[FragFrog]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

It's not a matter of making it "too complex for me" (though "ease of use" is unquestionably a beneficial thing, especially with electronics). It's that you are piling functions onto a focused device that are unrelated to its core mission. I.e. you could stick a can opener and a thermometer on the side of your TV -- there's room for it, but is it really beneficial?

Since I am a student, I actually know people with a bottle opener stuck to the side of their TV, wall and various other locations . It is not a matter of whether it is beneficial to everyone, it is a matter of being beneficial for you. I do not use the 'Text memo' function on my PRS-600, does this mean Sony should remove it? Others don't use the annotate option, does this mean Sony should remove it as well? And keep in mind these are core functionalities of the device, either present at the homescreen or always available with a single tab on the screen while reading.

Your whole argument is based on the assumptation that adding functionality will somehow decrease existing functionality, in whichever way (be it more screen clutter, bugs or other reasons). To that I say: how will adding seperate, loose programs, on an otherwise empty location do this? Not to mention you tactfully ignored my remark proposing an optional installation of these features - it would be very easy for a manufacturer to add support for optional modules without affecting existing functionality - and by this I do not even mean external modules, something build in-house is fine by me too. Any decent programmer could create several of the kind of functions we're talking about here in a day.

It's an "insult" to be aware of how cell phone companies do their business? Or that I assume you're like 90% of the public, that uses post-paid cell service? And are you sure you want me to know how you pay for your cell phone?

No, the insult is suggesting I do not know how my phone is paid for and assuming (or at least strongly suggesting) that unbeknownst to me it is a lot more expensive. It is not. But fine, since you wanted to make the point: even a simple two-line organiser I got over a decade ago has a calendar. And that device most certainly did not cost more than $20, nor were there any additional charges.

Cell phones are commonly subsidized by the subsequent costs. You may not have a contract, but I assure you that your phone cost a tad more than $10 to make

I suggest you take a good look around on dealextreme.com or similar native websites. They illustrate brilliantly just how increadibly cheap electrical devices really are when you buy them directly from the people that make them (especially when you consider DE charges no money for shipping and are still able to turn a profit - this means the actually production cost of the items there is probably less than 50% of the already low price they ask for them). No, that phone really did not cost (much) more than $10 to make.

Nor, ultimately, is the problem that "adding a calendar to an ebook reader is expensive or complex" -- it's that it distracts and detracts from the fundamental and focused purpose of the device. The last thing I want is to have a calendar alarm pop up in the middle of my reading a book. Well, second to last -- email notification would be much worse.

You say it would distract you. Please elaborate exactly how an agenda which you have put no items in is going to distract you by popping up? Or, am I correct in the assumption here that it would only distract you if you actually use it, vis-a-vis, if you actually found it usefull?