I haven’t in a while, so I thought I’d rant about a few things.
First up is Apple. Don’t get me wrong, I loke ((love - ve) + (like -li)) my 60GB iPod “with Video” and my 17″ MacBook Pro. I do have a couple of problems with the direction things are heading. Unfortunately, the next update of Mac OS X takes the features I don’t like about my Mac and enhances them. Finder (the file-manipulation side of the OS) is going to work more like iTunes (the music-manipulation application). This would be all well and good as a separate application, but not so much when I want raw file manipulation (cut/copy/paste, rename, etc). CoverFlow for files is great when dealing with media or documents where a preview is nice, but don’t sugar-coat my lower-level functions without giving me the option.
The next (rumored) update of the iPod looks to be just as bad. A new version of the interface with prettier visuals is all well and good, but I won’t get an option to configure it how I like it. It’s Apple’s way or the highway, it seems. Also, it’s rumored to have the same sized screen…so it’s basically just an interface update. Okay, well, just release an interface update for current users and spend some more time on hardware. Oh, and don’t you dare make it touchscreen only! I carry my iPod in my pocket 80% of the time. With an Agent18 case, I have a nice cutout to access the buttons. This allows me to skip songs easily without digging my device out. If the iPhone is an indication of the direction of the iPod, I will not be purchasing a future version. It looks good, but it’s just not practical for me.
Next up is my TMobile Wing. As much as I love this phone, I really wish it had a faster processor and more memory. I created a contact list viewer that displays the contact picture, the name, phone number, and company name and allows you to simply call the contact. The problem is that loading my contact pictures takes so long that it’s not practical as a dialer. What’s more, if I have one or two applications open, I use most of my memory up and can’t open anything more. If I’m browsing the internet and see a photo opportunity, I have to close PocketIE and other apps just to open the camera. Not a very good design. I think Windows Mobile 6 is a great OS, it’s easy to develop for, and while it could be better, it’s very usable. I just long for a true convergence device.
Perhaps it’s just me, but it seems like electronics companies get their devices to 60-75% and say, “Nyeh, that’s good enough.” Would it be so difficult to put another 6 months into it, charge an extra $25-50, and make something that hits 90-95%? Not just in quality, but in functionality. Slap a hard drive in there as well as the SD slot. You don’t have to give me a configuration editor as long as the configuration files are easy to read and I can easily restore them to the defaults. Make it easy enough to use without navigating endless menus.