Surely there has never been a time in technology history since the last World War where products have advanced so quickly. The difference then was that the products weren’t aimed at the consumer and, even if they were, the consumer didn’t have the money anyway. This time round there are millions of relatively rich people able to buy whatever they want.
The thing is, there are some amazing products and services out there already but industry insists on changing, churning and cultivating new ones. The end user isn’t getting a chance to really get to grips with the current products and learn before they are told they need ‘better’ ones.
I feel a bit greedy when I think of how to improve the Galaxy Tab I’m using right now. The fact is that it’s a superb product for me and I should be spending time optimizing it rather than wanting more. After 4 years with my digital camera I’m still learning how to get more out of it. The same goes for phones, laptops and any other tech.
We need a break, and yet my business is to track down and test new technology and then present it to the end user. I’m one of the ones in the middle of all this.
Carrypad is 5 years old today and I’ve been thinking about the future. No, I don’t want to give up writing about technology but I feel I must strengthen my articles with a better perspective about longevity. I need to improve the way that I think about the potential customer (although I do feel I’ve been doing a good job at that in my reviews already) and to somehow put more emphasis on how-to, software and upgrade articles that can help users get more out of what they’ve already got. I’m also determined to call out any bullshit I see and to think carefuly about carrier control; something that could get out of hand.
Unless there’s a major world meltdown, there won’t be any changes in the pace of technology and product development so all I can do is to try and keep a better perspective and try and bring that to my posts. Add honesty, a cornerstone of the way I already write, and I think ill be happy to go on into the next five years.
Anyone else feeling they need a break from ‘new’ tech?
Actually I’m feeling quite similiar. While I’m lucky enough to be be rich enough to be able to buy one set of gadgets for my lifestyle, I’m surely not rich enough yet to be able to follow every new trend in tech there is.
And looking at the current releases at MWC I feel cheated. The “old” Galaxy Tab is a good product, but it’s price is too high in comparision the devices like the HTC Flyer. But it doesn’t stop here. There is no single product announced at MWC or CES which was not flawed in one way or the other in comparison to its competition. Why is there no tablet dock for the Motorola Atrix for times when I need a bigger screen, but have no place to rest the LapDock on? (And why does Motorola not counter rumours the Dock would not be released in Germany.) Why does the HTC Flyer only field a single core processor? Why does no tablet except the HP Touchpad feature mobile phone functions?
Yes, I know, the “one size fits all” doctrine is BS. But this years announcements look a lot like “we’re all the same except for one feature”.
OK, much of my disappointment is due to the fact that I want a pocketable screen size, i.e. 7″ or 8.9″ with a lot of goodwill.
If my mobile phone would break in the near future, it would be replaced by the Atrix and the Dock given availability. But I’m not sure I would replace the working combo of smartphone and netbook just for the small amount of benefit of coupling smartphone and computer (and having to switch back to Dropbox to get files to my desktop system semi-directly).
But given that you, Chippy, had a chance of toying around with the Tegra 2 platforms and being a Galaxy Tab user, would you shell out the €475,- (Amazon’s pricing) again for a 3G enabled Galaxy Tab or does it feel too outdated compared to the newer platform and OS version? I know the Tegra 2 platform achieved a better result at the Sunspider test you ran than the Tab, but I wonder how long the processor’s rendering speed remains the real bottleneck in networks (I mean, practically I usually run at a maximum of 5Mbit/s in my 3G network).
I’ve been feeling exhausted with the pace of technology recently. Every time I feel that my needs are met by current devices new ones show up that some how manage to add to my ‘I could use that for this’ list. I’m a mobile tech enthusiast but I just can’t afford to keep up lately, I’ve just sold my Nokia N8 and I’m hoping the Dell Streak will be my phone for more than a few months this time.