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Andrey “Rarst” Savchenko —  — Hardware, Thoughts — computer, mobile, phone, tablet

How much longer will we eat pocket computing bullshit?

Some things are better seen in long perspective. And nothing hits you with perspective harder than reading about stuff… and remembering reading exactly same stuff decade ago.

Pocket computing made most promises and delivered least. Just how much longer until we give up believing that crap?

Nokia N810

Experience

Every single science fiction thing on TV since… since TV, has some sort of cool computer gimmick that fits in the pocket and does everything. Driving the space ship, saving the planet (universe), that kind of stuff.

Every appearance of the device will be aptly followed (or interrupted, depending on how harsh are local advertisement regulations) with ad of latest mobile phone. No, smartphone! No, mobile computer!

Come on, seriously?

Imagine your favorite sci-fi hero using his cool gadget to:

  • type some thousands words;
  • read a book;
  • write and debug fifty lines program;
  • check some prices in 20k rows spreadsheet;
  • spend eight hours in front of it.

It’s not saving the universe, it’s our daily boring computing. Anything that could possibly fit in the pocket sucks at that. Really hard.

Screens

I am sucker for good screens in mobile devices. My oldish Nokia E60 has one of the most amazing high DPI 352x416 screens, even comparing to much newer phones. So when I voice-dial… Wait. So when someone calls and phone voice-synthesizes and tells who it is… Wait.

Sorry, I have no idea what for I need high resolution screen for.

Ok, scratch the phone – let’s put Nokia N810 internet tablet in the picture. With just as gorgeous 800x480 resolution and 4” size that is at limit of what can be called pocketable.

Most of the usage that screen gets in recent months is play and skip buttons in media player. Wish it just had hardware buttons for that.

Every year we get sold screens larger, brighter and with more pixels. That will eat batteries even faster. Last decent innovation in how many years is OLED screens which allowed thinner (more posh) devices and were barely able to balance out energy hungry hardware.

Batteries

Few times a year I read about promising battery technology that will allow amazing things and is just around the corner. In ten years that is 30-40 technologies. It is getting ridiculously crowded behind that corner.

Energy balance in pocket devices is going bankrupt.

There is obviously no way to indefinitely swap for larger screens and faster processors and feed it with same amount of energy. They still do it, slap battery test figures (that were probably done in outer space or something) on package and convince you that this mobile computer supposedly has computing power you need.

Just don’t lose sight of charger and be aware of surrounding power jacks at all times.

Input

This part is just glorious. Do you realize that there are zero methods that allow to input reasonable amount of text in pocket device? That there are zero such methods expected in following years?

Computers experience had always had strong interaction component. Interaction is impossible without valid means of data input. Putting computing label on devices that are most capable at one-way data spewing is seriously wrong.

Web

Gadget enthusiasts are obsessed (again – for years) with finding that right ratio of screen DPI and snappy hardware that will make full web experience fit in their pockets.

Web developers and usability experts are obsessed with hacking away most of features and content to offer downsized mobile version of sites that will be tiny bit useful in pocket device.

Mobile web will be probably big thing (Google thinks so).

Regular web in pocket devices is not happening. Let’s make peace with that and move on to pitiful mobile versions, that will do until getting to real computer and real web.

Prices

~$800 is what seems to be usual rate for new device on recent hardware platform. Some people are under $200 illusion, well let them pay remaining $600 (and more) in contract costs, their choice.

I don’t know if that is expensive or not for you personally. I know that this is price of good notebook. What you can put in your pocket for this price will be many things, but will not ever offer same computing experience as notebook. In short – it will not be a computer, no matter how hard advertisements will scream that.

Overall

I am hardly gadget fanatic, but between smartphone, Internet tablet and ebook reader I ended up above average.

Know what these devices made me want for my computing needs? Lighter notebook. :)

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9 Comments

  • szekelya #

    You must be right. You didn't write anything I could argue with. Still I'm doing more and more with my cellphone. (No smartphone, no internet tablet, no pda phone, currently just a simple se w705) Nothing I do with that is remotely similar than how I do things with my desktop/notebook/netbook. Still in a couple of years I got hsdpa (3.6 mbps currently), web with opera mini, rss, gmail, photo uploading, youtube, game downloading, 4 gigs of mp3, radio, ssh, etc. You tell me I won't ever have the desktop experience in my pocket, and I feel you must be wrong. Dunno how, dunno when, but if the above things are already available, I have the impression, that things will keep on changing. On the other hand, computer input devices are so 20th century things. You _type_ almost exactly as my grandmother did. She was a great typist, owning a "Continental" typewriter. You should have seen her face in 1990 when I showed her backspace and excel though. :( She was like Kurt Vonnegut's architect after buying a cheap SW doing things better than him. Mice are the things that make geeks argue whether gestures or hotkeys are better. Are you sure these can't be swapped in the future to something that can be used both with desktop and pocket devices? Are you sure it's lcd screens we're going to stare at all the time? Are you sure it's air you're breathing? (Sorry, I couldn't resist. And there's no spoon.:) ) And yes, today you are very much right, however this shouldn't cause big frustrations. :)

  • Rarst #

    @szekelya Still I’m doing more and more with my cellphone. No arguing there. But do you feel that set of functions catching up to computers? I feel it merely expands to same hacked down experience in proportion to extending computer experience. On the other hand, computer input devices are so 20th century things. Yep. And possibility of replacing those are bleak. Manufacturers can theorize about better batteries, but they are even less likely to invest into better input devices. Momentum to change is too big. Are you sure these can’t be swapped in the future to something that can be used both with desktop and pocket devices? That is exactly my issue. We are fed incremental updates and promised experience that is impossible without major paradigm change. Are you sure it’s lcd screens we’re going to stare at all the time? Ok, I may be impatient. :) But what are core words said about LCD tehcnology each year? They are "bigger" and "hd". I also want "sturdy", "flexible" and "energy efficient". Which we also hear but waaay less. Are you sure it’s air you’re breathing? More like cat fur remix. :) And yes, today you are very much right, however this shouldn’t cause big frustrations. :) It frustrates me that we made peace with an idea that device that can barely open web page and don't last a day from batteries is being called mobile computer. That next year we are going get served something with bigger screen, that will last even less, crash even more often and we are going to root for it and spend money on it. :)

  • The DataRat #

    . "Pocket Computers" -whether a smart phone or PDA- are still trying to find their place. ( A lot like netbooks when the first Asus came out with tiny 10-gig solid state hard drives, Linux OS, and barely unusable 7-inch screens ! ) Yeah, it's absolutely nuts for a pocket computer to cost as much as a notebook PC ...and ~more~ than a first-class netbook. With screens less than 3-inches on a pocket computer being about as worthless as a netbook with a 7-inch screen. Eventually the pocket computer market shall clarify (as the netbook market recently has). 4-inch screens, lots of on-board memory and a SD card port, and prices BELOW that of far more capable netbooks. . The sole limiting factor, however, will continue to be batteries. We can't do anything about THAT ! Raticus doesn't find it too oppressive to carry a small battery charger [cable - wall plug - brick]. Or even a spare battery. At ~minimum~ it'll be five years before battery life for these devices are going to be dramatically extended. Until then (and, perhaps, for as long as ten years from now) we'll just have to tolerate and accommodate this situation. Nevertheless, what's developing is a situation where we have available a complete range of computing devices with different capabilities according to size: Pocket computers for ultimate convenience, netbooks for quick and readily portable PC's, notebooks when we can lug something bigger (and more powerful) around, and desktop PC's for ultimate power at the expense of losing portability. This a GOOD situation ! Much better than when the only choice was a desktop or laptop. . The DataRat .

  • szekelya #

    @Rarst: "But do you feel that set of functions catching up to computers?" Not yet. I rather see that all functions that already make sense with the current limitations* are getting implemented. * -screen resolution: as it went from 101x80 to 240x320, more and more applications got enough space -keyboard: I'm a T9 / predictive fan, opera mini also has good invention of suggesting url completions when typing letters, suggesting top level domains after typing dots -GUI, lack of mouse: again, opera mini 5 has very intuitive developments I'd be happy to see also on my PC. -processor/graphics engine/memory/storage: I guess these could be solved if it made sense. And of course I dunno if pocket computing _will_ mean a very smart phone in the end or some other device, if these will be distinguishable at all. I could imagine a netbook with fraction of today's size for ultra portability if you wish, that you can dock into something that looks like today's netbook if you want to perform tasks that really needs screen/mouse/keyboard. But as I wrote, for many tasks, basic web/mail/rss/music/camera you don't need them, a phone-size device is good enough. Still I'd rather avoid suggesting device ideas and timeframes. :) "But what are core words said about LCD tehcnology each year? They are “bigger” and “hd”." Give me a projector, and I give you twice as big screensize by stepping back from the canvas. :) Processing capacity for HD media can't be an issue. And finally I can nearly smell coldfusion in my pocket or techiniques reusing kinetic/solar/whatever energy allowing for unlimited battery time. It's just a matter of time and money. :)

  • kelltic #

    Very cynical thoughts today :) Do I WANT the the desktop experience in my pocket? Isn't it enough that I spend at least 8 hours a day with my beloved desktop? SHOULD I be taking it with me every where I go? Maybe I should see my family once in a while, spend the day with a friend, take a walk, go to a movie, get . . . But, silly me. I think of my cell phone as a device to make and receive phone calls - when no other phone, such as my nice, clear, digital, land phone is not available. I never expected it to beam me up, Scotty. A mobile device? Well, that would be a laptop. One with a screen big enough that it can be used for something other than email and a keyboard large enough to do it with. A "pocket device" is a keychain. But - what do I know? I suppose "resistance is futile".

  • Rarst #

    are still trying to find their place They take they freaking time with that. A lot of paradigms took years less to curl and die. situation where we have available a complete range of computing devices with different capabilities according to size Agreed, but I don't see it as absolutely positive development. It is easier on people who only need one of something. On people that need multiply functions that forces multiply devices. @szekelya It’s just a matter of time and money. :) You seem to assume that progress will fix stuff. But at moment progress had actually made some aspects like battery life worse. It's like devices are compromising instead of improving. @kelltic Maybe I should see my family once in a while, spend the day with a friend, take a walk, go to a movie, get . . . You sure you are reading correct blog? :))) I think of my cell phone as a device to make and receive phone calls Which is nice and focused. How many phone advertisements you see that say "just calls, no extras" ? I read all the time how people miss older models that had no feature set but better reception, battery life and tougher cases. Bells and whistles overpower common sense.

  • szekelya #

    @Rarst: "You seem to assume that progress will fix stuff. But at moment progress had actually made some aspects like battery life worse." I remember the first 450 MHz NMT phones with batteries sized like a suitcase. Then better Ni-Mh batteries came extending battery life. Then bigger cellphone screens and texting came degrading battery life. Then Li-Ion batteries. Then colored screens. You see my point.

  • The DataRat #

    . "On people that need multiply functions that forces multiply devices" . Absolutely. It's all a matter of convenience and accessibility. I require computer-capability in a variety of situations. Those who do not can get away with just a desktop PC at home. . The DataRat .

  • Rarst #

    @szekelya
    1) Things will get worse before they get better. 2) Who said things would get better?
    :)