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Is There Room for an IM only Device ?
tealover writes "MSNBC Has an article about a new device from Motorola that they're marketing that just does IM. It' called IMFree. Kind of a combination of a cordless phone and pager; There is a base station that plugs into a USB port in your computer, so it's only portable in relation to the base station. Sounds and looks like the kids would like this."
... is something that provided a very cheap screen/kb/mouse combination which wirelessly connected to a new session on a linux box. That way, I don't need to scatter boxes all over the house and multiple people could use it all at once. Mike
I know that the US is not really into SMS, but in europe, it's HUGE. In belgium alone, a few MILLION smss are sent every day. At 40cents/message, that's big bucks for a service that costs next to nothing.
The situation has gone so far that studies have shown teens to use their thumbs for stuff that the previous generation would have used the index finger for. Like dialing an ordinary phone, or pressing the doorbell.
When will I end this grieving ? When will my future begin ?
I'm not sure if this will be a good-selling device.
First of all, the limitation because of a base station, really hurts it's image. It would be very cool if I could Jabber in the train, but I don't think I will Jabber on my couch, when my PC is ten meters away.
The second Bag Thing is the huge competion between PDAs and IM devices. Why would I pay for a (probably expensive too) IM device, when I can get a PDA with 802.11b? A PDA gives me much more features, including Instant Messaging. I currently have the Zaurus SL-5500, and I'm really happy to have it, I can do just anything with it, including Instant Messaging.
I think this device has a chance, but only if the prices are (much) lower than the PDA prices, or if it's going to support GPRS/UMTS/etc.
In need of reliable and affordable server monitoring?
Yip, MSNBC does tend to get slashdotted quite regularly...
I've had a chance to borrow an iBook with an AirPort card for awhile, and I really like being able to go anywhere in the house and be online without wires getting in the way. I see this device being very successful for the same reason. There are trade-offs: you can't browse Slashdot with it and the screen and keyboard are small and awkward, but it's vastly cheaper than a laptop.
I wouldn't want one of these for myself. I do a lot with the computer, and usually just have AIM running in the background; when I'm not at the computer I probably am busy doing something and don't have time for IM. I'm not in their target market though. A lot of less tech-savvy people use the computer exclusively for communicating with people (via IM or e-mail) and surfing the web, and don't necessarily do both at the same time; for them, this would free them from having to sit in front of the computer, which they only do now because it's the only way to use IM/e-mail/the web.
$x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
$x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
...the ability to let others use the computer whilst someone is IMing. /. or the like is usually slim to none, due to my little sister spending copious amounts of time 'chatting' to her friends.
I know that when I go home for a weekend or something, the likelyhood of being able to check my email, the latest
I think this sort of thing could come as a breath of fresh air for other members of the house hold
Also IMing age is usually self-concious age and so privacy hilst IMing is usually of the upmost importance (I know it is for my sister), thus the ability to do it from their bedrooms, for instance, would probably be very much appreciated.
Just my thoughts on it,
Alex
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Any fool can talk, but it takes a smart man to listen
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Why buy an extraneous hardware device to do what my computer can do in a few pixels of screen space?
Because you can sit on the couch, or in your favorite chair, or in the backyard enjoying the sun, while someone else uses the computer in the living room. Remember this is targeted to kids who don't own their own computers, and especially not laptops.
You can already use AIM from a cell phone, but sometimes reception isn't good inside your house. This is cheaper than a cell phone, and should be much easier to use (bigger screen/keyboard) while you're at home.
$x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
$x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;