garygilliland:

I recently digitised some old videotapes that I thought my brother might be interested in seeing and showing to other people. Instead of simply being able to send it directly to his phone I had to go through multiple steps, convert the video format to something a Nokia could play (apparently Nokia’s can’t play all types of MP4), copy the files to a USB stick because they were too big to upload to the web, copy the files onto his laptop and finally upload to the phone. This started me thinking about how bad connectivity and integration is for most consumer technology.

The average consumer now manages a considerable technology infrastructure; televisions, cable / satellite boxes, broadband, wifi, digital cameras, media players, mobile phones, computers, printers, scanners, consoles etc, etc.

With multiple operating systems, applications, web platforms and file formats the average user has little chance of ever extracting the full benefit from their technology. Even apparently simple tasks like ensuring that media is playable across a range of devices or ensuring that their files and settings are synced between devices is beyond most.

Advances in technology are impressive but in truth most people don’t need more megapixels, more cores or more features. The average person is seeing diminishing returns from new devices, software etc not because the technology is failing but because new devices are adding layers of incompatibility and complexity. New file formats, connectors, software, batteries, chargers etc. All of which notionally add functionality and improve on the previous generation. Alternatively they make older peripherals redundant, require relearning of simple tasks or mandate conversion of existing media.

The time honoured answer from geeks and manufacturers is that we should be awed by the new features or RTFM. Surely we’ve moved past that.

When I buy a device I want to buy it because it’s right for me and not because it happens to support a particular file format, DRM system or because it has the right connector for another piece of hardware. We need manufacturers and developers to offer standards which are designed to assist the consumer, not standards which consolidate market position and secure user lock in.We need devices and software which work together, communicate effectively and add value to existing infrastructure.

There was a thing running around the net a while ago where bloggers would outline their ideal computer, so here’s my attempt. It’s a phone/handheld which I can dock to gain features such as more processing power, better graphics, a larger screen, keyboard mouse etc. Key features would include

• handheld form factor should be similar to those of the high-end smartphones with similar functionality i.e. phone, gps, touchscreen,3G, Wi-Fi etc
• significant handheld storage capacity* (100 Gb plus), which should be capable of booting a dock system and acting as storage for it
• the docking workstation should be dumb i.e. only provide processing and graphics power but no storage to reduce security risk from docking
• same software and OS to be available on both desktop and handheld. With full featured versions for use while docked and less functional versions available while handheld
• dual file formats with both full and portable versions, so that I can manipulate the data on a mobile without the overhead of unnecessary formatting, full size images etc
• the handheld should allow for the connection of external devices such as flip-down keyboard, card reader, printer etc
• high-level encryption with biometric access control so that it remains secure when I inevitably lose it
• live sync to the cloud

* I know the future is supposed to be cloud based but until we have truly omnipresent wireless data network, I want my data and processing to be available locally.

At a conceptual level none of this too fanciful.

• storage is cheap and xml file formats mean that dual format files are relatively simple to achieve and practical to store
• high speed docking options such as USB3 mean storage performance when docked shouldn’t be an issue
• the iPhone, Android and even Windows Mobile have all proven that portable devices can offer functional software which with a few tweaks should readily scale to desktop resolutions
• hardware such as the ARM processor are powerful enough to handle portable needs. Versions tuned for performance rather than battery life or multi-processor systems could handle desktop duties. Thereby simplifying the task of developing software and OS for a single architecture.

A secure mobile device capable of holding most of my data which I can dock to a generic workstation with no security concerns would meet most of my computing and communication needs with one device carried in my pocket.

It’s January so for the past few years that’s meant taxing and insuring my car. I need valid insurance to get road tax and my insurance isn’t valid without road tax. My question is why is this two separate processes? Why don’t we just get rid of road tax and combine it with insurance?

The insurance companies benefit by handling the extra cash from road tax and may even be paid a fee for managing the process. The government reduces costs by removing or at least reducing a bureaucratic process. The police are able to verify the status of a vehicle in one step. The consumer only needs to go through one process. Everybody wins.

I admit that I’m probably over simplifying the problem and that there will be exceptions to the need to tax and insurance together. But surely the overall efficiencies and benefits would outweigh the problems caused by processing a few special cases.