Convergence taking over in the world of gadgets
Like many other 28-year-old men, Ming Ma bought a Microsoft Xbox to play video games, but soon after the Los Angeles-based systems administrator brought the console home, he realized it was a lot more versatile.
“I initially purchased it to play games, but now I use it to watch DVD movies, play music CDs and to chat with friends over the Internet while we play multiplayer games,” Ma says.
“I like how I can do everything on one device — I have a small apartment, so this is ideal, for me — plus, I don’t have to buy individual devices, so it also saves me money along with space.”
Once upon a time, our beloved gadgets served just one function: Cameras took pictures, Walkmans played music, and cell phones were used for calls.
Today, convergence is key, and many devices have become digital Swiss Army knives to help limit the number of gadgets we lug around.
Sometimes these hybrids make sense — phones with address books or digital cameras that can shoot short clips of video — while others have failed. Why purchase a watch with an integrated MP3 player if it only stores a half hour of music? Who will spend $8,000 for an “Internet fridge” when you can pick up e-mail on your PC?
“Just because companies can converge technologies into one device doesn’t mean they should do it,” says Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director at Jupiter Research. “Any convergent device where, as a result, a primary feature is compromised, is just not a good idea.”
Gartenberg says camera cell phones are a perfect example. “No one wants tiny, grainy pictures when their regular camera can do a much better job — plus, these phones can’t store a lot of photos. They sell because they’re basically given away (by carriers).” He acknowledges, however, that the image quality for camera cell phones is improving with upcoming 1-megapixel camera phones.
Other examples of failed convergence attempts include MP3 players inside digital cameras (such as the discontinued Kodak mc3) and early efforts to merge television with the Internet, such as the Gateway Destination.
“The Apple iPod can store contacts and calendar information, but users don’t care that it’s there,” Gartenberg says.
“Convergence only works when you get the same level of functionality with each component as you would with stand-alone products, and that’s often difficult to do,” he adds.
Clever convergence
Here are a few instances of convergence that seem to work:
• Creative Nomad MuVo TX ( www.creative.com, $249). Perfect for work or play, this key chain-size “flash drive” houses 512 megabytes of memory capable of storing roughly 16 hours of nonskip music. This one-ounce device also doubles as a way to transfer data between two or more PCs, including documents, presentations, spreadsheets and media files.
It plugs into a PC’s USB (Universal Serial Bus) slot, so users can drag and drop files onto the MuVo in mere seconds. Unplug, and away you go. It’s also a handy voice recorder.
• Epson Livingstation ( www.epson.com; $3,499 for 47-inch model; $3,999 for 57-inch model). This big-screen rear-projection LCD television from Epson leverages the company’s heritage in imaging.
Users can pop the memory card out of their digital camera and insert it into one of five slots at the front of the television (one for each card type). Immediately, all photos appear on screen as thumbnails — press a button, and a slideshow starts. Press another, and it’ll enlarge a photo full-screen. The Livingstation is also the first television with a built-in printer and CD burner. Select a picture and press “print” on the TV remote, and a glossy 4-by-6 color photo will spit out the front.
The integrated CD-RW drive (a CD-ROM drive that not only plays CDs but can record data onto blank ones) is designed to archive digital photos, so users can erase the memory card and pop it back into a camera to begin again.
• Nokia 9500 Communicator ( www.nokia.com; due in the fall). When this Nokia phone is closed, it looks like a bulky handset circa 1997 — but once it’s opened like a book, it reveals a wide-screen, high-resolution color display and standard keyboard.
The 9500 Communicator is a “mobile office” solution with multiple products rolled into one: a tri-band cell phone with optional hands-free and conference call support; text messaging and multimedia messaging; two-way e-mail tool (with support for reading and editing attachments); color Web browser; personal digital assistant; Java-based games machine; and high-end digital camera.
This mobile phone also will feature integrated Wi-Fi connectivity. Users can surf the Net at fast speeds (11 megabits per second) over a wireless network.