13th Mar 2004
The Gizmo You Wouldn’t Want To Lose
Here in March 2004, there are rumblings, little tidbits here and there
pointing towards some sort of Uber-iPod. Perhaps something that does
video.
New York must be the center of the iPod universe. It’s a cult, and I
am a card-carrying member. At least one on every subway car.. We
don’t pay dues. We space out. Oh, perhaps that’s too harsh. We
escape to a different time and place through music, because sometimes
the crush of the subway, the bustle of the streets, and so on, becomes
a bit much. I personally don’t do a lot of the outdoor-iPod thing, as
I still enjoy hearing most sounds New Yorkian (fear of getting run
over by a taxi contributes to this as well)
So what happens when one handheld device ups the ante significantly?
What happens when video, telephone, iPod, GPS, and Pocket PC/Palm
Pilot get glommed together?
I think it’s about to happen.
Within 2 years:
* OS, Pocket PC, or Palm OS - or maybe, just maybe, Linux. For
my example, I am going to assume that Apple will pull things
together
* Size - same as a current Treo (phone/palm/keyboard)
* Storage - 100 gigabytes, minimum
* Color - of course
* Video/Audio - full screen, limited to stereo. I see the potential
for an output jack that does video out and at least 5.1 audio, but
it’s pushing it for this time frame
- you should be able to orient all screen output to portrait
(most apps) or landscape (video playback) - any app should
handle either mode
* GPS - good, entry level to mid-level capability. Lat/Lon would be
fine to start with
* FW/USB - a small jack that opens up the device to USB 2.0 and
Firewire 400/800 devices (keyboards, card readers, etc.)
* Bluetooth - yes - should be able to use wireless keyboards, phone headsets
* Infrared - just because there are printers out there that would make
this worthwhile
* Telephone - yes, anywhere in world (cell phone networks, but not
satellite) - applicable data networks - high speed internet
* 802.11g - because, why settle for 802.11b?
* Keyboard - of course, because graffiti (Palm OS) and telephone touch
pads don’t cut it
* Camera - 3 megapixel resolution for still photos. Video with option
for DV output (most likely to an external FW drive that has the
speed to keep up with writing the stream).
* TV tuner, FM/AM radio - I mean, while we’re at it, right? A minimum
ability to get the weather channels would be very useful in some
locales.
Target price: $500
Ok, and the feeling over misplacing such a device? “Argghhhh!”
This should be available by Spring 2006. It seems like it’s pushing
it a bit, but I think all of the pieces exist right now in separate
small packages. Integrating them into something handheld would seem
to be the next logical techy holy grail.
To circle back to an earlier point, what happens when a significant
number of people start getting this amount of capability in their
grubby hands?
* more spacing out and bumping into each other? (you think I am kidding, huh?)
* citations given to individuals for “handheld video exhibition of porn”
(this is starting to happen to drivers)
* 802.11b/g + a camera means handheld videoconferencing - in other
words, forget a plain old voice call. You can sit in a
Starbucks, staring at a handheld device, seeing and hearing
someone at a Starbucks 2 blocks away! Video dating proximity
will be measured in GPS coodinates that tend to cluster around
WiFi hotspots.
* Your device contains your portable web site, A service will emerge
where your device advertises availability tied to GPS. Search
resumes amongst the people in your conference hall, This could
utilize ThereThen addresses
(update this entry…)
