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Is This How to Carry Your Gadgets?
mightypie writes "What's the best way of carrying a Visor Prism, mobile phone, cybertool, digital camera, wallet & keys? I just don't like the vest solution Somebody here must have the solution" That is the most disturbing ad I've seen. Someday my phone/camera/pda/mp3 player will be one tiny happy box. As it stands my solution is baggy pants w/ big pockets.
If you ask me, this highlights some of the biggest problems being faced by manufacturers and designers of portable devices today. Let me state a couple sweeping generalizations:
1. Specialized devices are better than generalized ones.
2. People are unwiling to carry more than 1 or 2 devices at once.
Most people disagree with me on #1 so I'll need to explain a bit more. The telephone is a specialized device and has barely changed in 100 years. Why? Because the interface just works. The keyboard and "output" (screen, paper) interface is another specialized interface that has lasted over 100 years. Again, simple and fit for purpose. The palmtop has existed for a much shorter time but is great for reading (not inputing) data. All are specialized, and all work great.
What happens when you combine these things, however? Combine a phone with a PDA and you get a Qualcomm PDQ. It's too big to be a phone and when you talk you get face gunk on the PDA screen. It didn't sell... Combine a keyboard with a PDA and you get.. uhm.. a PDA with a keyboard. The point being, they never sold either. Combine a PC with portable capability and you get a notebook. They work great traveling from your work office to your home office but if you've ever used one on a plane you know they aren't great on the road. Personal devices need to be ergonomic and this necessitates specialisation.
Point #2 is where the wireless world starts to hiccup. If people insist on a phone that looks like a phone and a PDA with a screen large enough to read and a PC with a full-size keyboard yet refuse to carry multiple devices, how will this wireless world catch on?
Well, maybe people need to be more sensible about what they combine... A cel phone could combine with a headset and MP3 players to play music and accept calls and SMS messages. Maybe throw in a smart card for banking and debit payments. A Palmtop could combine with a docking station and provide storage for data while on the road and the power of a PC when plugged in. Any other ideas?
What do the gay guys put in it?