confessions of a serial hobbyist

There are several people out there in blogs I read that are trying to get away from their computers and prove that you can do just fine and replace that laptop/PC with a mobile device. From ThoughtFix, to the Symbian Guru, to even myself, it seems like leaving the computers behind and going fully mobile is the dream du jour. Unfortunately, it’s just not happening. As of yet, NONE of these attempts have been successful. Why?

1. Habits. We’re used to our current usage patterns. It’s easy to get trained in how you use your PC (or Mac…in my case) and even if you want to leave that behind, since most mobile devices aren’t going to work just like a home PC, it’s an instant point against them. On top of this, there’s all of that software, and the games that you’re used to which just aren’t going to be available on mobile devices.
2. Convenience. It’s easier to read on a 20″ monitor than a 2″ (or even 6″) screen. It’s easier to type on a fullscreen keyboard than to type via triple tap, t9, touchscreen, or even thumb keyboard. A mouse is an easier, quicker-to-move, more accurate pointer than using arrow keys to scroll around.
3. Speed. Let’s face it, we just can’t fit a dual-core 2ghz processor like the one in my laptop into something the size of a phone. While I firmly believe that software can be more optimized and run plenty quickly on a 300mhz processor like those found in newer cellphones, it will never be as-fast. This is especially true with things such as video codecs.
4. Work. This is the big catch for me. Flash back to a few years ago when I tried as hard as I could to not run Windows. I worked from home so my personal computer was my “work” computer, and a number of the tools I needed for work were Windows programs. So I installed Linux on a separate harddrive and planned to dual-boot. I tried this to not have to be in Windows because frankly I didn’t like it (why? I don’t even know…I find I care a lot less these days…maybe I’m getting too old to care). And yet I kept having to go back to Windows. Why? Because there would always be something I needed to run that didn’t work well remotely, or would have to reboot for, and over time it would just become too much of a hassle. I would forget to reboot back, or just wouldn’t bother, etc.

But the good news is you can always look on the other side of this…

1. Habits. Habits can always be broken, and reformed. You just have to be willing to deal with the “differentness” of it all in the mean time. The same software might not be there, but there is almost assuredly software that can perform the same task, and while you may not be able to play the same games, there are certainly a good number of games available for mobile devices. You just have to be ok with similar-but-different.
2. Convenience. You want to talk about convenience? What’s more convenient than that one device that’s in your pocket all the time. The ability to grab something from your pocket, do what you have to do, and slip it back away at anytime, from anywhere, is unbeatable.
3. Speed. These devices are getting quicker and quicker, and software is getting more and more optimized. These faster mobile devices, along with quicker wireless networks means the speed gap is closing.
4. Work. We all (well, most atleast) have to have some form of a job. And in a lot of cases that job involves working with other people, and having to use the same kind of equipment they use. If your job involves computers at all, it almost instantly means your mobile device can’t be your only device. However, you can leave work at work, and do everything else on your mobile device just fine, and even bring some work onto it (such as email). Currently I use my phone for almost all of my email, as well as IM, and music listening while at work. Actual work (largely software related) takes place on my work machine, but the rest I do on my little cell phone. I do still bring my laptop with me, but most days it never comes out of its sleeve.

So my little rant on why we’re still stuck with computers (and the flip side to those same points) has come to an end…and I suddenly don’t recall why I started writing it in the first place.