tbc0's posterous

Monica Zlotogorski's latest blog post, "Device Overkill Fever… How Many, For How Long?" is a little whiny for me. I drafted a comment, but I can't edit it. So I decided to make some revisions and break this out for a broader audience.

She complains about technology overload. I say we're not done yet. I currently rely on three levels of computing power. All are mobile. (I dumped my tower desktop computer years ago.) Smallest is three cubic inches in my pocket -- a pocket pad. I currently use a Palm Prē smartphone. It defines what I expect from a mobile platform. Alternatives are iPhone, Android, etc. It must be a good enough phone, and it must play music. (I dumped my iPod for a Touch years ago. This year I dumped the Touch altogether.) Video is a compromise on my pocket pad. Medium is the smallest form factor I will tolerate for "real work." I demand a real keyboard (I prefer 92%, but even Asus will suffice) and at least 1024x768 pixels (or 768x1024, as we shall see). I use an HP 2133 netbook. It's smaller and lighter than my notebook, so I always prefer it when mobility is a factor. Largest is where I make no compromises on performance. It should include removable media (CD/DVD) and a luscious display for two side by side documents. My full-size notebook can never be as small and light as my netbook. Some may say that there's a fourth level of performance represented by something like an iMac; but if I want more pixels than I'm willing to carry around with me, I'll plug a monitor into my notebook. Apple users are a little snooty, so let them have their luxury. I might change my mind someday. I still use a tower desktop in my kitchen, but it's merely a secondary device -- not much more than a kiosk. I have a different opinion about what the fourth level is. Read on.

I won't try to predict the future beyond the next transition that I intend to make. I want my pocket pad to get better and better, never growing larger than three cubic inches. The netbook is a dead form factor. I'm waiting for the PalmPad. If I don't like it, I'll shop for some other multi-touch pad. I'll use it to read books, magazines, and real web pages. I need at least 768x1024. (Mobile web pages and apps will still be a compromise for the next generation of devices.) I love multi-touch, but like Monica, I require a real keyboard. (She prefers Blackberry. I prefer Prē.) Let's call this my Dynabook, in honor of Alan Kay. My Dynabook must support a real keyboard before I am willing to give up my netbook. Why not Bluetooth? As for full-size workstations, I see little innovation in the near-term. But last night I inaugurated the fourth level of computing. Non-mobile by design. It's not really about computing power at this level. I'm talking about network-enabled television. Don't get me started about HP's lame first-generation MediaSmart [MediaStupidBrainDeadUnderpowered] products. I bought one, giving HP the benefit of a doubt. Sentimental me. But PlayOn breathed new life into an otherwise inferior, underpowered, not-ready-for-market product. The living room computer is merely the largest display an individual can afford to buy. And it's how I want to watch streamed movies. I must add that my wife's persistence moved time forward for me faster than I expected. She got frustrated waiting for the Netflix for Wii software to arrive by snail mail. Last night she installed PlayOn. It rocks! (She rocks, too. A geek after my own heart. :)