How many all in one devices do you own that really fulfill their multi function role adequately? I’m guessing it’s less than 1. Likewise the iPhone as a recorder, camera and mobile office are a pretty poor substitute for dedicated solutions to each task.

We’ve reduced picture taking to the Polaroid level again with cell phone cameras. Taken video back to Super 8 and sound recording to the cassette deck all for convenience and for what? All to capture that which wasn’t deemed worth capturing when you had to bring along a brick.

Yep it’s never been easier to make jerky, pixelated videos with sound quality to match and we’ve called this ability progress and have built entire empires around it.

Note nearly anything remotely good isn’t shot on a hand held with no post and just tossed up on You Tube so by all means cite successful shows but I am pretty confident I can pull up more people than can comfortably fit in a  Fiat 500 as being involved with it. *

Knowing this though how does one set out to design   “good enough”  or is that just a happy accident? 

Why the models?  Both represent the idea of a central vehicle capable of transitioning roles to suit the expected usage which is what I’d like to see my iPhone become the device that  controls my other interests.  E.g  recorder interface,  camera screen/ transport control.

The iPhone as the brains/ controller for  better cameras, recorders, audio, presentation systems seems to make sense to me.The touch surface is way better than anything my car has to date and for control of recording audio / video or being able to knock up quick ad hoc views of the features I want from a device at any given time would be most useful. My three year old can work the photo albums on it that’s a good sign that older people get it too. What’s going to ruin this for everyone?   Patents on what gestures one can carry out while you can argue for the technical merits of the screen, and the software to decode it, it’s frustrating to see gestures defined as original work.  In the latter case the Kid’s in the Hall need to get a check from Apple re their “crushing your head”  forerunner of  reducing an image in size

side bar:

I’m frustrated with how little enthusiasm people have for being alive in a time were our choices and powers way exceed that of the ruler’s of the world had a few centuries. Hell, we have powers that transcend most fictional magicians and yet we still have people bored with it all. 

*It’s a trick there’s no such thing as comfort in a Fiat 500