Talking Point: One device or multiple devices...?

[Guest Paul [MVP]]

Talking Point: One device or multiple devices...?

Welcome to this week's 'Talking Point', our 'MoDaCo Feature' for Friday!

Today, i'd like to ask you what your thoughts are on the never-ending one device / multiple devices argument!

As a starter for 10, think around...

- What device(s) do you carry around on a daily basis?

- Do you think the future is one device or multiple devices?

- To what extent would you like to see convergence?

For me personally...

I carry around my Smartphone without fail (a Dopod 585), a Pocket PC sometimes (an iMate PDA2k), my laptop (an IBM Thinkpad T41), a PSP, and a plethora of cables / chargers / etc. If I am on holiday or somewhere like that, I will also carry my Digital Camera (a Canon Ixus 500). I USED to carry a Portable Media Center (Samsung), but don't any more, as I didn't use it enough (i'm now thinking about an iPod tho, doh!)

I think the future is probably leaning towards one device... convergence will continue at a pace, and the functionality of high spec digital cameras, high capacity music players etc. will merge into our phones. HOWEVER, I do expect 'new genres' of devices to appear, that will find their market independently, until later being sucked into our phones. An example of this is how music playing has only just really started being a priority on devices.

To what extent would I like to see convergence? I want to carry my laptop, my phone, and that'd be it in my ideal world... so look at the other stuff I have, and merge all the functions into my Smartphone!

I know a lot of people don't want to stuff everything in to their phone (and likely compromise with a 'jack of all trades, master of none' scenario)... what do YOU think?

;)

P

[Guest]

On a daily basis, I carry a Jam, and that's it. It does my music too, and is good enough for web browsing.

If I'm away, I'll have a digi-camera in my bag, cos cameras on phones aren't really up to the job yet. Also, I used to take my Nintendo GBA, but don't really bother these days.

I have a laptop on the desk, but it doesn't get too much use these days - more as something to sync to, and store files on.

[Guest scottishdave]

Bloody hell Paul! Do you use a rucksack or a suitcase to carry all that stuff! ;)

I carry my trusty C500 and my laptop on a daily basis.

I frequently use my iPod (it's a style thing). I can get quite a lot more on that than on my little C500.

Like Paul and Pete, if I'm on holiday I'll carry my digital camera as the ones on phones just don't cut it.

I don't really have any other gadgets ;)

Personally I don't like a device that is one thing and tries really hard to be something else as well. A camera is a camera! A phone is a phone! As big a pain in the backside it is to carry all sorts of stuff around with you, it's something i'm willing to put up with.

Edited May 6, 2005 by scottishdave

[Guest Chiz]

I carry only my SPV C500. It's got a 512 MSD card with some music on but I rarely carry the earphones as the ones that came with it are no good and haven't bought others.

Ideally I would like to only carry a phone with other things built into it, but I do have the 'Jack of all trades' fear.

If on holiday I have a digi-camera (4 mega pix) and for now and in the near future feel more comfortable/confident using a dedicated camera.

I think a one box solution containing everything I require at the required quality is a long way off, but is on its way.

Chiz

[Guest]

This mainly applies if you're away from home, but I think part of the problem of carrying many devices, is all the chargers you need to carry as well. It wouldn't be so bad if they all used the same, but you don't alf end up with a mess of spagetti in your bag if you've one for the phone, one for the laptop, one for a music player etc etc.

Also, many hotels don't have nearly enough sockets for gadget hounds like us, so charging lots of devices is a bit of a pain to say the least!

[Guest moosery]

I'm wary of using a phone as a camera/games/mp3 machine as the battery, once flat, cannot be used to make calls. And that is generally not a good thing.

it comes down to being a toy. I have a dedicated camera and a nintendo DS, and a car mp3 player.

As mentioned, the "one box" solution I doubt will ever catch on. Remember video-tv one box sets? hah!

[Guest scottishdave]

Ah, the joy of a C500, an iPod and a Laptop.

I only need the laptop charger. The other two can be charged through the laptop itself.

One charger to charge three different devices ;)

With regards to the camera I'll either take the charger or two fully charged batteries.

[Guest Seraphic]

Since I've bought my C500 I no longer carry around my MP3 player. If i'm going away I take my digital camera, but generally my c500 has replaced most things.

[Guest]

Fair point about chrging through the laptop, but you'll still need cables to go from the laptop to device, so spagetti still applies ;)

[Guest scottishdave]

Fair point about chrging through the laptop, but you'll still need cables to go from the laptop to device, so spagetti still applies ;)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Granted.

But by taking usb leads at least it saves on a little space. I'm not carrying around two or 3 chunky chargers.

[Guest muff]

convergence is one of the reasons that I think that, long term, the MS mobile platforms will ultimately get a lot more of the market share than they have at the moment (though until they settle down their hardware specs a little it's always going to struggle to grow)

lets face it the PPC / Smartphones are getting closer and closer to mini laptops

but at the same time the "jack of all trades" means there are always compromises, and at the moment the major issue on mobile MS platforms is battery life (though better on the C500) - if you want to play MP3's or video's all day then of course a dedicated device is going to be better on battery life, it doesn't have to power the OS, the phone chips, the BT etc [though on a side note I'd rather gouge out my eyes with a toothpick than buy an iPod]

we as consumers are driving the manufacturers to put more and more into these phones, it's us that is driving this convergence. I can't believe how often I see people saying that they wont even consider a phone without BT or a 2Mb camera - but we dont want to pay any extra :/

do I wish my Smartphone had a slighty larger screen, cost £1, weighed half as much, battery lasted forever and it made my tea in the morning - of course I do, but at the end of the day it's a phone with extras, not extras with a phone function

technology in the future will obviously give us much more in the phones, we'll get full Windows OS on the devices and they'll have 100GB drives - but we'll still want more, it's the nature of the consumer

but remember - with convergence if the device breaks down then you are screwed on all functions in one go ;)

[Guest furby]

Have my C500 and Ipod on me daily. The games and amount of programs availible for windows mobile make it indispensable to me.

But it takes to long to transfer music, andn my ipod works flawlessly.

I think the smartphone is bringing us towards an all in one device, but the standalone stuff is still too far ahead. It'll be a while before I'm considering ditching the Ipod and digital camera, but I can't wait to see a device that might tempt me

Edited May 6, 2005 by Furby™

[Guest Tunney]

For the commute to work I'll take with me my Sony Ericsson P910i (the company I works for uses Lotus Notes ;) so a Pocket PC isn't really a viable option), Apple iPod and Sony PSP.

When I'm out of an evening, I'll either take my Nokia 7610 if I want something with a half-decent camera or my SVP C500 if I'm wearing jeans and want something ultra-portable.

Do I really see my phone one-day replacing all of these gadgets? No, I don't. Although phones will get better, single-purpose devices will always be ahead and will always offer the simpler and more hassle-free experience.

However, my current combination of phones offers a "good enough" solution for when I don't have my single-purpose device on me (either due to its size or my forgetfulness). My P910i is a good enough PDA, my Nokia 7610 is a good enough camera and my SVP C500 is a good enough music player and PIM client.

[Guest spangelsaregreat]

- What device(s) do you carry around on a daily basis?

- Do you think the future is one device or multiple devices?

- To what extent would you like to see convergence?

Hi,

I carry a MDA Compact around on a daily basis.

-

I definately think one device is the future. At present it is only the fact that i-Pod has better storage that makes it a more versatile music playing device (or video if you count media players). Once either hard disks go into Pocket PCs or Smartphones I don't really see any need for a separate media player.

Gaming is a slighty different problem in that a specific gaming device will probably always be more powerful than a Phone hybrid, but who knows if the demand is there maybe the power will be applied to the Jack of all Trades device.

-

I personally would like to see convergence. My Compact is pretty close to an ideal device. In a couple of generations time I reckon it will have WiFi and GPS built and either a hard disk or flash cards with 10-20gb of storage.

At present the thing I really miss about the Compact is the lack of FM radio but that will probably come too.

-

Regards

[Guest spangelsaregreat]

Forgot to mention the Digi camera angle.

I have a Canon 3.2 mp Ixus camera. The Compact's camera is really crap, I mean by far the worst one Ihave had in a phone. I think this may be one area where the convergence device may struggle to keep pace and replace the dedicated one.

Regards

[Guest pierre]

I believe it will take time, and many people will still need multiple devices according to their needs; but sure I subscribe to the idea of alll-in-one. I even prefer to adjust myself until devices fully comply with all the needs.

[Guest Dade]

I carry my lappy, my M2000 an M1000, several cables and charges, a USB mouse and various other bits in a rucksack.

If Im just out and about I carry my M2000 in a JAVOEdge leather case. I dont carry a wallet I just stick a few quid and a credit card in the phone case.

[Guest tsutton]

My C500 did change my life of carrying information. I use it more than any of my previous phones. On my holiday trip, I take my Canon Ixus 500 camera. (hey another "500" number !) and maybe my laptop to upload/edit photos.

[Guest Alex_le_brit]

I'm wary of using a phone as a camera/games/mp3 machine as the battery, once flat, cannot be used to make calls. And that is generally not a good thing.

As mentioned, the "one box" solution I doubt will ever catch on. Remember video-tv one box sets? hah!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm the opposite, if I can get it all in one smal package I will. What would be good for the phone would be two batteries maybe, one for phone one for everything else. Mind you I use Xbar to tell me if my phone's getting low.

You say about TV+video combinations, fair point, but TV+DVD seems to be happening, and even TV+DVD+HD recorder.

As to what do I carry round.

*For personal use, E200 + 512mb SD card.

*For business use, E200 + Eleksen keyboard + small powered speakers. I'm a language teacher and I can put my teaching CDs on SD cards and do basic lesson plans in .txt form with Orneta Notepad, then I just transfer to Word for formatting.

* For holiday use, E200 + Eleksen keyboard for writing e-postcards home + digital camera.

[Guest bluesmudge]

Humm - good topic!

A few years ago i used to carry a nokia and a palm M130 for all my daily things . . then it was all integrated into my Nokia 7650 . . . which of course was replaced by my E200.

These days at University i carry my c500 as a music player (256mb mini SD) everytime i leave the house it goes on . . .of course i have replaced the headphones with an ipaq's jack converter and a brilliant pair of headphones (Sony MDR-EX71) beats any ipod anyday . . . and concerns about wasteing the battery . . . i listen to hours of music everyday and hardly need to recharge the phone!

Camera wise . . . the phone does great for general nights out. . . when on holiday i do have my great Sony DSC-P92 (5 MP)

I also carry round a laptop - it used to be a toshiba (2450-201) but that was so heavy its now got a perminant desk job at home (it replaced my desktop) . . . To carry around i now have a High-Grade (Notino C5515) which i know is crappy, and cheap . . . but its light . . . very light and includes wifi. (thanks to centrino technology) . . .I carry a laptop becuase i need to run / emulate linux, and unix programs, . . .i also prefer it for typing.

I think the point is i don't really care how much i carry its more the weight . . . . when its all stuffed in a laptop bag the bulk matters less than weight!

the future is intigration theres no doubt about that - not sure what will come with our phones, probably a comb and tooth brush . . . but i can't help but notice no matter how powerful the technology i have is . . . I always carry a pen.

Edited May 6, 2005 by bluesmudge

[Guest DAK ATTACK]

nothing special for me: C500 with a 512mb card, Dell latitude D600 lappy and a PTX Netbook Pro for writing and net surfing.

Camera phones will never replace digital cameras until they start using decent CCD rather than crappy CMOS chips

[Guest davidhoff]

I used to carry a camera (only weekends), a gameboy, my old spv classic and my sony minidisc. but since a few months i`ve got my c500 and all my pockets became empty ;) The only sad fact is that the phone plays not all games very well (at least its not a speed issue, but the all known (hated) anti-gaming joypad). Another fact is that while im not that japense-touriststyle photocamera user, I can`t print beatifull posters anymore!

I think/hope with the last issue`s to solve, we all will carry in the future only one gadget!

Edit:

Whoa! I just saw that this was my 1st post (I used/abused this forum just for knowledge, now I`m ready to give some!(Not that this is very helpfull for readers, but you get my point))

Edited May 6, 2005 by davidhoff

[Guest Tichy]

My C500 did change my life of carrying information. I use it more than any of my previous phones. On my holiday trip, I take my Canon Ixus 500 camera. (hey another "500" number !) and maybe my laptop to upload/edit photos.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Much like tsutton I use my C500 much more than any previous phone i've had (maybe beause it can do more).

I used to carry around my phone, MP3 player (1st generation 32mb) and a ton of scraps of paper with reminders on them. It HAS changed my life, and my wife's too. I now don't need to try and remember what she asks me to get at the shops, and she doesn't get annoyed that I forgot. ;)

I only have my phone now and no cables, as i have a miniUSB cable at home and work. And no longer am I confined to just listening to MP3's, now i can spend my hour on the train to work watching a film or killing monsters in Quake!

I am in favor of convergence of devices, but as most of the rest of you have said, it will be a while until they are as good as the current stand-alone items.

Tichy

[Guest Alien18]

On a daily basis i only carry my C500 around (and my wallet and car keys ;) ).

i agree that individual devices will always be one step ahead of all-in-one devices but i do think that the further we go the smaller that step will be. Then of course, you get to the point where, to the average consumer, there is no dicernable difference between, say, the media abilities of an all-in-one and individual device. Therefore, it will come down to price difference, if the inidividual costs less than the all in one, then surely the average consumer will go the the individual?

Having mentioned my wallet, wouldn't it be great if one day an all-in-one would include it being a "credit card" of sorts. Imagine you go into a shop buy your things then the receipt/invoice is beam wirelessly to your phone/all-in-one device, you type in your pin number and your screen doubles as a thumb print scanner.

Anyway i dream on. Personally i think the most limiting technological factor at the moment is battery life, while i've heard about toshiba's invention (the battery that charges to 80% in 60 seconds), this isn't all that handy if you're the sort of person that normally sticks their phone on charge over-night any way.

[Guest Rob.P]

Mostly the C500, USB SD Card memory stick and laptop and sometimes (well alot recently) me Canon MiniDV and Lacie 250GB portable Firewire drive which allows me to edit footage, oh and the usual deluge of cables and connectors.

Although I'm going to replace the C500 with an M2000 for day use cause the poor ole C500 just can't cut it for I want it to do and I do miss having a PDA. I think partly due to the C500 moving to MiniSD has slightly stopped it from being as useful as it could have been to me, as I have a pile of SD Cards I use like floppy disks, could do with a few more stable standards to stop this sort of thing occurring, less waste from out of date technology.

Edited May 6, 2005 by Rob.P