By Jon Cohen
By now you have probably seen, played with, or even owned a netbook. Does the world really need them? My answer is yes for right now. The computer world is in a transition and netbooks fill the gap when needing to upgrade from your 5 year old desktop or laptop.
Netbooks are small, lower powered, and ultra-portable computers that have been a favorite choice for most consumers who don’t have high computing needs.
Over the last ten years mobile computing has morphed in many areas. From cost, screen size, speed, weight, and price to name a few. In 2000 people were prepared to buy a computer with a 15″ display that weighed in at over 8 Lbs. and was priced at around $3000.00. By 2005, we started to see the shift to light weight computers with Wifi, and screen sizes of 14″. As of 2007, the move went to better value as we saw computer start being priced between $600-$900 with a nice set of features, finally by 2009 we see the 7″ or 10″ netbooks, offering battery life and a price tag sub $500.00.
With all these changes in the market over the last 10 years, the average consumer does not know what he/she wants. While standing in a local big box electronic store recently I overheard the computer sales man ask the young female customer what she needed the computer for. Her reply; school, pictures, and the web. He walked her over to the row of netbooks and said “these would be great for you!” with a smile. Then pointed at the price tag and said “what a deal!” I found myself amused by the fact that this girl was going to buy the computer solely on price. Granted it was a cheap price, but what never entered the saleman’s mind or the customer’s mind was why is it so cheap? I later asked the girl why she chose that model and she told me because it was cute and a good price. Never once did she stop to realize that the technology in the unit was old, low powered, and really just a band aid solution for her needs.
It is my opinion that we as consumers are waiting for the next level of computing. Whether it be tablet computing or something else, the world is needing a new way to consume the vast amount of media and content from the web. Only time will tell what the next mobile computer will look like. For now netbooks are here, they are indeed cute and cheap, they fill a gap for consumers and will be one of the best band aid solutions for the next few years.
Maybe the most fun I have had with an iPod yet. After testing the Apple iPhone for a few months I was sold on Apple’s new “touch” interface. The first thing that caught my eye was the fact that this iPod was about 60% slimmer then the iPhone (its closest cousin) and still had most of the same features. One feature that I really liked was the built in web browser (Safari). This feature combined with the built in WiFi (802.11G), gave a real web viewing experience similar to using a full size computer. Some other applications that were very handy were the picture viewer and the calendar. Although the screen was not as sharp as the iPhone, the iPod Touch was better then any other PDA, MP3 Player or even digital camera display that I have seen. As for the Calendar application, it was easy to use and was able to sync up with my iCal, Outlook and my Gmail Calendar applications. The newly released mail application was a snap to set up and was quickly syncing with my desktop mail application. It is a great feeling when convergence works right!
iPod Touch Mail App.
By now you have probably seen a lot of commercials for this iPod Touch and are aware of how the touch screen works. I will not go into detail about the touch operation, as I feel it is mainstream enough. (If you have not seen how it works yet, please click here) One aspect that a lot of people have been asking me about is the Touch’s keyboard. Since there is no tactile keyboard, users are forced to use the built in touch screen keyboard that pops up as needed. I found the keyboard to be a bit clumsy at first, but as I used it more, the keyboard became less and less of an issue. Some other points of interest about the iPod Touch are; the battery life is better then average (with the WiFi off); the iTunes built in download feature makes it easy to get new music on the iPod; the ability to add-on new applications from the Apple.com website allows for this iPod Touch to be a very versatile product; in addition, it plays movies with a beautiful quality.
As with all good consumer products, there is always room for improvement. Some things I would have liked to see are the following: a built in speaker and microphone, a wall charger in the box, an open OS (operating system) to add and change applications on the “Touch” and a built in camera. As a side note, I did hack the OS on the demo unit to see what other add-ons are out there and I was very impressed by the level and quality of what has been developed (by 3rd parties) to date. I do not recommend that you hack your iPod’s OS, as it may have a negative effect on your warranty status. My final thoughts are that unlike any other iPod Apple has created, this one has unlimited potential. I cannot see myself using it at the gym or while jogging, and if all you really want is a replacement for you mid-80’s “Walkman” then this is not the product for you. Alternatively, if you want to have a sexy, fun filled multi functional device that can also play music, then go out and spend the $299.00 (8GB) or $399.00 (16GB) or $499.00 (32GB) on the iPod Touch from Apple and you will not be disappointed.
The Blackberry has been evolving for many years. It started off as a clumsy, hard to use device in a world that was not ready for RIM’s level of communication. Now, RIM has captured a consumer market that was once held by Palm, and taken the cellular phone market share away from both Nokia and Motorola. I have tested and used over 7 different Blackberry models and by far the Blackberry Curve rates as one of my top choices. With its full QWERTY keyboard and pearl scroll wheel, this communication device is extraordinary. It does not hold the same “wow” factor that you would find with some other smart phones (such as the Apple iPhone), but it holds its own when it comes to functionality, ease of use and clarity of phone calls.
Blackberry Curve
Some changes that RIM has made over the years have greatly impacted this device and its function. The one that I noticed immediately was the weight of the unit. Unlike a lot of the older Blackberry models, the Curve really is light and adequately fits in the palm of my hand. As with all Blackberry devices, using your thumbs on the keypad is important to getting functionality from the device, whether it is typing or just navigating the Blackberry OS. This phone, which is also a PDA, digital camera, MP3 player, timer, alarm clock and web browsing unit has a great battery life and can be used on any GSM network (may need to unlock the phone). Bluetooth is built in and most models feature a GPS as well.
Some of the points to keep in mind when considering this device for yourself are; do you want to have WiFi in your handheld device? How important is video playback? Are you prepared to incur the sometimes-expensive service costs from your cell phone provider? The real test of a product is its longevity in the market place and its ability to create a constant demand from consumers. The Blackberry brand has successfully done both of these things for a number of years, and I expect this to continue in years to come. In closing, this Blackberry Curve is a great handheld! It would be best suited for the business user or the sharper then average consumer. It gives a lot of power in a small package, and leaves the user with a great experience. It gets a “buy” rating from us.