Okay, I admit it, I have iPhone envy. About a year ago I was one of the few bloggers not to rave about it. Why? Because I simply wasn’t willing to slide backward into AT&T’s spotty coverage in New York City. Since then, I have been forced to admire the device from a far, taking solace in the fact that other cool gadgets will come along soon enough. Here’s a round up of some of those devices and a challenge to you all to come up with your own concept–winner will get toasted with six bottles of Toasted Head Cabernet.
Chumby–got to love the name of this “compact wi-fi device that displays useful and entertaining information from the web,” according to its website. Who needs a clock radio when you can use this puppy as the ultimate Internet radio player via a wi-fi connection. At $180 bucks, it feels like a great belated father’s day gift for this gadget lover.
Kindle-One of my clients swears by his Kindle, using it to read his virtual New York Times daily and business books when he is on the road. Developed and sold by Amazon, this nifty device will certainly save trees and cut down on your need for new shelves as it provides wi-fi access to over 130,000 books. It is definitely one of those things that is best experienced first hand and at $360 dollars plus a subscription its hardly a impulse purchase. Nonetheless, I could easily see this on my side table in the not too distant future.
Nokia N800 Internet Tablet-According to CNET, this wireless wonder “is a nice, portable device for on-the-go Web browsing, and it has some worthy upgrades.” Not exactly a rave but at $279, this little puppy won’t set you back too much if you simply want a “travel friendly” gadget for Internet surfing and want to garner a few covetous stares in the airport lounges.
There are many others but I’ve got to get back to work. Be sure to let me know about any existing devices you crave and/or ideas for topping these three before the end of the month.�
Drew,
My fantasy electronic book feels like a real paperback book, and looks like one, too. I don’t want to read a glowing screen when I pull out my book. I want to touch, hold, look at and bend “real” pages. My ebook will have a tiny data port on its spine, so I can download text onto its pages and read them at my leisure. It will not glow or be encased in palm-sweat-inducing-plastic, and it will not need a battery. The only paperback characteristic it will lack is the scent of ink and paper decay, and I can deal with that.
Hey Drew. Thanks for writing and I’ll be sure check your blog frequently from here on.