There’s a lot of action on the mobility front. I know a lot of Blackberry-tethered businesspeople, and Russ Beattie has some red-hot new phone every week, and today there’s the iPodPhoto. Most of this stuff totally doesn’t interest me; this note is to explain why, and what I do want, because I can’t be that far out of the mainstream.
The Computer Mostly Does It · Partly, it’s because I carry a Macintosh; the single most important factor in my decision to switch back in 2002 was its instant-on: you open the lid, you put your hands on the keyboard, and you start typing. Soon after that, I realized I wasn’t using my PDA any more, so I stopped carrying it. Everything that had been on the PDA (including its MP3-player add-on) was on the computer and the computer was instant-on, why did I need this klunky awkward miniscule-screened little thing whose only virtue was no bootup time?
As of now, wherever I am, my laptop is with me, and if it’s turned on, it’s on the Net unless I’m out of WiFi range. It has an excellent screen for looking at pictures and is a fine music box.
Of course, there are lots of times when the computer isn’t on: when I’m walking, or in a car, or shopping. Of course, I’d still like to be connected some of those times. To be precise, I’d like to be connected by voice; what I need is a good old-fashioned telephone.
What I Need, and Don’t · So, I need a mobile device that is a phone, and I also always have a camera so if the two were one, that would be OK. It would be nice to be able to see my calendar while I’m on the phone. I don’t particularly need mobile email or web access or picture-viewing or music-listening, beyond what the computer gives me.
Bluetooth? · I think it hits the sweet spot for me. I’d totally love one of the hot new phones with high-speed flat-rate data that I can leave in my bag. Then I stick a Bluetooth headset over one ear, and then have my computer connect through it so I’m really on the Net all the time.
But... iPod? Blackberry? Texting? Not for me, thanks; at the moment anyhow. Are there others like me?
