The new Apple iPad looks very interesting and some of the discussion around it has centred on just where it fits in the phone, iPod, tablet, notebook, netbook, and indeed eBook, spectrum. Thinking about business rather than personal requirements, it made me consider what the ideal mobile device would be. In fact, could it just be a single device or would the difficulty of combining a screen big enough for comfortable use with documents and spreadsheets and the need to stick it in your pocket and maybe hold it to your ear mean that you need more than one type of device?

So, for me, here are some of the things I’d like to see in the perfect mobile device. First of all, I’d like something about the size of a sheet of A4 to make use for business applications practical in view of my ageing eyesight. I’d like a full size keyboard with decent-sized keys – possibly via a touch-screen. This might sound trivial, but I used my original Asus EEE a great deal less than I otherwise would have because the right-hand shift key was too small and I just couldn’t get used to it! Long battery life would be nice – a full day’s worth would be great – maybe with top-up from integral solar panels. Also, the lighter the better, but solid enough to survive the rough and tumble of portability.

It would need to be fast enough to run full versions of office software products. Lots of Gb of storage would be good too. Although, as cloud applications become increasingly capable, and cloud storage more secure, these requirements could become less important.

It would be vital that it could connect to the Internet at a usable speed wherever I was and I’d want some very reliable form of encryption and security built in, probably biometric.

I think I’d be happy to live with a separate, and pretty-basic, phone that did little more than make and receive calls – but that’s probably just me and my hatred of phones. (the result of too many years being responsible for a software support desk…)

The ability to easily download a multitude of free and cheap apps would also be crucial.