Six technologies endangered by smartphones

[JSWolf]

Yes, I have an iPhone 3G and I rarely use it to listen to music. This is because I have a Rio Karma which sounds noticeably better then the iPhone. Apple has gone away from sound quality to all the other features.

[Viseguy]

Thanks for all the thought-provoking responses (and keep 'em coming)!

As I read them, I found myself thinking: I want my camera! I want my netbook! I want my GPS! I want my Kindle! (Oh, do I want my Kindle -- can't wait til it arrives!)

And I definitely want my old-fashioned single-purpose alarm clock! I use my cellphone as a travel alarm, but the thought of sleeping with my cellphone all the time -- ugh!

[Rebo]

My little purse always has a cell phone, MP3 player, camera, GPS and my nook. It is getting very heavy and how I wish one device can replace them all; however, that one device needs to fit the following bill.

Camera: Point and shoot with enough feature for manual adjustment, 10M pixels, at least 12x optical zoom, wide angle, 15 minutes HD movie.

MP3 player: small enough to clip on to my outfit. Good sound quality and battery life.

GPS: Live traffic, fast satellite tracking, large screen, lane assist, Europe/N. America maps, automatic route avoidance, no monthly fee.

Cell Phone: Good reception, text message, please don't drop calls.

Ereader: Small enough to fit inside my purse. At least 6" Screen for reading.

Tablet: Nice to have for web browsing and e-mails. Same size as Ereader.

I honestly don't see how a smart phone can't replace all of these. A device trying to do everything will end up compromising all functions. Some of these are really conflicting requirements and I honesty don't see how technology will lead us there anytime soon.

[corona]

Kittens! Kittens are not far down the list -- I keep saying this! -- of cherished things to be endgangered by smartphones, the iPad, and all these other satanic machinations.

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by EricDP

I just bought an alarm clock because I can't glance over and see the time on my BlackBerry in the middle of the night without touching it, and then it blinds me. A nice soft red LED clock for $10 that does two things very well: show me the time and alert me when a pre-specified time has arrived. It does nothing else. And that's what I wanted.

I have a $100 alarm clock which actually isn't even that great at being an alarm clock but it kicks much ass as a radio and I'm a public radio junkie. I could stream my local public radio station to any number of devices including my smartphone, but with an old-fashioned radio, I can move from room to room during my morning routine (every room has a radio, most are quite cheap) and the sound is all in synch. I could do that with streaming but the solution would be much more expensive and complex.

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by kjk

The tragic death of practically everything: http://technologizer.com/2010/08/18/...ly-everything/

Originally Posted by corona

Kittens! Kittens are not far down the list -- I keep saying this! -- of cherished things to be endgangered by smartphones, the iPad, and all these other satanic machinations.

... and don't forget the sharks and the whales!

[FlorenceArt]

Just for fun, I Googled "is dead". Based on the first page of result, here is a short list of things and people who are dead and don't know it yet:

Paul McCartney
God
Bill Gates
Microsoft
The Web

I keep hearing about zombies, now I know they are among us!

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Have you actually used one? The iPad does many things very, very well indeed.

To me, having to use iTunes to put files (books, music, vidéo), makes the iPad a very poor device for that. (Having to reboot the pc onto windows to start iTunes that don't have a Linux version... Yeah, sure !).
It have some quality, but not enough for me to forget it's flaws.

[GeoffC]

Is there any device that is flawless ?

Surely we pick them on the basis of what is best for our needs now and, perhaps, (say) 3 or 4 years time; in the hope that something better comes along and so the process continues ?

[gollu]

Originally Posted by Rebo

My little purse always has a cell phone, MP3 player, camera, GPS and my nook. It is getting very heavy and how I wish one device can replace them all; however, that one device needs to fit the following bill.

Camera: Point and shoot with enough feature for manual adjustment, 10M pixels, at least 12x optical zoom, wide angle, 15 minutes HD movie.

MP3 player: small enough to clip on to my outfit. Good sound quality and battery life.

GPS: Live traffic, fast satellite tracking, large screen, lane assist, Europe/N. America maps, automatic route avoidance, no monthly fee.

Cell Phone: Good reception, text message, please don't drop calls.

Ereader: Small enough to fit inside my purse. At least 6" Screen for reading.

Tablet: Nice to have for web browsing and e-mails. Same size as Ereader.

I honestly don't see how a smart phone can't replace all of these. A device trying to do everything will end up compromising all functions. Some of these are really conflicting requirements and I honesty don't see how technology will lead us there anytime soon.

That is some purse you have there... Do you dedicate one of your room for charging purposes ?

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

Is there any device that is flawless ?

Surely we pick them on the basis of what is best for our needs now and, perhaps, (say) 3 or 4 years time; in the hope that something better comes along and so the process continues ?

Quite true. It's just that the iPad have some flaws that make it a no go for me. (among that, the lack of usb and an sd slot...) And the price too. Way too much for the use I would have of a tablet.

Personally, the devices I carry everyday :
- My cellphone : also acts as emergency mp3 player or gps. (google maps, I don't drive).
- My cybook : Reading is my main occupation in the train, so... That's why i don't feel the need for a "real" mp3 player.
- My Nintendo DS

And on Holidays, I have the archos 5 for music and video, and my camera. And sometimes, good old laptop.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

To me, having to use iTunes to put files (books, music, vidéo), makes the iPad a very poor device for that. (Having to reboot the pc onto windows to start iTunes that don't have a Linux version... Yeah, sure !).
It have some quality, but not enough for me to forget it's flaws.

There are several book reading apps that don't require iTunes for transfer.
For video you can use Air Video to stream from another device, or OPlayer HD to download locally to the iPad and play.
Don't play much music on my iPad, so can't speak to that.

[EowynCarter]

There are several book reading apps that don't require iTunes for transfer.

Some can download, yeah...
I speaking about transferring from PC to iPad, using just my OS.

Streaming, you don't always have network.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Some can download, yeah...
I speaking about transferring from PC to iPad, using just my OS.

You can do this with calibre and Stanza.

[EowynCarter]

I said "Just the OS". Why should I bother with calibre or stanza instead of a simple copy-past.