Gadget and Technology Information

Archive for June, 2011

Today’s revelation of the Dell Aero is one of those sigh-inducing sorts of occasions. The Aero, officially announced this morning, is Dell’s first stab at the smartphone market (by Dell’s definitions, at least — the company released the Streak earlier this month, but it insists the 5-inch call-making device is a tablet and not a phone). Billed as “one of the lightest Android smartphones in the U.S.,” the Aero is now available for .99 with a two-year contract from AT&T.

So why the harsh words? It’s not because of the Aero’s unremarkable hardware — the phone runs on a 624MHz processor, a significant step down from the 1GHz chip used in most top-notch Android offerings these days — but rather because of the software Dell has chosen to load onto the device.

The Aero, you see, runs on Android 1.5 — an early version of Google’s mobile operating system that’s 16 months out of date and a lifetime behind in functionality and performance. For a brand new phone to be shipping with a year-old version of Android is simply embarrassing, both to Dell and to the image of the Android brand.

Dell’s Aero Smartphone: An Outdated Android

Dell Aero Android 1.5Android 1.5 — or “Cupcake,” as it’s nicknamed — debuted in April of 2009, just six months after Google’s first Android phone entered the world. Android has made leaps and bounds in growth and development since then, with four significant upgrades to the core operating system.

We’re not talking about small stuff here: Android’s user interface has been revamped, countless features have been added in, and the overall system speed has been boosted numerous times in the releases since 1.5. Dell may have given the Aero some bells and whistles of its own — a handwriting recognition utility, for example, and a “Flash Lite-enhanced” version of the Android browser — but it can’t make up for the months of innovation and improvement it’s shutting out.

No matter how you look at it, a phone with Android 1.5 is going to be slower and significantly less advanced than a device with a recent version of the OS. And it’s going to be crippled when it comes to third-party applications, too, as plenty of apps require Android 2.0 or higher to operate. Some, such as Google’s new Voice Actions voice-command system, won’t run on anything less than Android 2.2.

And while the high-end Android phones may cost closer to 0, price is no excuse: For .99, half the price of the Aero, you could get Verizon’s LG Ally phone. It ships with Android 2.1 and is already confirmed to be in line for the Android 2.2 upgrade. Even within AT&T, known for its less-than-wholehearted embrace of Android, you could snag the HTC Aria with Android 2.1 for an extra 30 bucks.

Dell’s Aero and the Bigger Android Picture

Dell Aero AndroidThe Aero actually isn’t Dell’s first Android-related offense. The Streak, Dell’s 5-inch-gadget-that-makes-calls-but-isn’t-a-phone, launched with Android 1.6 about a week and a half ago. That isn’t much better.

This trend is precisely why I’ve argued that it’s time for the baked-in Android UI to die. Companies like Dell (and also Sony Ericsson, with its recent Xperia 10 AT&T Android phone) spend so much time working on their modifications to the Android software that their devices are outdated by the time they debut. And even manufacturers that manage to do better with the release cycle tend to be extra slow on rolling out upgrades, thanks to the extensive software adjustments required with each release. The phone-makers may be trying to put their own marks on Android, but the manner in which they’re going about it ultimately does a disservice to their users. (And yes, there is a better way.)

Trying to sell a new phone with Android 1.5 is like trying to sell a new PC with Windows Me. Even if you’re selling it for slightly less than the top-of-the-line models down the aisle, it’s ridiculous, it’s silly — and it’s completely inexcusable.

Come on, Dell. You can do better than that.

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Information technology has certainly had a huge impact on society as a collective; on the way we produce things and communicate. However, its influence on the individual and how we live our lives is subtle, often overlooked, and has possibly an even greater impact on collective health and well-being.

When walked into work this morning both of the ladies I work with lamented “I hate computers.” One was having trouble receiving calls on her recently purchased cell phone.  The other was unable to upload the yoga class I was about to instruct on the screen.  I hate computers.  Their comments reverberated in the echoed walls of the yoga studio.   “I hate computers.”  Why?

One reason is frustration. Several of us don’t know the codes or the keystrokes to get the things to perform what the company promised in the marketing campaign, that seduced us to purchase their new and nifty gadget!  Many of those campaigns appeal to unmet needs.  Needs like: It’ll make my life more convenient so I have more time for living.  Or; It’s a sexy product, so I’ll look and feel more sexy and hip in my life.  (Especially excellent for the young, who are mounting self images; and for those who have lived a while, and wish to rejuvenate their image.)

To make use of technology effectively, one must know the codes and keystrokes to get the products to perform.  For some of us, this comes easily.  For others?  Not so much. Computers communicate with us in linear lines on screens that we see with our eyes. This is primarily a relationship with our sense of sight or vision; only one of many senses designed to connect us with the world. Up until now, the other senses were employed minimally via the touch of the keyboard, or through the abrupt grunts and groans of the icons. For the most part it’s the eyes that are responsible for interpreting the meaning of linear lines, by employing vision. We must read the screen, take in the linear lines of the symbols, interpret their meaning, and calculate a response. It is the eyes that are responsible for most of the work.  And, it is important to note, most of the stimulation of the nervous system occurs through the eyes. Furthermore the health of the nervous system influences the state of health of the mind and body, in a big way.

We are in a relationship with the electronic devices of our lives.  The computer presents us with some information, and in return, we process what is presented, and respond by tapping keys and clicking icons.  When you are on the same page, there is synchronicity and you fly along together nicely.  You make a request, and the computer quickly produces the phone number, information, document, or song you were seeking.

On a good day.  For some of us.  There are other times when the communication becomes unsynchronized. Imagine the search box on your internet browser.  When your mind is clear and sharp, you type a sequential combination of symbols that represent letters, in the box to convey meaning. The computer interprets and BINGO!, from the expanse of the World Wide Web comes the exact information you were seeking!  Convenient.  Promise fulfilled.  We’re content, happy and pleased with the relationship. We feel successful in our relationships with technology.

Ever have the other kind of day?  You can sit at those screens for hours on end, attempting to get the words, keystrokes and clicks right to produce the desired result.  If you are out of synch, forget it. Then frustration, disappointment and stress result.  There are serious health implications on the body and mind, to this level of persistent, subtle stress.

In modern society, technology reaches its ethereal fingers to every level of our lives.  And it’s racing at the speed of light – changing!   One of the main problems we face is the lack of compatibility of the technological products we use. Say, you purchase a new phone. You get it home, you learn all about it; how to use it, what keys to press, how to make it sing.  You and your phone cultivate a relationship. Life is good. You’re grooving with your new phone.  Then, BANG!  Technology changes.  New promise.  So you purchase a new phone, a new brand, a new promise. Maybe this new phone has a new interface, a new power cord, a new way of doing things.  Now, you have to learn this new system from the beginning.  So you synch your mind with the engineer’s mind; who designed this little modern technological marvel.  What does this symbol mean?  Why did they place it there? What were they thinking! – in that little engineering room where ideas are manifest? They were thinking about me using this product, who is now thinking about them!?  Did they care about me?  Did they have my best interest at heart?  One way or the other, you have to learn the language of this new product you purchased – TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER!

Remember the speed of light?  Imagine yourself doing this with your laptop, your TV, your cable box, your video camera, your MP3 player, your gaming station, your kids DS player, and your microwave – every year…or every couple of months! You must learn and relearn product after product.

That’s a lot of change. That’s a lot to learn.  And who does the impetus of learning fall on?  The consumer.  The individual who gives the company cash, credit and faith for the privilege of using this new, technologically advanced, modern wonder.

We cultivate relationships with our technological friends, ie: the products that enter our lives. We believe the promise. We want to love them. We wish for these products to bring effulgence to our lives and enhance the experience of living. We yearn for them to inspire us. Carefully crafted technological products don’t disappoint, they enchant. The best products respect us and strive to provide interfaces that make our relationship easier. They protect us from the bulky, cumbersome, sometimes chaotic ways of the technological beast.

Technology can be beautiful.  It can serve in the most magnificent way.  It is a Vidya (Sanskrit for: body of knowledge), that is born to serve. It can return us to the truth of what is important in life.  It can open our eyes and ears and senses to all we can be. It can make life easier to live, but it can do more.  It can open us to the effulgence of life, if it is managed with care and respect, for those who employ it.

How Does One Make a Great Product that Serves?

Great Ideas Birth Great Products

Great ideas are born in the mind’s eye. Those with great ideas that birth great products are well-trained in their fields of choice.  The lights of their mind’s eye are gleaned to seek truth.  Then one day a moment happens when they break though the confines of that carefully placed scaffolding and reach – for the unknown, for what has yet to be discovered.  They are pioneers of the new world, artists on the edge, pirates of the seas, and inventors with passion.  They are musicians with a new tune in their bones, mothers with vision, quirky kids with ideas, and explorers in ships on waters of mercy.  They reach towards the abyss with courage, grace, and faith; for the love of it.

A Vidya calls and romances those who enter Her great body of knowledge; and brings them to rapture, for the possibilities of things.  She is a creative force whose goal is yoga or union.  She insists on the creation of things. But first She’ll insist you cultivate firm roots, so you won’t be blown over by her powerful creative forces. There is a period of splitting in which you may feel isolated and alone.  This is Her test.  She’ll insist you look deeply within yourself and reach for truth that dwells within.  This will protect you from outside influences that may take you off course. Then you will be ready to enter the roots of Her; the eye of the tornado, the center, where there is peace, abundant wisdom and the opportunity to create something beautiful.

Great ideas are born in the deep center of a Vidya, because from there you will be free to expand to the periphery and break through the fences that are confining contemporary thought. In this way She is free to expand, so She is bigger and brighter than ever before.  You will be stronger, clearer; a warrior for truth.  And She will get to grow and serve more people for the purpose of union.

Your creations will contain Shakti, the fires of creation, which will attract others; like moths to flame.   Great products light the fires of people, and radiate possibility. Great products open their minds and expand their worldview.  Great products inflate the periphery and simultaneously, insist on roots of truth.  Great products illuminate the mind and make us better people. Great products provide a path for yoga.

One’s relationship with a Vidya is deeply personal.  This is why one should love; LOVE the work they do.  Much will be asked of you.  Much will be given. And if you are virtuous, kind, compassionate and true; you will get to serve – the human race.  And you will be a catalyst for yoga, the return of unity. And you will get to experience the truth of you; and Her. Then you have lived a life, really lived.

So, the engineers and designers who birth these great products have respect for the user, the utmost respect.  Questions like: What do they need? Do they know what they need?  Are there wormholes in the present scaffolding that we can reach through, to locate a new level of brilliance?  How bright is bright? Are we settling for the status quo because it is safe and easy? Are we scared? Are we rooted deeply enough within to take a chance? Are we too far in the periphery and taking unnecessary risk? Is there balance?

When one is highly knowledgeable in a body of knowledge arrogance can slip in. We can puff ourselves up with the illumination of ‘all we know’.  If those lights are not handled carefully, they can cast a shadow on the ignorance of others. This is a dangerous game.  This is how well-intentioned products can hurt, not heal.

Respect the innate intelligence of the consumer.  Inspire them. Wish for their highest and best. Protect them from having to learn unnecessary code and unnecessary minutia of technology.  See their brilliance and create for that. Let them shine.  Don’t give them too much, or too little.  Give them the perfect amount so they can shine. They will return again and again for the sheer elegance of their relationship with your product. They will feel respected.  They will glow with the wonderment of technology.  And they will feel successful in their relationship with it.

The Interface and Families

We relate with the world through our senses.  The senses are the doorways to the world.  Until very recently, we related to most computer technology in a very limited way, through the sense of sight.  Brilliant engineers understand the relationship people foster with products.  They do not underestimate the power of the Vidya or the person the product is created to serve. They strive to improve the intimacy the user cultivates with the product so the technology (the Vidya) is invited to shine Her best.

This is why the touch screen is such a revolution. It employs the sense of touch to deepen the relationship.  It opens another door that stabilizes the relationship.  It lets people feel themselves and the beauty of the technology.  It balances the relationship.

When people don’t know how to use the technology, they become frustrated – and scared. It is traveling fast now. Changes occur quickly.  If you have a proclivity towards the linear lines of technology and are good at that sort of thing – well great.  But for others, who are busy living; it can be a hard race to catch up to. If they fall behind they can feel incompetent, ignorant and unsuccessful.  They may feel like victims; victims to a wild, unruly, whirling Vidya that is reserved for the privileged few who ‘know the codes’.  This stagnates the Vidya Herself.  When She is not permitted to flow she cannot touch people with Her luminosity. This results in separation, the opposite of yoga.

Protect and respect the technological changes people are faced with in modern culture. Empower them to harness technology so that it serves them.  Give them the tools for a successful relationship so they don’t become angry victims to the whims of technology.

Great interfaces do this. They heighten the senses to improve intimacy. They open the doors. They pull forth from the user the best of them, and create a synergy with technology via the product. Then the technology is received as a gift, a gift for improving the quality of life. Then technology serves.

Families of products free consumers from the cumbersome task of re-learning unnecessary, colossal code just to start a relationship. It lets them slip into the relationship with grace and ease.  It’s like meeting a family friend who you know you will like, maybe adore!

Support

Great products come with support; support that honors the consumer and showcases the magnificence of technology.  Teach them.  Respect them.  Make it easy, and free- when you can; for them to get support.  Support them on phone lines, in person, in the resonance of voice.  Staff the service centers with gracious, knowledgeable, service oriented, interesting people; who listen …and care. Most consumers are overwhelmed with the complexity, pace and sheer levels of technology.  Make them happy.  Let them wish.  Marketing 101:  don’t make empty promises.  If you promised them something with your product, show them how it is possible.  Show them how easy it is.  Encourage their confidence in their ability to traverse the wild and wonderful world of technology.  Help them believe again, in possibilities. They will repay you with lifelong loyalty born of gratitude.

Check the promise

Check in with your customers now and then. Are they happy? Have you amazed them?  Delighted them? How is the relationship going?  Is it getting stronger? Better? Weakening? Are there unspoken needs?  Needs unmet?  How can you continue to serve?  Have you checked the wormholes?  How can you improve their relationship with technology?  Are you complacent?  Are they are experiencing frustration? What makes them happiest? Free-er?

Create again

Never give up.  There is always one more door, one more undiscovered worm hole, some place no one has ever been yet; that can make the world bigger and brighter. Be a pioneer. Investigate.  Explore.  Research the Vidya. Love Her. Go deeper. Investigate all her nooks and crannies. Then break free of the confines.

And love your fellows.  Believe in them. They can reach greater heights, they can.  So can you. The potential of humans is limitless.  Don’t give up on them. Don’t settle or become complacent no matter how successful you become.  You are here to serve. Enjoy your successes, your triumphs, your treasures. Laugh.  And have fun. Let your fire burn bright.  Allow it to encourage you to go higher, deeper.  Open your mind space to possibilities yet unseen.  The great Vidya of technology is immense, benevolent, and expansive.  Enter the deep roots of Her with courage and faith.  She is just getting started.  Her growth has been quick and explosive; violent at times.  It may feel like an assault for consumers. Protect them. Then give them the best the best of you.

If qualities of greed and jealousy are allowed to prevail when a product is designed, the Vidya will contract.  Go for the light. Expand. Reach into unseen places.  Believe. Wish. Open a space for magic to reveal her majestic, swirling forms. The Vidya will surprise, mesmerize and romance, if approached with an open mind and heart.

Boys in a Garage:

Then great products will appear, in the minds of engineers and in the dreams of young boys in a garage.   Boys with vision. Boys who busted through the scaffolding and dreamed for us.  Boys (and girls now) who believed technology can serve– beautifully. Boys who dared to enter the roots of the great Vidya of technology with reverence, courage and wonderment. Maybe for the fun of it.  Maybe for the grace. Certainly, there are people who cultivated open minds and hearts to see what might happen. Pioneers who changed our relationship to technology and made it intimate, so we would feel satisfied. Artists who birthed pieces of art so the great Vidya could breathe. And who birthed products that changed the world, in the best of ways.

It’s time to give thanks. Give thanks for the music.  Give thanks for the laughs.  Give thanks for an elegant experience of technology that honors everyone. Give thanks for the respect and forethought we were given. Be grateful for the opportunity to be witnessed…so gracefully. Give thanks for the support. Be grateful someone believed, in you, and me; and the power of the technological Vidya to illuminate the best of us.

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