The problem here is one of economics: How much would you be willing to pay for such a device?
Let's examine my crappy Nokia phone, which I got for free, and see just how much value I'm getting out of it:
Full-duplex trunked radio transceiver: $1000+
Basic mp3 player: $20
Scientific calculator: $30
Exchange rate calculator: $50
Alarm clock: $20
Digital camera: $100
Digital Voice Recorder: $45
PDA: $230
Handheld Gaming Device: $80
Handheld Web Browser: $270
Remember, this all cost me... absolutely nothing. Got it free with my subscription of about $50 a month. They even built or rented the infrastructure covering a huge chunk of the nation, should I decide to take a trip somewhere. Also, the battery will last me through several days of usage.
All of a sudden, a multifunction device like you're describing sounds like a rather big undertaking. Somebody's got to pay for it, and pay well.
I understand your point, but you're going off on a tangent. I was referring to the OP's scenario of "
one device = GPS + phone + media player"
for use in the car.
Most smartphones do what you listed, but "my point" was that
I wouldn't want to rely on GPS via my phone, for the simple fact that its too small "for me", even when mounted on the sun visor. Coupled with the fact that if you lose data connection, if the software is not local to the phone, you lose the map. To avoid those issues, I opted for a
Pioneer AVIC 700BT, which I purchaced new, for $350, a similar price, for similarly equiped standalone portable GPS units, yet I get more value via the headunit as it has more features.
As far as "building the ultimate device", for general usage, there are numerous devices which "come close". My point with that is its well within any manufacturers capability, as individual features are found on any given phone,
but none seem to put it together in one package...at least as far as what I'm looking for (touch screen + keyboard). For example:
Droid - Poor reception (CDMA version...GSM Milestone may be a future purchase), no TV out, no simultaneous Voice/Data, no Euro capability
Touch Pro 2 - Unstable/laggy OS, no camera flash, GSM version has suspect signal reception (vs. other phones on same network)
N900 - Only version is for T-Mobile where frequency makes it susceptible to poor reception inside certain buildings (but has better reception overall vs. other 2 phones), low call volume (despite 2-speakers, though media plays much louder
), incomplete OS (no MMS), USB port prone to separating from mainboard.
The
n900 comes closest to doing "it all", hardware wise, and I doubt that an AT&T banded 3G version, with louder call volume, would be cost prohibitive. Nokia already has 850/1900 radios, and call volume is just a software thing.
