He keeps on bringing up Gibson as pointing out what could happen, but in Gibson's books there was never a stifling of innovation. If anything, there was something closer to an arms race a la US and Russia between corporations in the same market. What were the two companies that were battling... Ono Sendai and one other... there was some serious industrial espionage going on between the two corporations... with lots of innovation in order to get ahead.
Multi-national corporations will not smother innovation, nor will they become huge monolithic monopolies due to the science of things. In any large organization, whether it is a company, religion, application development, etc., there is always the pressure to fork. You *NIX nuts should know this the best. People always have different ideas about how something should progress. If you feel strongly enough, you fork. It doesn't matter what area you're in, that's the way large social groups function. Whether you're Lutheran-Catholic-Episcopalean-etc. or Pepsico-turned-Pepsi-and-"that food company" or just wait until Microsoft becomes Windows-Office-.NET-etc... at such a point, it becomes necessary for groups to splinter to solidify their ideas and receive funding. Look at Palm and 3COM... or Ma Bell, Lucent, and all of the Baby Bells...
Things will grow, band together under a common purpose, then splinter, reshuffle, and band together again. The whole thing is cyclical. In a capitalist society, there will always be competition, and when there is competition, there will be innovation. And as long as human beings are relied upon for innovation, there will always be worker's rights. Why? Because humans need incentive to work and to work well.
and they'll confiscate your computer, your work will fire you for bringing unwanted heat from Microsoft into your workplace because they'll want to conduct an audit to make sure your office has all legit serials that they paid for...
join a party whose sole platform, upon reaching a point of power, is to dissolve party politics.
their foundation will be based upon the strength of their convictions to end the party politics in the system upon reaching the point that they are able to make this conviction reality.
"To topple the government, first make the population apathetic. Next, expose the criminal nature of the government. The people will treat it like any common criminal, a criminal they don't care about in the slightest, and would like to get rid of. They will kill it."
Now how is that going to work? Make the populace apathetic. If they're apathetic, they don't care what choices that the government makes. This doesn't include any "so long as" statements. Flat out, they don't care. Expose the criminal nature? Come on, what's the criminal nature of our government? It provides safety, security, stands up for our rights (please, oh please dispute me on this), and stands for the general rule of law that people AND society need to function in large, complex sociological entities.
oh, and btw, if they were truly apathetic, they wouldn't try to get rid of it or kill it. They'll simply site there and let it rule their lives.
"Your friends cannot, in a society which respects human rights, use deadly force to compel you to eat where they please. The government can and does."
please, stop. Your friends cannot force you to, but if you're truly apathetic, when they ask you for your opinion and you say "i don't care", chances are you'll go where they decide to go. If you choose not go to, that's called abstaining, but atleast your action is being heard. Abstaining is not apathy. Abstaining is taking an action to declare that you're not happy with the choices presented and do not wish to offer your own.
And you ask what kind of friends are those that make the decision for you when you don't choose to vote or make a decision? What kind of friend ARE YOU for not being an active member of the group of friends? What could THEY possibly gain by such an association? If they always want to go to chinese for dinner and you hate chinese but go along anyway and never voice an opinion, how would they know that you don't like it? If instead you wanted to go to Italian and they never considered it, they'd never try it unless you VOICED YOUR OPINION.
"In the last presidential election, only one-third of eligible voters voted. Pundits tell us the non-voters are morally oblivious, stupid or apathetic, though since we rarely hear from them, we can only guess. The people who run politics and media have succeeded in trivializing non-voters, making them appear repugnant and irresponsible, the opposite of moral and idealistic. They are democracy's ghosts, invisible people."
why do you think there are so many campaigns right now to get people to come out and vote, especially among the younger crowds?
there's Rock the Vote from MTV, the Presidential Smackdown from WWF, Pearl Jam's encouragment to vote, as well as tons of other programs trying to get higher participation.
And hell, the candidates themselves, especially the democrats want more people voting because they fear that the republicans are able to get their voters out to the booths easier than the democrats. Right now it's the christian coalition against the unions, the soccer moms vs the rich elitists, etc... but both candidates realize that by bringing up new issues they might be able to get more people to vote for them.
don't feed us the bullshit that nobody cares about those that haven't voted because they do. Hell, walking around NYC two weeks ago there were TONS of people with the forms you needed to fill out to vote. ENCOURAGING people to vote.
but this weekend I was re-hooking up my old NES...
after opening the original box and styraphone, i noticed that I still had the original register receipt from when I bought the machine. 1988... $98.06 from CompUSA... oh, those were the days.
of course, getting that first game to play I was frustrated by having the keep on trying to blow in the game, in the machine, hit it a few times on the top... all the same frustrations that remember doing over 10 yrs ago to get the system working.
"Frankly, I was surprised at the level of interest from the tech world"
why would you be? we send our kids to private and public schools, some of our kids might have been harmed in school violence, we pay taxes, might have to rely on unemployment checks one day soon if the market keeps on doing what it's doing, might need social security if our stock options don't pan out, might need to take care of our parents or grandparents, etc.
why should it suprise you that we care what goes on in the election? we're tax paying, freedom loving, US citizens.
new solutions will develop naturally. some enterprising individual will look at the situation and create a system that is fair to the parties involved. that's how capitalism and technology work well together.
it's like driving through the desert and realizing that you haven't hit a gas station in over an hour. an enterprising individual will put a truck stop there.
do you want the government proposing a solution in this case? do you think any of the candidates are really qualified to create a fair system? I don't think they should be involved except to limit unfair monopolization and make sure that the artists aren't being completely screwed without an alternative.
My boss once got pissed when his powerbook froze. He immediately picked up the PowerBook, closed the top, and threw the powerbook across the room like a frisbee into the wall. The wall had a huge hole in it, and for a time, the computer wouldn't boot. I asked him if I could have it since it didn't work... 2 days later I had it up and running just fine.
Only wrong with it was that it has a little problem with the power intake... the ac adapter doesn't always connect well, part of the case is loose in the back, and I'm not sure if this is a g3 powerbook problem, but the bottom gets EXTREMELY hot... maybe he killed a fan or something.
Anyway, the machine was a G3 Powerbook, but not one of the new slim ones...
Thrown across the room frisbee style into a wall, and it still works just fine.:)
can the editor's please check to see if a story has been posted before? and maybe if you want to have a continuing story/saga, at least link to the previous discussions in the related links section.
hmmm, hack the news service, add three stories in the database under MSFT saying that 1. they posted awful earnings and project a slowdown in sales, 2. Government is going to split them up, and that 3. Ballmer files to sell 500,000 shares.
since when is a foreign fungal outbreak that corrodes/eats through plastic and metals a laughing matter?
hell, watch the Mir land in the deserts of Iraq, Saddam get some scientists working on the fungus, and using it in conjunction with a biological weapon so that it eats through the masks and protective clothing so that our soldiers and normal people die.
I hate to be the one to say this, but if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, did it make a sound?
how is someone going to prove something like this or disprove it if the prior art that you've stated was never seen by anyone outside of that limited sphere of your company and it's authors?
Again, if you thought it was such a great idea, maybe they should have patented it.
So now that the idea is out, disprove it with your claim of prior art. Show that your app has been around for 15 yrs and disprove the patent.
okay, I know they've gotten the crap beaten out of them and the PR on the Cube has been awful, but damnit jim, those are the most stylin' computers around. throw on some OSX server, you're just rarin' to go.
Hacker:
A slang term for a computer enthusiast. Among professional programmers, the term hacker implies an amateur or a programmer who lacks formal training. Depending on how it used, the term can be either complimentary or derogatory, although it is developing an increasingly derogatory connotation. The pejorative sense of hacker is becoming more prominent largely because the popular press has coopted the term to refer to individuals who gain unauthorized access to computer systems for the purpose of stealing and corrupting data. Hackers, themselves, maintain that the proper term for such individuals is cracker.
Cracker:
Security
hacker
phreaking
smurf
Give Us Your
Feedback
(1) To break into a computer system. The term was coined in the mid-80s by hackers who wanted to differentiate themselves from individuals whose sole purpose is to sneak through security systems. Whereas crackers sole aim is to break into secure systems, hackers are more interested in gaining knowledge about computer systems and possibly using this knowledge for playful pranks. Although hackers still argue that there's a big difference between what they do and what crackers do, the mass media has failed to understand the distinction, so the two terms -- hack and crack -- are often used interchangeably.
(2) To copy commercial software illegally by breaking (cracking) the various copy-protection and registration techniques being used.
I never liked that saying... hackers make things work, crackers break things. I don't think that's true at all. I think it's all a matter of ethics. If upon breaking into a system, do you a) post a message to the sysadmins telling them about the security hole and how you broke in, or b) insert a backdoor, trojan proggie, or steal all passwords and credit card #'s that are in the system.
Reverse-engineering is fine too, depending on the ethics of your hack. Did you do it so that you could watch the DVD's that you bought on your computer, or did you do it so that you could pirate the mpgs?
The action itself is neutral, it's the ethics behind the action that define/color it.
I live in NYC, so maybe it's not a good gauge of availability, but I'll tell you my experience.
I started with Bell Atlantic. It was cheap, setup was quick, and it wasn't that expensive. Problem was, only was given 1 IP address and getting someone on the phone took forever.
So I switched to Concentric.
Yes, it took me about a month and a half to two months to get the connection. But when I got it, it was worth it.
The downtime for the line has been minimal. Every once in a while they'll notify you about maintenance, but it's usually 15 min or less in the middle of the night, they give you a week's notice, and it's right back up. Haven't had a problem yet.
The speeds are consistent and quite good.
Also the tech support is quick, efficient, friendly, and is willing to help you beyond the normal "well, is your ethernet cord plugged in?"
All in all, i'm sticking with them as long as I'm in my apartment.
And no, I don't work for Concentric, nor do I own stock in the company.
"So I think that maybe the Wired gurus were right: These are the last days of politics. On this site, the opportunity to disagree is implicit, and doesn't need to be stated, but I'd be especially interested to see if anybody else sees it this way."
Jon, we know how this site works. You know we'll disagree. You don't need to give us permission.
Last Days of Politics my ass. Politics are not going anywhere. Government politics might change, but that's about it. Whether the politics refer to the interaction between government representatives, or in the corporatist future that you lecture about, between high-ranking individuals within the company, politics and the science of politicing will always be around. It's human nature to strive for advantage and to gain favor from others. Humans are a socio-political entity. That's what we do.
"Online, innovation and originality remain prized and ubiquitous, whereas the political system hasn't advanced an innovative idea in years."
I'd disagree. Yes, innovation seems to be seen strongly online, but just because it's the most active sector, that doesn't mean that's the only place where new things are created.
And why is the political system supposed to change at the same pace that the online world is? Reminds me of the old "joke" about how Bill Gates says that if the automobile advanced the way technology has, cars would run 1000 miles on a gallon of water, weight 20 lbs, and you'd be able to throw one out and get a new one for $5 or some shit like that. The head dude from GM replies, yes, but if cars progressed the way technology has, your car would crash every 30 min and need to be restarted, be outdated the minute you purchase it, you'd have to wait on the phone for a technical repair line for hours on end, and rather than getting it fixed or upgrading, you'd end up using it for a door stop.
Yea, i probably butchered the joke, but imagine if our political system was completely changing the way technology has? Half the time tech and online ventures release things without thinking about the consequences, but only the short-term gains. And what about all of the instabilities?
Culture, religion, and politics should progress slowly... just ask the Amish.
why? why do you need your calendar items on your cell phone? yea, it would be nice to have a better address book or a better way of updating it, but why not just find a way to sync the address book of the phone to the PDA?
Features:
Smart Phone
Digital phone and electronic organizer in one package.
- 3COM-based (Palm III platform) Personal digital assistant (PDA) is built-in.
- Address book keeps track of names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail and website addresses, as well as other information about your personal and business contacts.
- You can make a call, send an e-mail or open Internet sites directly from your address book.
- Date book records appointments quickly and easily.
- To-Do list allows you to make a list of things to do and assign a priority level and due date for each task.
- Calculator lets you perform basic operations.
- HotSync Technology: Synchronize data between your phone and your PC.
Wireless Web Message Capable
This phone is MiniBrowser ready, includes all necessary items (software and cable) for wireless connectivity and can receive wireless web messages. Access the Internet to browse text-only versions of popular web sites. Check weather reports, sports scores, stock reports and more.
Stylus Navigation
Large Display offers touch-screen capabilities and stylus-based navigation. Hold the stylus like a pen, and you can write directly on the screen.
Funny thing is that this phone doesn't sell well. When will people learn that taking two things they like, like ice cream and tuna fish, and combining them simply does not always work. This is a perfect example.
People, especially americans, want smaller phones. Hell, people that WANT a Palm will get a Palm. The majority just want a cell phone and don't need that additional functionality. Plus, putting a huge block of a phone against your ear simply is not "new yorker-ish" (ie stylish)
Slashdot Mirror
He keeps on bringing up Gibson as pointing out what could happen, but in Gibson's books there was never a stifling of innovation. If anything, there was something closer to an arms race a la US and Russia between corporations in the same market. What were the two companies that were battling... Ono Sendai and one other... there was some serious industrial espionage going on between the two corporations... with lots of innovation in order to get ahead.
Multi-national corporations will not smother innovation, nor will they become huge monolithic monopolies due to the science of things. In any large organization, whether it is a company, religion, application development, etc., there is always the pressure to fork. You *NIX nuts should know this the best. People always have different ideas about how something should progress. If you feel strongly enough, you fork. It doesn't matter what area you're in, that's the way large social groups function. Whether you're Lutheran-Catholic-Episcopalean-etc. or Pepsico-turned-Pepsi-and-"that food company" or just wait until Microsoft becomes Windows-Office-.NET-etc... at such a point, it becomes necessary for groups to splinter to solidify their ideas and receive funding. Look at Palm and 3COM... or Ma Bell, Lucent, and all of the Baby Bells...
Things will grow, band together under a common purpose, then splinter, reshuffle, and band together again. The whole thing is cyclical. In a capitalist society, there will always be competition, and when there is competition, there will be innovation. And as long as human beings are relied upon for innovation, there will always be worker's rights. Why? Because humans need incentive to work and to work well.
and then you'll have your ass dragged to court.
and they'll confiscate your computer, your work will fire you for bringing unwanted heat from Microsoft into your workplace because they'll want to conduct an audit to make sure your office has all legit serials that they paid for...
outlines which are considered battleground, the history... you just have to find the exact numbers elsewhere
you might need to fix the URL... it's putting an unneeded space in there for no reason.
join a party whose sole platform, upon reaching a point of power, is to dissolve party politics.
their foundation will be based upon the strength of their convictions to end the party politics in the system upon reaching the point that they are able to make this conviction reality.
"To topple the government, first make the population apathetic. Next, expose the criminal nature of the government. The people will treat it like any common criminal, a criminal they don't care about in the slightest, and would like to get rid of. They will kill it."
Now how is that going to work? Make the populace apathetic. If they're apathetic, they don't care what choices that the government makes. This doesn't include any "so long as" statements. Flat out, they don't care. Expose the criminal nature? Come on, what's the criminal nature of our government? It provides safety, security, stands up for our rights (please, oh please dispute me on this), and stands for the general rule of law that people AND society need to function in large, complex sociological entities.
oh, and btw, if they were truly apathetic, they wouldn't try to get rid of it or kill it. They'll simply site there and let it rule their lives.
"Your friends cannot, in a society which respects human rights, use deadly force to compel you to eat where they please. The government can and does."
please, stop. Your friends cannot force you to, but if you're truly apathetic, when they ask you for your opinion and you say "i don't care", chances are you'll go where they decide to go. If you choose not go to, that's called abstaining, but atleast your action is being heard. Abstaining is not apathy. Abstaining is taking an action to declare that you're not happy with the choices presented and do not wish to offer your own.
And you ask what kind of friends are those that make the decision for you when you don't choose to vote or make a decision? What kind of friend ARE YOU for not being an active member of the group of friends? What could THEY possibly gain by such an association? If they always want to go to chinese for dinner and you hate chinese but go along anyway and never voice an opinion, how would they know that you don't like it? If instead you wanted to go to Italian and they never considered it, they'd never try it unless you VOICED YOUR OPINION.
"In the last presidential election, only one-third of eligible voters voted. Pundits tell us the non-voters are morally oblivious, stupid or apathetic, though since we rarely hear from them, we can only guess. The people who run politics and media have succeeded in trivializing non-voters, making them appear repugnant and irresponsible, the opposite of moral and idealistic. They are democracy's ghosts, invisible people."
why do you think there are so many campaigns right now to get people to come out and vote, especially among the younger crowds?
there's Rock the Vote from MTV, the Presidential Smackdown from WWF, Pearl Jam's encouragment to vote, as well as tons of other programs trying to get higher participation.
And hell, the candidates themselves, especially the democrats want more people voting because they fear that the republicans are able to get their voters out to the booths easier than the democrats. Right now it's the christian coalition against the unions, the soccer moms vs the rich elitists, etc... but both candidates realize that by bringing up new issues they might be able to get more people to vote for them.
don't feed us the bullshit that nobody cares about those that haven't voted because they do. Hell, walking around NYC two weeks ago there were TONS of people with the forms you needed to fill out to vote. ENCOURAGING people to vote.
but this weekend I was re-hooking up my old NES...
after opening the original box and styraphone, i noticed that I still had the original register receipt from when I bought the machine. 1988... $98.06 from CompUSA... oh, those were the days.
of course, getting that first game to play I was frustrated by having the keep on trying to blow in the game, in the machine, hit it a few times on the top... all the same frustrations that remember doing over 10 yrs ago to get the system working.
oh, the memories...
not to nitpick, but I don't think Bush is going to fight for anything... except the tax cut that benefits himself.
remember, compassionate conservatism. he doesn't want to offend anyone... soccer moms included.
"Frankly, I was surprised at the level of interest from the tech world"
why would you be? we send our kids to private and public schools, some of our kids might have been harmed in school violence, we pay taxes, might have to rely on unemployment checks one day soon if the market keeps on doing what it's doing, might need social security if our stock options don't pan out, might need to take care of our parents or grandparents, etc.
why should it suprise you that we care what goes on in the election? we're tax paying, freedom loving, US citizens.
new solutions will develop naturally. some enterprising individual will look at the situation and create a system that is fair to the parties involved. that's how capitalism and technology work well together.
it's like driving through the desert and realizing that you haven't hit a gas station in over an hour. an enterprising individual will put a truck stop there.
do you want the government proposing a solution in this case? do you think any of the candidates are really qualified to create a fair system? I don't think they should be involved except to limit unfair monopolization and make sure that the artists aren't being completely screwed without an alternative.
My boss once got pissed when his powerbook froze. He immediately picked up the PowerBook, closed the top, and threw the powerbook across the room like a frisbee into the wall. The wall had a huge hole in it, and for a time, the computer wouldn't boot. I asked him if I could have it since it didn't work... 2 days later I had it up and running just fine.
:)
Only wrong with it was that it has a little problem with the power intake... the ac adapter doesn't always connect well, part of the case is loose in the back, and I'm not sure if this is a g3 powerbook problem, but the bottom gets EXTREMELY hot... maybe he killed a fan or something.
Anyway, the machine was a G3 Powerbook, but not one of the new slim ones...
Thrown across the room frisbee style into a wall, and it still works just fine.
See the Web, Touch the Web?
Logitech's "Mouse that Feels"
and today's Force-Feedba ck Devices Provide Virtual Texture
can the editor's please check to see if a story has been posted before? and maybe if you want to have a continuing story/saga, at least link to the previous discussions in the related links section.
so run your own test to determine for yourself which is better.
configure it once, test, reconfigure it, test.
you'll only truly believe it if it's what you want to hear or if you prove it yourself.
or, believe what others tell you, but before making statements disputing something, find facts proving what you believe is true.
true, but who was kewler, Darth Maul or young Obi Wan?
I have a feeling that they sold more Darth Maul Halloween costumes than Obi-Wan costumes.
hmmm, hack the news service, add three stories in the database under MSFT saying that 1. they posted awful earnings and project a slowdown in sales, 2. Government is going to split them up, and that 3. Ballmer files to sell 500,000 shares.
Now THAT would cause some damage.
since when is a foreign fungal outbreak that corrodes/eats through plastic and metals a laughing matter?
:) too...
hell, watch the Mir land in the deserts of Iraq, Saddam get some scientists working on the fungus, and using it in conjunction with a biological weapon so that it eats through the masks and protective clothing so that our soldiers and normal people die.
yea, i'll end this with a
I hate to be the one to say this, but if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, did it make a sound?
how is someone going to prove something like this or disprove it if the prior art that you've stated was never seen by anyone outside of that limited sphere of your company and it's authors?
Again, if you thought it was such a great idea, maybe they should have patented it.
So now that the idea is out, disprove it with your claim of prior art. Show that your app has been around for 15 yrs and disprove the patent.
so that would be...
the Cube and
Darwin
Interesting definitions on "hacker" and "cracker"
Hacker:
A slang term for a computer enthusiast. Among professional programmers, the term hacker implies an amateur or a programmer who lacks formal training. Depending on how it used, the term can be either complimentary or derogatory, although it is developing an increasingly derogatory connotation. The pejorative sense of hacker is becoming more prominent largely because the popular press has coopted the term to refer to individuals who gain unauthorized access to computer systems for the purpose of stealing and corrupting data. Hackers, themselves, maintain that the proper term for such individuals is cracker.
Cracker:
Security
hacker
phreaking
smurf
Give Us Your
Feedback
(1) To break into a computer system. The term was coined in the mid-80s by hackers who wanted to differentiate themselves from individuals whose sole purpose is to sneak through security systems. Whereas crackers sole aim is to break into secure systems, hackers are more interested in gaining knowledge about computer systems and possibly using this knowledge for playful pranks. Although hackers still argue that there's a big difference between what they do and what crackers do, the mass media has failed to understand the distinction, so the two terms -- hack and crack -- are often used interchangeably.
(2) To copy commercial software illegally by breaking (cracking) the various copy-protection and registration techniques being used.
I never liked that saying... hackers make things work, crackers break things. I don't think that's true at all. I think it's all a matter of ethics. If upon breaking into a system, do you a) post a message to the sysadmins telling them about the security hole and how you broke in, or b) insert a backdoor, trojan proggie, or steal all passwords and credit card #'s that are in the system.
Reverse-engineering is fine too, depending on the ethics of your hack. Did you do it so that you could watch the DVD's that you bought on your computer, or did you do it so that you could pirate the mpgs?
The action itself is neutral, it's the ethics behind the action that define/color it.
I live in NYC, so maybe it's not a good gauge of availability, but I'll tell you my experience.
I started with Bell Atlantic. It was cheap, setup was quick, and it wasn't that expensive. Problem was, only was given 1 IP address and getting someone on the phone took forever.
So I switched to Concentric.
Yes, it took me about a month and a half to two months to get the connection. But when I got it, it was worth it.
The downtime for the line has been minimal. Every once in a while they'll notify you about maintenance, but it's usually 15 min or less in the middle of the night, they give you a week's notice, and it's right back up. Haven't had a problem yet.
The speeds are consistent and quite good.
Also the tech support is quick, efficient, friendly, and is willing to help you beyond the normal "well, is your ethernet cord plugged in?"
All in all, i'm sticking with them as long as I'm in my apartment.
And no, I don't work for Concentric, nor do I own stock in the company.
then why state it?
"So I think that maybe the Wired gurus were right: These are the last days of politics. On this site, the opportunity to disagree is implicit, and doesn't need to be stated, but I'd be especially interested to see if anybody else sees it this way."
Jon, we know how this site works. You know we'll disagree. You don't need to give us permission.
Last Days of Politics my ass. Politics are not going anywhere. Government politics might change, but that's about it. Whether the politics refer to the interaction between government representatives, or in the corporatist future that you lecture about, between high-ranking individuals within the company, politics and the science of politicing will always be around. It's human nature to strive for advantage and to gain favor from others. Humans are a socio-political entity. That's what we do.
"Online, innovation and originality remain prized and ubiquitous, whereas the political system hasn't advanced an innovative idea in years."
I'd disagree. Yes, innovation seems to be seen strongly online, but just because it's the most active sector, that doesn't mean that's the only place where new things are created.
And why is the political system supposed to change at the same pace that the online world is? Reminds me of the old "joke" about how Bill Gates says that if the automobile advanced the way technology has, cars would run 1000 miles on a gallon of water, weight 20 lbs, and you'd be able to throw one out and get a new one for $5 or some shit like that. The head dude from GM replies, yes, but if cars progressed the way technology has, your car would crash every 30 min and need to be restarted, be outdated the minute you purchase it, you'd have to wait on the phone for a technical repair line for hours on end, and rather than getting it fixed or upgrading, you'd end up using it for a door stop.
Yea, i probably butchered the joke, but imagine if our political system was completely changing the way technology has? Half the time tech and online ventures release things without thinking about the consequences, but only the short-term gains. And what about all of the instabilities?
Culture, religion, and politics should progress slowly... just ask the Amish.
why? why do you need your calendar items on your cell phone? yea, it would be nice to have a better address book or a better way of updating it, but why not just find a way to sync the address book of the phone to the PDA?
Handspring is also doing the same thing with their
HANDSPRING BRINGS VOICE COMMUNICATIONS TO HANDHELD COMPUTING WITH VISORPHONE(TM) <BR>
Bell South DCS, Pacific Bell Wireless, Powertel and VoiceStream to provide services for breakthrough Springboard(TM) module that makes wireless phone experience simpler than ever
<P>
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. (September 25, 2000) - Handspring, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAND) today introduced the VisorPhone Springboard expansion module, combining the power of voice communications with the simplicity and versatility of the Visor handheld computer. VisorPhone is a compact expansion module that snaps into the Springboard expansion slot on any Visor handheld computer so people can use Visor to make and receive phone calls. VisorPhone combines two mobile products into one, creating a single integrated product for all voice and handheld computing needs.
<P>
"The fundamental idea behind the development of VisorPhone was to re-invent the user experience for voice calling. The last major milestone in phone design was in the late 1960s when touchtone phones replaced rotary dial phones. We felt it was time to make it easier for people to use all the new features and services available," said Ed Colligan, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Handspring. "With VisorPhone, we've leveraged the robust PIM functionality and larger screen of Visor to make things like speed dialing, caller ID, and conference calling more accessible to the average user."
<P>
Handspring plans to deliver a U.S. version of VisorPhone by the end of the year for U.S. $299, with simultaneous purchase of a service plan. Initially, Handspring.com will be the exclusive channel for VisorPhone sales, providing one-stop shopping for people who want to purchase a Visor, VisorPhone and a nationwide service plan in a single transaction. Current Visor owners will also be able to purchase the VisorPhone module (sold separately) and a service plan at Handspring.com. Handspring expects to sell VisorPhone through physical distribution channels in the U.S., and to deliver a European version of VisorPhone, in the first half of 2001. Four leading GSM (global system for mobile communications) carriers in the U.S., Bell South DCS, Pacific Bell Wireless, Powertel and VoiceStream plan to provide comprehensive service plans for VisorPhone that can be purchased directly through Handspring.com.
<P>
"We believe offering VisorPhone provides our customers with another simple solution for their wireless service needs," said Steve Sitton, president and general manager of Pacific Bell Wireless South Region. "Customers can now enjoy Pacific Bell Wireless services such as wireless Internet access and Handspring's handheld computing capabilities in one combined, easy-to-use tool."
<P>
more info at the link above
Info can be found here
Features:
Smart Phone Digital phone and electronic organizer in one package.
- 3COM-based (Palm III platform) Personal digital assistant (PDA) is built-in.
- Address book keeps track of names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail and website addresses, as well as other information about your personal and business contacts.
- You can make a call, send an e-mail or open Internet sites directly from your address book. - Date book records appointments quickly and easily.
- To-Do list allows you to make a list of things to do and assign a priority level and due date for each task.
- Calculator lets you perform basic operations.
- HotSync Technology: Synchronize data between your phone and your PC.
Wireless Web Message Capable
This phone is MiniBrowser ready, includes all necessary items (software and cable) for wireless connectivity and can receive wireless web messages. Access the Internet to browse text-only versions of popular web sites. Check weather reports, sports scores, stock reports and more.
Stylus Navigation
Large Display offers touch-screen capabilities and stylus-based navigation. Hold the stylus like a pen, and you can write directly on the screen.
Funny thing is that this phone doesn't sell well. When will people learn that taking two things they like, like ice cream and tuna fish, and combining them simply does not always work. This is a perfect example.
People, especially americans, want smaller phones. Hell, people that WANT a Palm will get a Palm. The majority just want a cell phone and don't need that additional functionality. Plus, putting a huge block of a phone against your ear simply is not "new yorker-ish" (ie stylish)