Saturday, July 24, 2004
Batteries are included...
...but they're flat! argh, modern consumer technology has again thwarted my need for instant gratification. having spent weeks agonising about what kind of cordless phone to buy (DECT, non-DECT, answer machine/no answer machine, 1/2 handsets, cheap/expensive) I decided to finally buy one today only to find that although they provide batteries for both handsets, they need to charge for 16 hours before I can play with it! at least with a new mobile you can plug it in and fiddle while it's filling up. ok, so there's not much to do with a cordless phone, but I think I've learned a lesson here: it's no longer enough to make sure you have enough batteries in for the new toys, make sure you allow time to charge them up too. I have a very vivid image in my head of a really boring Christmas in a few years' time where it's just us and the kids sitting around a charger because I forgot to plug everything in the day before.
unless of course there's a radical change in battery technology in the next 12 months or so. I've been reading recently that despite rapid advances in hard drives, memory, screens, processors etc, the power to drive all these things still comes from batteries built to well-established and, some would argue, well-dated designs. the problem is there's just no other way of doing it, without a major change of direction. Tiny fuel cells that need topping up with methanol are one solution, but I don't fancy coming home to find that the kids have topped up their portable PlayStation 5 with my best single malt. Another radical idea is to actually try and build things that use less power, and also to educate users about the best uses of their batteries. Following some problems with their iPod, Apple are doing both these things. Power on the go might not always be an abundant commodity we perceive it to be now. Just a thought, but we have watches that power themselves from movement - why not laptops too? it might need a quick jog around the block to get in going in the morning but that's good for us users as well.
...but they're flat! argh, modern consumer technology has again thwarted my need for instant gratification. having spent weeks agonising about what kind of cordless phone to buy (DECT, non-DECT, answer machine/no answer machine, 1/2 handsets, cheap/expensive) I decided to finally buy one today only to find that although they provide batteries for both handsets, they need to charge for 16 hours before I can play with it! at least with a new mobile you can plug it in and fiddle while it's filling up. ok, so there's not much to do with a cordless phone, but I think I've learned a lesson here: it's no longer enough to make sure you have enough batteries in for the new toys, make sure you allow time to charge them up too. I have a very vivid image in my head of a really boring Christmas in a few years' time where it's just us and the kids sitting around a charger because I forgot to plug everything in the day before.
unless of course there's a radical change in battery technology in the next 12 months or so. I've been reading recently that despite rapid advances in hard drives, memory, screens, processors etc, the power to drive all these things still comes from batteries built to well-established and, some would argue, well-dated designs. the problem is there's just no other way of doing it, without a major change of direction. Tiny fuel cells that need topping up with methanol are one solution, but I don't fancy coming home to find that the kids have topped up their portable PlayStation 5 with my best single malt. Another radical idea is to actually try and build things that use less power, and also to educate users about the best uses of their batteries. Following some problems with their iPod, Apple are doing both these things. Power on the go might not always be an abundant commodity we perceive it to be now. Just a thought, but we have watches that power themselves from movement - why not laptops too? it might need a quick jog around the block to get in going in the morning but that's good for us users as well.
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(c) 2003-2005 Russell Beale
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