We love gadgets. And, like everything we love, gadgets piss us off. So many times, I’ve held a product and thought to myself: “This would be perfect, if only…”
The fact is, even with countless generations and web forums full of fuming fans, companies still repeat numerous mistakes. Mistakes that feel like a slap to the face of hard-working gadgeteers everywhere. For this issue of The Futurist, I present a list of things that companies should do to make their gadget — any gadget — better.
DON’T REQUIRE SOFTWARE INSTALLATIONS
I recently came into possession of a Kodak digital picture frame. When I opened it up, I found the thing to be shiny, pretty, and loaded with a decent amount of on-board memory. Then I got to the installation instructions. One of the first steps: Install Kodak’sEasyShare software on my computer. Fine, I figure. Maybe it requires me to use its software package in order to load the frame up with photos. About 20 minutes of wasted life (and a few more megabytes) later, I realize that I could just as easily load up the picture frame by plugging it into my computer’s USB drive and simply dragging and dropping JPEGs onto the device. In fact, after about 15 minutes of tinkering around, I couldn’t even find a way to interface the included software with the frame.
Note to companies: It is annoying when you require us to install your bloated, system-slowing software in order to load up a gadget (Zune, anybody?). It is even more annoying when you tell us we need to install it when we don’t.
Let’s put it this way: There is no reason any free-floating mobile gadget should require you to use Windows.
DON’T GET SO HOT
My iPod is essentially a tiny computer. It is in use up to 10 hours per day. It is cool to the touch. Why then can’t anybody make a laptop that, even with a pair of fans furiously fighting the good fight, doesn’t heat up to thigh-charring degrees?
DON’T LOAD UP WITH CRAP
If I’ve paid a couple thousand dollars for a laptop, I find it somewhat insulting to open the thing up and find a couple dozen crapware programs begging me to upgrade out of trial status. The way some of the systems are loaded up, you’d think they were ad supported. But laptops are not network TV, and even if you can select exactly how large a hard drive you want and how many gigs of RAM you need, nowhere on the plethora of customization settings that greet you on manufacturers web site is there an option for acrapware-free computer (unless you go Mac, I suppose.)
As far as I’m concerned, crapware is theft. It is theft of hard drive space, it is theft of system resources, and it is theft of time.
New rule: If you show up as a trial on my computer, I will never, ever, ever buy your full version. Ever.
DON’T USE PROPRIETARY CORDS
I understand that you want me to pay $20 to you (and nobody else) if I lose my connecting cable. I can respect that. Unfortunately, all wires essentially look the same from 3 feet away, and there are lots of them in my house. Connect all the cords in my house and you could probably throw a lasso around the moon. Be nice, go standard.
DON’T USE POORLY TRANSLATED INSTRUCTION MANUALS
Asia has brought us lots and lots of great gadgets, and whenever we get a formerly-Asia-only device stateside, it is usually a treat. Unfortunately, some companies still haven’t learned that it’s helpful to have a native English speaker proofread your instruction manuals. Seriously, just hire a Northwestern student as an intern, pay him with college credit, and make sure your papers make sense. Please.
DON’T TRY TO SPIN POOR FEATURES AS A PLUS
How many times have you seen a company try to spin its reliance on AA batteries as a reason it is “Great for travelers!” I’d much rather carry a charge cord with me than a pile of AAs and a battery charger, and I’m sure you would too.
Seth Porges writes on future technology and its role in personal electronics for his column, The Futurist. It appears every Thursday and an archive of past columns is available here.
FWIW, I almost didn’t buy my Canon PowerShot A610 a year and a half ago because it uses AA batteries. However, I then realized that if I went on a trip and my long-lasting rechargeables died, I wouldn’t have to have the charger because I could just stop at any store and pick up disposables, which also last a very long time, making them worth the money. Any batteries I put in it last a long time, so it almost doesn’t matter.
Also, rechargeable AAs are relatively inexpensive, though I don’t know how the price compares to replacement digicam batteries.
I came across this bit of software the other day and it looks like it’s a decent attempt at removing all the pre-installed crapware.
http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/
(FTR, I’m not at all connected with the makers of the software in question.)
Dell’s new Vostro line of PC’s comes without crapware. It’s still not as good as never seeing crapware again, but it’s a step in the right direction.
I actually used to have a battery company as a client. They’ve got a good spin with the rechargeables. What a lot of people don’t realize is rechargeables drain on their own, pretty rapidly compared to primary/disposable batteries. So yeah, for travellers or people who forget to rather than won’t bring their charging cables, they’re a good idea. Plue, Duracell, Energizer and others make 15-30 minute chargers for AA’s and AAA’s.
Good article. I *almost* wish we’d do like South Korea and legislate all power cables use a single standard. I hate all the proprietary cords. Half the weight of my laptop bag is cords and cables.
As an aside… dude…the squid’s got to go. It’s ugly and doesn’t make any sense. Pick a different avatar for your columns, or at least use a squid picture that doesn’t look so cheezy.
-Wes