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?

Good e-news from Wachovia and advice for Congress

Last week, I got a message from Wachovia (soon to be Wells Fargo) that they’ve added the ability to download securities account statements automatically in Quicken and Money.  Banking and credit card customers have been able to do this with Wachovia for years, but Wachovia's securities side has lagged behind. 

This made me think about how much banking has changed in recent years.  For Wachovia and the rest of the financial sector, the last decade has involved a huge shift as customers have demanded more online access and the federal government has pushed policies that encourage "e-banking." 

Yet, discussion about the banking crisis has included almost no mention of changes brought about by the electronic-based banking model.  Although the upfront costs for online services is high for the banks, they should be seeing consider able benefits now, as customers shift away from paper and away from transactions that require human interactions.

They also should have access to more information than ever before: about one another, about their customers, about their holdings, and about the entire sector.  Plus, with electronic communications, they have unprecedented options for conveying messages to customers, the markets, regulators, and the rest of the industry.  Despite this, they're failing for many of the same reasons banks failed 70 years ago: Overextending credit to risky borrowers, inability to meet reserve calls, dwindling confidence in equities markets, and so on. 

Before Congress starts pulling apart and re-regulating the banking industry, I hope they'll look at this:  Why hasn't the banking industry been able to use the information it receives through electronic innovations more effectively?  What role can electronic commerce play in ensuring better transparency throughout the sector?  In a world where any amateur can Google someone for an hour and get at least a *sense* of whether they're nominally creditworthy, the banks should not be in the position they are today.

Similarly, Congress should take a look at how technology can drive operational improvements across the auto industry before even considering a bailout there.  We're hearing a lot about encouraging Detroit to make more energy efficient cars, but they could save a helluva lot of a resources just by reducing the paperwork involved in shipping, selling, and/or buying a car. 

Rather than propping up 19th-century commerce models to keep these sectors limping along, use this crisis as an opportunity to turn them into the 21st-century successes they could be.