Electronic wish list

The other day, I was sitting on the couch watching TV and juggling several nearly identical-looking devices – a cordless landline phone, a cable/TV remote, a Blu-ray remote, and a PDA phone.  As I sat there, trying to change channels with my phone and answer the remote, I wondered whatever became of convergence.

For instance, why has no one invented a cordless landline with an IR radio?  Or a multi-device remote with a built-in phone?  I’d buy a combo cordless phone/multi-remote in a heartbeat.

Come to think of it, why don’t a lot of things do more, especially when they have the computing capability?  Here are a few things I’d like to see improved/invented fast:

A cordless smartphone. I know landline connections are decreasing, but there are still millions who would jump at a base-station (maybe with a built-in modem and router) that came with cordless phones that had wi-fi-enabled iTouch-like capabilities.

A 21st century clock radio.  I don’t need a clock radio anymore – my PDA phone, which charges next to my bed, tells time, sounds alarms, and plays music and radio just fine.  But, if someone invented something “smarter” with a screen, email/web access, wi-fi, streaming media, and a landline phone, I’d buy it tomorrow.

Video books.  I love the way ebooks turn into audio books at the press of a button.  Now give me video books, depicting scenes from the book, when I press a button. (Think how much more interesting textbooks would become…)

A smarter car.  Cars can call for help, tune themselves, and track GPS data automatically, so why can’t they download/read my email aloud, recommend stops I should make based on my to-do list, make their own service appointments, register themselves, talk to Napster, and download trip data to my desktop automatically?

More barcode-style scanning technologies.  At my supermarket, I can walk around with a device that scans the UPCs off products I put in my cart, allowing me to avoid check out lines.  Cool.  Now make it even easier, and let me scan using my phone’s camera.  And, coordinate it with my grocery list, so I know if I’ve forgotten anything.  Even better, integrate it with inventories of my cabinets and refrigerator.

Smart wallet.  I carry five cards in my wallet: Driver’s license, insurance card, Amex, debit card, and security key card.  (Sometimes I have a Metro SmartTrip card, too.)  All of these could easily merge into a single, programmable card, or, even better, encrypted data that sits on my PDA phone.

Web tablet reader.  The Crunchpad seems kaput – and the Apple Tablet may have been delayed again – but with the growing popularity of ebook readers and smartphones, how long will it be before someone brings out a magazine-sized multi-purpose device for reading, surfing, notetaking, and basic PIM functions?

Am I the only one who needs these devices?

Back after a quick refresher...

Heading back to work after giving myself a few days off during the Thanksgiving break.  Well, almost "off"...

• Computer shopping again...Looked at a couple of possible computers to get my mother for Christmas. (Browsed online, of course. Not a chance I'd go near a store during the Black Friday mayhem...)  I haven't found a better buy than the Acer I bought myself last month, so it looks like I'll be getting another. My plan is to get it, load it with the appropriate software, test it, and pre-load it with her files, which I'll snag remotely via Hamachi.  She'll have a computer ready to go, tested, and customized the way she likes it.  (Don't tell!)

 

• TV shopping, too...I also looked at some of the super-cheap flat screen LCDs that are on sale for the holidays, since I'm thinking of getting a new set for the bedroom.  Haven't seen anything I'm ready to jump for yet, but looking at a few models gave me an idea:  I ought to think about getting a set that allows for a computer-in, as well as HD and other TV ports.  With relatively cheap computers available (including those with Media Center options), it might be worthwhile to consider getting a small CPU to stow in the bedroom.  It could replace my Tivo, act as a PVR, run Slingplayer, and extend access to my network, the Internet, and all my media files.   My Tivo already does a lot of that, but this definitely would extend my capability.

 

• TV viewing...Speaking of Tivo, how did I live before I got one?  One of my big projects over the last few days has been forced rest -- no computer, no phone, no errands, no thinking, just vegging out on the couch.  As a result, I've caught up on about 10 weeks of fall shows that I had Tivo'd.  It was less than inspiring, but highly conducive to not thinking.  Best tech on TV:  NCIS and Criminal Minds.  I wish my computers ran that fast...

 

• Slingbox online...Those placeshifting fiends at Sling have launched a new service that looks to me like a big winner: Sling.com, where anyone can watch shows (similar to Hulu) and where Sling users can view their home TVs through a web interface. This second feature is especially interesting -- essentially it puts placeshifting "in the cloud" without any software needed.  Previously, Sling users had to use Slingplayer software to watch their programming remotely.

 

• New PDA phone...Last Wednesday, I bought Verizon's new HTC Touch Pro Windows Mobile phone. After five days of use and tweaking, I've got to say I'm unimpressed and frustrated.  Verizon has crippled the phone -- locked GPS to their fee-based service, removed Internet Connection Sharing, reduced RAM to half the levels of the AT&T and Sprint versions, etc. Very disappointing, because this has the potential to be a GREAT PDA phone, with a form factor smaller than the iPhone.  My hope is that the mad modders at PPCGeeks and XDA-Developers will have this puppy unlocked and re-ROM'ed in the next couple of weeks. If not, I have a decision to make before the 30-day return kicks in:  Do I return the phone and return to using my three-year-old PDA phone until a (hopefully) better choice comes out or live with it.  Watch for more details on modding a "phone for all seasons" over the next few days.

 

• Cranking up the GTD machine again...After a mid-week holiday, I always feel a little confused about "what day it is," so I spent some time this afternoon doing a GTD review to get myself back in fighting trim for the week ahead. (Is it a "review" or a "preview?" Hard to tell sometimes...)  Nothing focuses me better, calms me down more, or reinvigorates my thinking more effectively than doing this.  Tomorrow morning when I sit down at my desk, I'll be able to get right into action: I've already figured out my next actions, loaded them onto my lists, and set myself up for getting stuff done.

 

• And, a thought on goals...CNN founder, entrepreneurial genius, and all-around convention-buster Ted Turner was a guest on this morning's Meet the Press, where he offered some typically unconventional wisdom drawn from his new book.  He attributed his father's suicide to reaching his goals in life too easily:  "He set his goals too low, and he suggested to me that I don't do that.  Set goals high enough so they can't be achieved in your lifetime, then you'll always be motivated to keep working and keep engaged."    I love it -- totally sets all the talk of keeping goals "doable" on its ear.

 

I'm refreshed and ready for the new week.

Help me, Obi-Wan

I couldn’t let the election get too far behind us without commenting on CNN’s holographic reporter.  That comment is:  “[Sigh…].”

The idea of holograms is great, and good for CNN for bringing them to TV.  But, let’s think about the wisdom of using them in news:  CNN spends millions of dollars each year to send reporters and technology around the globe to report “on the scene” and “take us to where news is happening.”

Now, CNN is spending millions of dollars to create the illusion that the reporter is back in the studio.  How do they do this?  By surrounding the reporter by a few dozen HD cameras set up in a tent…that screens out whatever is taking place at the scene. 

Reality, it turns out, is much too noisy, visually busy, and chaotic for television.  Much better to create a fake reality that blends better with the newsroom.

So, American TV now offers:

• Synthetic news, presented by holograms of reporters inside cocoons that filter out the annoying reality of reality
• “Reality” programs that send privileged people to sets on distant corners of the planet to suffer fabricated hardship and humiliation for sport
• Sports, with electronic football grid lines, electronically enlarged pucks, and ads digitally superimposed onto ballpark walls and fields
• A few dozen channels in languages I don’t speak.  (Ironically, I speak enough French to enjoy the French channel, but it broadcasts in English…)
• Assorted crap and Law and Order reruns.

 

Plus, just last week, Fox cancelled King of the Hill, a cartoon show far more true to life than 99 percent of the live shows. 

Coincidence?  I think not.

(Sorry, I’ve been in a bad mood since Mad Men ended its season last month.  All my Tivos can find for me to watch is Frasier reruns.)