The simplest of devices seem to be the most difficult to make. I've been having this feeling for want of a simple device to take my 'notes'. I'm seeking a simple and elegant tablet device that would do one thing well - substitute for 'back of envelopes' by acting as a device to take notes. Lemme explain why I felt a need for such a device.
An idea might strike us any time - during cafeteria discussions, in a rather sleepy office meeting, walking down the corridors, at the gym, at home while watching a movie or in the middle of the night - a Kekule-ian dream! And then I scurry for a piece of paper to write it down - lest it should be lost in the sea of thoughts. Though I have my laptop most of the times, I don't feel like resuming the system up to write down a few lines of text - it's just inconvenient. Taking the thought down on my mobile isn't a good idea either. The T9 is good, but imagine pushing so many teeny-weeny buttons. And it's definitely not practical when I wish to compose a blog like this one. A nokia communicator is just too big and its qwerty keyboard just too small. Currently I seek solace to this problem by using back of envelopes, an odd notes' book kept on the table, or using Microsoft One Note if my laptop is on. But I need an integrated solution. A digital device that can help compose, store and share.
The usage model for such a device would be as follows. The device should weigh less than 100 grams and should be small enough to fit in a normal pocket - like a mobile phone or an iPod. The input should be using a stylus and a full screen write capability. I insist on a full-screen write because I've seen other phones with styluses having a terrible interface. One Motorola model has a full screen selection - that is, we can select any icon anywhere on the screen by tapping, but we can write only in the small boxes in the bottom of the screen! Much like the TIP feature of Windows Tablet PC edition. That too, one can write only in small letters! Look Ma, no Capitals! This device should store the written content in Beziers - I cannot expect them to be able to convert into text efficiently. The bluetooth should help synchronize it with laptop - so that I could collate all my notes in Microsoft One Note. Such a device would help us taking notes (anytime, anywhere), composing email and putting our thoughts down in a reliable, retrievable, manageable and shareable way.
I don't think we need a Jonathan Ive to design this system. Have a set of basic features. One shouldn't try to design a do all device - it ultimately does none…like many PDAs. Make the UI really easy - like using a flip pad. Have elegant looks. Give it optional features - probably a gsm phone, gps reader (unless it compromises with the weight). Have a full color display with white backlight and black ink. Some options to highlight/flag would be great. Have small number of large icons - Mac style…and we're done.
What in your opinion is the plausibility of such a device? If developed, would you use one?
At the temple, there is a poem called loss, carved into the stone. It has three words, but the poet has scratched them out. You cannot read loss. Only feel it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The heart dies a slow death, Shedding each hope like leaves, Untill one day there are none. No hopes, nothing remains.
Sometimes we just feel that certain people are impressive, though we may not immediately realize the reason. It sometimes takes a contrasting experience to helps us juxtapose the impressive and the plebian to discover the difference. This is just what happened to me while I watched the speakers of the recently concluded CES show...
First a bit about Steve. I loved Steve Jobs' presentations the first day I saw them. Starting with the landmark 1982 Macintosh launch keynote to the current MacWorld speeches, each of these presentations were stunning. I was so impressed I started collecting the videos of these presentations and have a handful of Gigs of them saved on DVDs. What is most inspiring about Jobs is his profundity in several areas of personal computing. When he talks, it is a person with an engineer's core talking. Unlike marketing sweet-talk, Jobs touches topics at the kernel of all users, and addresses them with impressive plain-talk. Not dwelling in high-level (and often abstruse) abstraction, he keeps a clear conscience and this enables his lucid forthcoming.
When I saw many company CEOs present their products at CES, I could see a stark difference. The show had many holes and the charisma was long gone. But, these people are successfully leading their companies and are a major hit at the bourses. What then differentiated these CEOs from Jobs?
The difference, in my opinion, is in their leadership styles. These successful people 'motivate' their people; to work towards the goals of the company. They show people their goals and invite them to follow. This is a very good way to lead. But people with Jobs' personality 'inspire' their teams. They elicit support from the team because the team feels that they should support the cause of the company. These two traits are similar but not the same…the difference is the origin of the initiatives. The 'inspirers' let the employees take the first step and just give them the direction to follow. These people don't actually lead from the front. They lead from within. And this is exactly what our current generation of super specialized professionals need - Inspirers!
