Free Backup Software dot Net

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - 16:58

How Single-Purpose Devices Succeed - In the struggle between specialized devices and multipurpose products, multipurpose nearly always wins. To succeed, a specialized product must perform far better than any multipurpose version. Cheaper or simpler isn't enough; it has to be superior.

This article made me think about how much I tend to drool over ebook readers -- even though every single one is seriously lacking major functionality -- like the ability to pull in third-party search and organizational applications.

I would love to be able to build my own applications for the Kindle. I love the fact that I was able to drop thousands of books into my Sony PR-505. I can carry an entire library with me with a week's battery life. That's cool. I'm going to take this thing with me next time I go hiking.

One thing that annoys me with my PR-505 is that it does not charge via USB port. It has a min-USB port for data transfer but not for charging! Why do these device makers add USB for data only? Did someone spec this out and say "users will want to carry an extra charger which we can sell for $60!" Idiots!

Another thing I'd like to see: since these devices use so very little power, and since they are great for reading outdoors...  why not sell a "jacket" made up of flexible passive solar cells? That would be sweet, I'll bet it could provide enough trickle charge to eliminate charging completely!

Oh, and come pre-loaded with the Gutenberg library. What a great pitch that would make: "5,000 books included, read outdoors and never ever recharge again!"