Mobile broadband modems (Gallery: 10 most annoying hardware headaches)

TalkBack 17 of 65:

Next »

« Previous

• Thread View
• Flat View

The other side...

Notebook Input Devices:
Yes, there are the bad, and there are the worse in this category. I'm not gonna disagree here, but at the same time there are only so many ways to do this. I could never get used to a trackball, and while I got pretty good at the IBM trackpoint, every so often it would start to wander. I think that HP has it right with the touchpads to provide an on/off switch that's easily visible and usable.

Port Positioning:
I agree with the other guy here that said that the device manufacturers should get a bit of heat for that one. When I run standard type-A USB cables, it is convenient to have sockets next to each other. The fact that several USB dongles need to spend a little time on Jenny Craig can't be blamed on laptop manufacturers.

AC Adapters:
I agree on paper with this one, but in reality it just wouldn't work. Some devices will just need more power than others, and transforming power to fit both a cell phone and a workstation-grade laptop would be quite the challenge. A truly universal power brick would have to be about the size of a brick, and there would need to be a system to auto-negotiate the amount of power required by the device. Bonus points: if your brick messes this up, there goes your laptop/cell phone/iPod...

Wireless Input Devices:
Check out the Logitech VX Nano. That's wireless done right.

Stylus/Touch Systems:
These are niche items that have been taken out of their niche. Desktop computing as we know it requires keyboards and mice. To add touch to it, there needs to be a foundational difference in the way that we compute. Apple's iPhone is a start, but like you said texting is a drag. There needs to be further refinement on both the hardware and software ends of this.

Flash Card Formats:
Take a look at your photo, and let's keep score. Smartmedia is dead, Compactflash is down to a niche product in professional grade digital cameras. Sony, king of reinventing the wheel (Minidisc, ATRAC3, DAT, etc.) will never conform to a standard as long as they can repackage it and charge a premium for it. That brings us down to SD and xD for digital cameras, and mini/microSD for cell phones. Yes, I agree that phones should stick to SDHC, but even if it was SD for cameras, microSD for cell phones, I don't think that that's an obscene compromise.

Inkjet Printers:
99% of inkjet printers give the rest a bad name. Most have become such a money grab that it's gotten to be a headache to print. But, I'm pretty sure I own the most well-designed inkjet printer in recent history - the Canon IP6700D. not the fastest horse in the race, but 9MB drivers, reasonable ink prices, and astounding photo prints all add up to an awesome machine that stands out from the rest.

Shiny Notebook Screens:
I'm not a fan of the reflections, either. As someone who spends plenty of time in Photoshop and Premiere though, I feel that the color reproduction on them is more accurate. While I found your jabs at the manufacturers humorous, I do think that it's an even tradeoff - more glare, but better color.

Graphics Cards
Two things here. First, as a video editor, better GPU's mean faster renders, which means i'm more productive, my clients get their videos faster, and I make more money. My architect friends will tell you the same thing. Second, I love playing Unreal Tournament. I pay the electric bill, I buy my games, I go to work and contribute to society, and I am otherwise very power conscious. Why are you telling me that my means of fun is juvenile?

Mobile Phone Headphone Sockets
The Nokia DKU-5 connector you present is a headphone connector, power connector, and data connector. Would you rather have three different connections for it? I agree with another poster in that it mini-USB should be a handset standard, and 3.5mm-to-miniUSB should be something that everyone has. I would much rather use my Sennheiser headphones than the hands free crap so I won't argue with you there.

Mobile Broadband Modems:
In the US, we have two mobile network standards - CDMA and GSM. I know I wouldn't want to have to choose between two laptops because of my choice in wireless providers. The retailers probably aren't going to want to have to stock two SKUs on that sole difference, and knowing my dumb luck, they're going to be out of the one that I want. Plus, people are stupid and it's just one more thing to explain to them. Yes, soap on a rope dongles suck. Being stuck with a particular service because it's built into your laptop sucks more.

Joey

Posted by: voyager529   Posted on: 06/14/08 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

Alert moderator to an offensive message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

• Five Steps to Determine When to Virtualize YourServers VMware Server virtualization isn't just for big companies. Entry-level ... Download Now
• Reducing Server Total Cost of Ownership with VMware Virtualization Software VMware VMware virtualization enables customers to reduce their server TCO and ... Download Now
• VMware Infrastructure: A Guide to Bottom-Line Benefits VMware Frustrated by the costs of maintain ever larger data centers?or building ... Download Now