Champs794

Here’s an idea: choice.

Two touchscreen phones in, I went back to QWERTY, and very much on purpose.

How soon can we call Thunderbolt a flop?

Even with deeper pockets, I wouldn’t want to spend $999 on the Thunderbolt Display as a “dock” for my MBP because I can’t deal with Apple’s glossy screens, and I don’t think any other company wants to bother. Should the Belkin port replicator finally come out this summer, it’s DOA just by virtue of its $299 pricetag. If that’s any sign of things to come, I don’t think Thunderbolt will ever be more than the port everybody uses to hook up their displays.

…and the PlayStation 3 an even better device. Minus the unified content discovery, it does all the Google TV stuff while also playing DVDs, Blur-ry, and—I almost forgot—PS3 games. For good measure, it has access to ALL the major streaming services (unlike anything but Roku) and a few exclusives.

But I’m with you: anything to escape distinct TV “modes” with all the different remotes things to turn on, etc. That’s why I love how the PS3 responds to the TV’s remote over HDMI.

You know what’s awesome? Not spending thousands of dollars every year on a car. I’ve never had a driver’s license, lived in a city resembling anything like New York, or taken more than two cab rides in a year. It’s practical and cheap.

But this… this whole experiment is like being that pretentious idiot who wouldn’t get a cell phone five years ago (“if people want to reach me, they can reach me”), shares an email address with their partner (rare as hen’s teeth, y’know), or refuses to use paper towels because they’re not “green” (hint: they compost just fine).

How much time would you spend checking its work if your self-driving car works more than 99% of the time? What if the steering wheel had poison-tipped spikes instead of an airbag?

It’s what I call the “uncanny valley” of attention.

Maybe they’re just waiting for a dozen more mutually incompatible systems.

But seriously, I’m all about packing lighter. I only need keys to lock up my bike, and even as a cash-heavy user, there’s still a small stack of bank, library, loyalty, transit, and punch cards that I’d love to get rid of. A quick experiment confirms that an even slimmer bifold wallet is ass-approved.

But that’s an exception in America. This is the country where couples buy enormous new vehicles on account of one small child. I moved cross-country last year, but it’s got nothing on the work some people do to pack the minivan for a day trip to grandma’s.

There’s still time!

Maybe an “iPhone Pro” with hardware keyboard and extended battery?