Gadgets of 2002 78
oo7tushar writes "CNN has this article on some of the new gadgets we can expect to see in 2002. We can expect smaller MP3 players, more powerful cell phones. The biggest barrier remains the cost of the multifunction gadgets (quote - But until consumers -- and not just gearheads -- show a liking to these technologies, and their prices become affordable, some companies are focusing on devices that serve one function well. ")
We can also expect evolution rather than revolution. The article has much more info."
The 80's (Score:2, Interesting)
the industry is at a crossroads, switching from analog to digital technologies, and consumers need time to fully grasp the advantages of the fancy new devices now available.
Wasn't this same thing being said like 15+ years ago when the CD Player was a new and hip thing?
Hmmm... Actually, they were even saying this in the 70's when my Dad was on the R&D team for Zenith that developed the first Video Disk (Yes, he still has the very first Video Disk framed and hanging on his wall in his home office).
My point, you may ask? When the hell are people (on the whole) going to be able to accept things are changing? I mena not 100 years ago, whom ever at Mercades-Benz (sp) was building the firrt internal combustion engine. Even less long ago people started flying. The 50's then the 60's then the... well, you get the idea. These same things have been being said for generations now, but it still seems people (on the whole, not geeks like us
Bah Humbug (Score:2, Interesting)
I don't own a cell phone or a pager, my trusty PDA is a pad of 3x3 post-it notes, and I've never listened to an MP3 file. Yes, I do own a very nice CD player, but I still prefer my turntable; and my stereo amplifier and preamplifier use vacuum tubes.
Seriously, how many people really *want* to have and carry around all these gadgets? I sure don't.
Merry Christmas to all my Slashdot friends!
MP3 player (Score:0, Interesting)
No-one wants expensive multifunction handsets (Score:2, Interesting)
I know its different in Japan, but that technology doesn't seem to be getting here very quickly. There's no spectrum space for it here.
Better by the numbers, not by the quality (Score:3, Interesting)
Observe this: a Canon Rebel 2000 35mm camera and any decent lens takes pictures of a MAGNITUDE higher quality than most any sub-$2000 digital camera. The lens is interchangeable, you can choose focus points, aperture settings, shutter speed, etc. Sure, a $1000 digicam takes 4 megapixel pictures and burns them onto a CD-R, but you still can't tweak camera settings as well as a fairly basic 35mm camera, and often things like sharpness and color depth aren't nearly as good as film.
Same with MP3 players. You can make them tiny, but do they sound good? I don't have audiophile golden ears, but on my Sony DJ headphones, I can hear the difference between CDs on a portable CD player and most MP3 players, which either use a cheesy DAC or have a horrible headphone output.
And, as other have noted, size is a big consideration. You can get a 14.1" screen on laptops that displays 1600x1200 resolution, but unless you're of the 20% of Americans that has good eyesight, you won't be able to read it. Ditto tiny keys on cell phones, watches, etc. User interface is waaaaaay behind technology in most areas.
So basically, we have some amazing technology, but it's being hindered by oversight in basic areas. It would be like using $5 Radio Shack speaker cable to power a $20,000 stereo system. The devil is in the details, but too often, they seem to be overlooked...