Still waiting for Apple to ship a new handheld device? Well, we can't say we're all that surprised... after all, there are still people waiting for "The Powers of Matthew Star" to get put back on the air. Waiting for interminable lengths of time and hoping against hope just happen to be a couple of things at which the human animal excels-- and since it's really only been about three and a half years since the Newton got nuked, it's probably only natural that many of us still haven't let go.

So what if we told you that a certain personality virtually synonymous with "Apple" is indeed involved in the crafting of a super-slick consumer-oriented handheld electronic device? And no, we're not talking about the iPod, which, granted, is technically a "handheld electronic device"-- but we're focusing more on PDA-y/wireless network-y functions, not the ability to stuff the entire Bee Gees repertoire into one's hip pocket. As it turns out, there's an exciting new PDA-type product in the works, and it's completely free of the direct influence of Steve Jobs; we were actually talking about the other Steve before. (No, not Ballmer. Yeesh. And people say we've got Ballmer on the brain...)

For those who haven't clued in yet (or, uh, read the title of this scene), we're talking about Steve Wozniak. The Woz. The cofounder of Apple who isn't known for firing people in elevators and parking across three handicapped spots. The one who handled the tech while Jobs handled the marketing and the shmoozing. Captain Us Festival. Yup, according to faithful viewer KermitTheLog, The Register is reporting that Woz has just joined the board of directors of Danger, Inc.-- a company working on a slick combination mobile phone/PDA "hiptop" thingy apparently targeted at the consumer market.

Woz is in good company over there, as Danger was reportedly founded by "former Apple staff" including folks who worked on the PowerPC and the PowerBook 150. In the press release announcing Woz's arrival, Woz remarks that "Danger embodies the excitement, enthusiasm, and passion that innovative technology is capable of producing. It reminds me of Apple's early days and the focus on building products easy enough for anyone to use." Sing it, brother. The Danger hiptop is slated to ship early next year, so if you're jonesing for a wireless handheld/phone with Apple-ish flair and ease of use, keep an eye on Woz's new project. Because we doubt we're going to see an actual Apple-branded equivalent anytime soon.