilot, and itrCOs incredibly dim and hard to read
without the backlight on; even with the backlight on, itrCOs difficult to
read anything. Worse yet, the various hardware tap targets on top of and
at the bottom of the display are not backlit at all, making them
unreadable in all but the most illuminated environments. Considering you
need these buttons a lot, itrCOs a major stumbling block. Turning on the backlight is confusing, too, as it you need to hold down the on/off
button (while the display is on) to engage it, something only mentioned
in the manual.
[image 2 (link #19)][18] [image 3 (link #21)][20]
The display is, of course, a resistive touchscreen, as was the norm at
the time, but its precision seems much lower than anything Palm ever
offered. The accompanying stylus, too, is plasticky and cheap,
definitely worse than the plastic styluses Palm shipped with its earlier models, and obviously no match for the metal styluses that would
accompany later models.
Finding out exactly what type of processor the daVinci DV3 uses is
remarkably hard. A contemporary review by Smart Computing[22] claims
itrCOs using an unspecified Epson processor, without giving any further details. ThererCOs only one source[23] that specifically states what
processor it has, and considering that source is the only person to have written a third-party application for the DV3, IrCOm inclined to believe theyrCOre right (opening the device up is of no use, as the SoC is of the
epoxy blob type[24]). According to them, the DV3 runs on a Sharp SM6010 microprocessor, for which a datasheet[25] and more detailed
documentation[26] exists. The SM6010 is a very basic 16bit single-chip microcomputer of an unspecified architecture (probably something custom
and proprietary), running at 30Mhz.
The SM6010 is a 16-bit single-chip microcomputer incorporating a
16-bit CPU core, LCD controller, watchdog timer, serial interface
(UART, SCI), SIR, PWM output, real time clock, A/D converter and bus controller.
ra2 Sharp SM6010 datasheet[25]
The DV3 stores its operating system in flash memory rCo making it
upgradable rCo and has 2MB of RAM, stated proudly all over the box and on
a sticker on the device itself. Performance is actually not that bad,
but itrCOs not quite as instant and responsive as Palm OS. The operating
system and its user interface are rather inscrutable; there doesnrCOt seem
to be a single home screen you can always go back to like on Palm OS,
and closing/leaving applications/screens is done differently for each individual application/screen (tap the hardware rCLOKrCY button? An
on-screen rCLOKrCY button? Press the cancel button? Tap one of the hardware application shortcuts atop the display? Who knows!).
The core tools of the DV3 are incredibly basic, and cover merely the
bare necessities of a PDA in the late rCO90s, with things like an address
book, notes application, calendar, calculator, and a few others. ThererCOs
no consistency among any of these tools, and they all look, feel, and
work just differently enough to be confusing. The daVinci is also Very Seriousrao, as thererCOs no games or even a simple drawing gimmick; in fact, while there is a button labeled rCLApps.rCY, it doesnrCOt actually do anything (werCOll get back to that). ThererCOs barely any preferences to fiddle with either.
Input is done via a terrible Graffiti ripoff called daVinci Script,
which uses strokes much more cumbersome than its inspirator, not aided
by the absolutely trash recognition algorithms. This input method is effectively unusable, as itrCOs impossible to predict which strokes will produce what character or action. Even something as simple as the
right-to-left stroke to delete a character is entirely unreliable,
ensuring this is more of a random character generator than a text input
system. Luckily, thererCOs a tiny on-screen keyboard you can use to hunt
and peck with the stylus, but this isnrCOt exactly a particularly fast
input method either.
ItrCOs hard to convey just how utterly terrible the software experience
is, especially in 2026 when many people reading this lack the frame of reference of its time. This isnrCOt utter trash compared to what werCOre
used to today rCo this is utter trash compared to the competing devices
running Palm OS and Windows Pocket PC of its time. Even in 2026, I love
using Palm OS and Pocket PC, but I absolutely despise, dread, and hate
using the daVinci. IrCOm struggling to find a comparison with something contemporary, but the best I can come up with is like comparing an Apple
Watch or WearOS device with one of those cheap knock-off smartwatches
that run some shitty custom low-res UI on an underpowered SoC, but
honestly, even that does a disservice to these knock-off smartwatches.
[image 4 (link #28)][27] [image 5 (link #30)][29]
The daVinci I have came with all of its original accessories. ThererCOs a
vinyl pouch, a dock, and an external, fold-up keyboard. The pouch has
not withstood the test of time, and has shrunk, so much so the daVinci
no longer fits inside of it. The dock is, well, a dock, and uses the
connector at the bottom of the daVinci. This connector looks and feels
exactly like a crunchy ISA slot from the rCO80s, as if the PCB was cut off
with a hacksaw. The keyboard is the most interesting, and can be
connected straight to the devicerCOs bottom connector, or to a passthrough
port at the back of the dock. Unsurprisingly, this keyboard is really
bad, with dome-shaped mushy rubber keys with very little stability and a featherlight base that moves at the slightest of touches, making it
almost impossible to type on.
Thanks, I hate it.
[image 6 (link #32)][31] [image 7 (link #34)][33]
I mentioned the mysterious, non-functional rCLApps.rCY button earlier, and thererCOs actually a bit of history here. It turns out that Olivetti fully intended for people to write third-party applications for this thing,
promising to release an SDK at some point in time. Of course, this never
ended up happening as the daVinci is trash and nobody in their right
mind bought one or would want to develop for it, but it does mean that somewhere out there, perhaps in an attic somewhere in Ivrea, Italy,
thererCOs a dusty hard drive or CD-ROM carrying this unreleased official
SDK.
SDK or no, thererCOs always someone crazy, skilled, and determined enough
to develop something for any computer, and for the daVinci DV3, that
person was Alex Zwiesele. Zwiesele figured out that while the official
SDK was never released, the CD-ROM that came with the daVinci DV3
contained the entire operating system of the DV3 and a loader program.
This was enough for Zwiesele and a few other people to start
disassembling the operating system and inject their own custom code into
the binary file, reassemble it, and load it onto the DV3 using the
loader program.
This was not a walk in the park. Zwiesele documented the entire process
on their website[35], and it involved Zwiesele and several others
writing their own disassembler and assembler (still available from their website[36]!) based on the available Sharp SM6010 documentation, as well
as learning how to actually program for the devicerCOs hardware. In the
end, they managed to develop an actual game for the daVinci DV3, a
Breakout clone. You load the game onto your DV3 in the same way yourCOd
load the operating system; as such, the game will replace the entire
operating system and load automatically on power-on. ThatrCOs as far as
they got back in 2003, as efforts seem to have stalled after that.
Back when I bought my daVinci, about 6-7 years ago, I mentioned online
that I had bought the worst PDA of all time, without mentioning it by
name. Immediately, fellow hardcore PDA enthusiasts (we exist) knew I was talking about the daVinci. This thing is just plain trash, e-waste
before the term had been popularised, a waste of everyonerCOs time,
effort, and money. Not even its one redeeming quality rCo its low price of
just $99 compared to the cheapest Palm device at $249 rCo could make
anyone want to use it.
Still, IrCOm glad I have it in my collection, if only to serve as a
reminder that shitty e-waste devices arenrCOt something exclusive to our current smartphone era. It also serves to underline just how great Palm
OS and Windows Pocket PC (yes, I will fight you on this) really were,
and how many things they each got right out of the gate. So much so that especially Palm OS laid the foundations for every smartphone we use
today.
Now that IrCOve finally written and published this article, I can put this abomination back in its box, and never take it out again.
Links:
[1]:
https://ko-fi.com/thomholwerda/goal?g=0 (link)
[2]:
https://www.osnews.com/story/145244/introducing-brand-new-osnews-merch-with-the-new-logo/ (link)
[3]:
https://www.bonfire.com/store/osnews/ (link)
[4]:
https://www.osnews.com/story/144982/the-21-years-and-20000-posts-osnews-fundraiser-a-euro-for-every-post/ (link)
[5]:
https://www.osnews.com/story/145459/you-paid-me-a-long-time-linux-user-to-use-windows-11-exclusively-for-a-month-heres-how-it-went/ (link)
[6]:
https://www.osnews.com/story/26838/palm-im-ready-to-wallow-now/ (link) [7]:
https://italysegreta.com/the-utopist-visions-of-adriano-olivetti-designed-ideas/ (link)
[8]:
https://designwanted.com/brand-story-olivetti/ (link)
[9]:
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/2824 (link)
[10]:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivetti_Lettera_22 (link)
[11]:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-italian-computer-olivettis-elea-9003-was-a-study-in-elegant-ergonomic-design (link)
[12]:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programma_101 (link)
[13]:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivetti_Envision (link)
[14]:
https://archive.is/20250312002606/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB934506794663444386#selection-5289.0-5293.16 (link)
[15]:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graffiti_(Palm_OS) (link)
[16]:
https://www.osnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20260814_174813341-scaled.jpg (link)
[17]:
https://www.osnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20260814_174813341-1024x771.jpg (image)
[18]:
https://www.osnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20260814_175328233-scaled.jpg (link)
[19]:
https://www.osnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20260814_175328233-771x1024.jpg (image)
[20]:
https://www.osnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20260814_175241196-scaled.jpg (link)
[21]:
https://www.osnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20260814_175241196-771x1024.jpg (image)
[22]:
https://old-organizers.com/MorePicts/MP377.htm (link)
[23]:
https://www.dv3.info/Start-Englisch/Results/results.html (link)
[24]:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_on_board (link)
[25]:
https://www.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/43526/SHARP/SM6010.html (link)
[26]:
https://www.dv3.info/downloads/sm6010_ug.pdf (link)
[27]:
https://www.osnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20260814_175252997-scaled.jpg (link)
[28]:
https://www.osnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20260814_175252997-771x1024.jpg (image)
[29]:
https://www.osnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20260814_175340485-scaled.jpg (link)
[30]:
https://www.osnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20260814_175340485-771x1024.jpg (image)
[31]:
https://www.osnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20260814_175201353-scaled.jpg (link)
[32]:
https://www.osnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20260814_175201353-771x1024.jpg (image)
[33]:
https://www.osnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20260814_175211717-scaled.jpg (link)
[34]:
https://www.osnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20260814_175211717-771x1024.jpg (image)
[35]:
https://www.dv3.info/Start-Englisch/Results/Assembler_and_DV3/assembler_and_dv3.html (link)
[36]:
https://www.dv3.info/Downloads_/downloads_.html (link)
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