What new growth from old ideas spring?

What do I want to achieve on my Mac which is almost possible, but remains just short of reality. It could be "oh so good if only..."

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Last chance post

Whew, I do like to get at least some predictions in vague terms out before Macworld SF. Just made it on the following items published today. 

Looking forward to an iPhone update so I can find where I am at any given moment (even if it's not where I should be). And just hoping that App knitting gets another step closer this year.

Happy new year.

Squeak.

Compact computing

This is a term for “not really a laptop”. And I suggest that it is not really (a current concept of) a laptop that we desire. Consider mobile computing for a moment. It needs more than anything to be lightweight if one is walking about with it. To slide easily into everyday compact bags with other everyday “stuff” and remain light enough to carry about, all day.


It has threfore to be inherently robust with few moving/breaking parts. It needs a reasonably sized visual interface easily manipulated (like the iPhone touch sceen), and ubiquitous data capture i.e some form of keypad but not necessarily permanently attached to the screen, perhaps part of the (rubber) cover? Wifi and usual wired connectivity to go, together with add-on options for data storage - USB sticks, firewire hard drives. Oh, and a docking option for home or office base use with additional drive capacity and ability to run other more demanding applications.


I really want to take all my communications with me on the road, some of my applications, those that allow note capture, visual presentation and contact and task management, but leave all my heavy-lifting high-memory-overhead applications at my home base or office. And yet why would I want two machines with all that syncing and potential for data mismanagement? When I get back to my base I just want more oompphh less compromised ergonimics and a wider (read “giant”) monitor with instant backup for all that external effort.

Data defectors

And what about data detectors in Leopard Mail. They are available, but hardly intuitive. Many years ago I cobbled together an Applescript which copied a name from any application using the clipboard, looked it up in the address book, then updated the clipboard to deliver all address, phone and email details back to the original application, in fact any application that could use the clipboard. Clunky but functional. 


I was looking forward to a similar but system pervasive “dictionary” style lookup in Leopard for any “person” so that data could be attached to people - I would call it “body tagging” but that has too many negative, morbid undertones, but you know what I mean. Tag a person to any data and when you look up that person you can view any system wide info, emails, notes, documents with their name in etc. Weren’t computers supposed to be able to handle such relationships easily? Type in a name, why look up data, get phone or email linkages instantly in a contextual pop-up derived from the address book app. System-wide Bento. I just cannot understand why data is corralled in such narrow confines, especially when the system databases are blatantly able (Bento, CRM4Mac) to work seamlessly together.

Monitor as Camera

Whatever happened to the “my monitor as camera” patent that Apple supposedly registered more than twelve months ago? The one that uses your monitor as a lens, with software to adjust the optics. Is it due to emerge in the rumoured compact laptop offering?


It would fit well with the iPhone, especially if it would allow VOIP. It might even be secreted away as a hidden application in the existing iPhone OS. Imagine speaking and viewing at the same time. Ichat on the move, now that would be cool. I just can’t imagine that Apple have not got iChat working on the iPhone.


Not that any recently contracted network provider would be too keen, but just hold your scepticism for a moment and imagine the convenience, the low cost, and the sheer magic of it. Communication for the 21st century or what? It’s bound to arrive in some future version of the iPhone even if it is not a hidden feature in the current offer. I live in hope