I want electronic interoperability!

Bright Scouter

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 18, 2001
Messages
490
Location
West Michigan, USA
I have a palm with 802.11b. I have a cell phone with web access. I live in the boonies where there is no cable or dsl for internet, so I have an aircard. I have a garmin nuvi gps that picks up traffic/weather/gas prices from msn direct. I have an ipod.

I want them all to work together and communicate! I know it won't happen for a long time if ever, but I want it now!

I want to connect to the internet on my palm pilot, either through the cell phone or aircard. It could/should be wireless, but at this point I would take wired. I want to then be able to use that internet connection to download geocache info to my portable gps. Or update my car gps with more accurate, faster info. I want to download new songs on my ipod through that connection. Or even listen to radio stations on the ipod through that connection when I am on the move. I know there is a gps that will pick up weather radar from an XM channel. I already subscribe to XM. Let me get that downloaded and sent to my palm pilot. I want wireless stereo headphone from my ipod, or palm pilot. All of this could be done. But I know it won't be.

But you could easily plug in whatever particular piece of gear you happen to have to the equation and it SHOULD be allowed to work. No palm pilot, but you carry a laptop, no problem. That could be your focal point. No air card from Verizon/Spring, no problem. I can use a cell phone. Not as fast, but it would work. I know people are raving over the iphone. But it's not for me. The best cell service in my area is Verizon. Besides, I like to have the new and better as it comes out. I don't want to be locked into one item with a two year contract that is supposed to do it all. Just my luck, something much better will come out a month later that I would want to use for that function.

I really hope in the next decade we get some better interoperability amongst all the technology we now carry. Bluetooth, 802.11x, whatever. Just let them wirelessly communicate!
 
The FCC says to you, in their best Nelson voice, "ha ha."

The next decade? What about the last decade? It's not technology itself standing in the way, it's competition in business. This an arena where interoperability needs to be forced by government agencies with teeth. It's businesses looking out for control of their customers more than their customers' needs and wants than it is that rapidly advancing technologies can't work well with each other.

Like utilities, PSTN networks, and broadcast stations, heavy regulation can be, and often is, te best thing for us consumer folk.
 
Top