I visited Agilent's web site recently, and caught myself thinking . . .
What if Agilent saw a need for a personal data collection, collation, reduction and communication device? It would be hand-held, robustly-built, expandable, connectible and configurable.
It would have a simple hook-up to a universal data collection and sharing interface -- perhaps a wireless connection or some sort of "interface loop" -- that would enable collection from various points and delivery to a workstation. It would include the mathematical functions necessary to analyze and reduce raw data and to configure it for delivery to computer-based presentation and storage devices.
It would be built take abuse in the field, and to last as long as the owner was likely to be able to put it to use.
It would be programmable, and have a simple, logical, easy-to-learn and -to-remember user interface, and would be supported by a full array of add-ons and peripherals that made it applicable to a number of uses.
Then I snapped back to reality and said to myself, "You've gotta be half nuts -- maybe fully nuts -- to even think of such a thing . . . "