Entelligence: Thirty three screens and a cloud
By Michael Gartenberg 
posted May 16th 2010 8:16PM
posted May 16th 2010 8:16PM
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.
1. The vision is fundamentally correct. There's a lot that needs to improve about the Dash, both from a marketing and implementation perspective, but the core idea is sound. Microsoft likes to talk about "three screens and a cloud" and I agree with that vision -- my phone number is 408-3-SCREEN -- but it's really a statement about consumption, creation and communication. Count the number of PCs, TVs, phones, game devices, media players and navigation devices you have around the house and interact with -- it's more like 33 screens. The idea that there's going to be multiple connected screens that consumers interact with is real.
2. Paradigms shift. One of the arguments against Dash is that consumers won't pay $199 for a device that doesn't fit into the three screen model. Perhaps. But there's a lot of evidence that's contrary to this. When the iPod was first introduced, a lot of pundits said it was doomed to failure. Why one earth would someone spend $500 on a gadget that was fundamentally the same as a $50 CD player? Of course, that analysis was as wrong as possible. Consumers will pay where they see value. I'm not sure the current iteration of Dash has met that threshold, but I don't think it's a product that's meant for the mass market right now. Longer term, Sony needs to think less about adding functionality, and more about how to constrain it. When it comes to consumer electronics, less is often more.
Glanceable devices are all around us -- look at that watch on your wrist or your clock radio. |
3. Glanceable information is key. I love the idea of glanceable content. Microsoft attempted to do much of what is key to Dash with its SPOT initiative (although with a very different approach). Information should be easily accessible and viewable. I don't even need to make an argument here, really -- glanceable devices are all around us. Look at that watch on your wrist or your clock radio. Both are designed to quickly convey one bit of information: the time of day. The dashboard on your car conveys key information such as speed and fuel consumption. At the moment, no one's quite gotten how to extend richer views of information to those glanceable screens, but the Dash begins to do this. For example, when I wake up in the morning, I want to know the time as well as the weather.
Using Dash for a while I can see just why the product is as polarizing as it is in current incarnation. Sony will address current issues or not but I expect that connected screens are going to be a core part of our lives going forward.
@byran
I feel a bit ashamed, but I also thought it should read and "I".
Damn I need to go back to school. I guess you learn something new everyday though, thnx.
I wanted a Dash before reading reviews, I actually still want one too but I'll wait until they fix some issues and maybe add features/content. I can't see why it's too polarizing as of this day, but I can see how it falls into irrelevance due to a poor launch and then it's supporters (crossing my fingers I'm one) are talking about a product that most people have never heard of.
I'll give you a call tonight ;)
You gave few reasons on why you liked the Dash, nor did you describe the problems you faced with it. I have no better idea of the Dash than before I read this. I have to agree with greenestofteas, this article was very poor.
@DgDeBx ^ this. Article was really poor, I was expecting more. Looks like somebody said "Oh shit, I gotta get an Entelligence article done this week ....." and produced this luke warm tripe.
Entelligence has disappointed me as of late. The last good post I read of this was the post talking about the 6 mobile OSes.
I have the DASH myself and like it! I also own a Chumby One. I like the DASH more as I can see more Info at once. Unlike the Chumby, I can look and see the time and weather at any time. With the Chumby, I'd have to wait for a Time or Weather Widget to show up between all the other widgets. There are some bugs with the Dash, the USB port is still Disabled, and some other issues that should be fixed over time. For the most part it still works great. Really, $199 for a Device like this isn't all that much!!! I also don't think the dash is SLOW. It's not speedy, but it's fast enough for me. I'm not writing messages on it. I use it for a Alarm Clock, To see the weather forecast, Stream some Netflix, and a few other things besides the widgets. It's not a Laptop, or Netbook, or a Phone. It's not even a IPAD.
Michael, come clean. Justin Beiber mesmerized you to write this article on a half assed product, wasn't it?
Glanceable uh ? So is it suppose to be a next-gen alarm clock?
Am I the only one that clicks "Read More" to see all the comments bashing Gartenberg?
It's brilliant.
@War Ensemble
every single time
@War Ensemble
Unfortunately, many of the comments that do indeed point out the flaws in Mr. Gartenbergs writings get deleted by the editors. Most of my comments have been deleted, and whichever haven't been deleted have been up-ranked by the users, so I cant be -all- wrong.
All these connected screens need to move to android.
I don't want to have 10 different devices with 10 different app stores.
Sony is already working with Android for TVs and Phones and it should be able to run on devices like this.
I am waiting for the day I can get a Tablet, TV, Media player, Remote, Fridge, Alarm Clock, Home Alarm system, (and phone) all running Android.
As these come online I will open my wallet.
Wow.. I know these columns get a lot of stick but i normally do enjoy them, so I'm not just saying this because trolls think its a cool thing to do.
But that was a poor article, I read Engadget alot but I havent paid much attention to stuff about the Dash, I come to read this article and I still dont know what it does really (it sounds like the clock + weather widgets on my iphone for $199?) but i dont know whats good about it or what is bad about it.
I really think these articles should be more indepth i dont know why i just am always a little surprised when I see how abruptly they finish - may have something to do with the glorious opening italicised into they get (/s) but they just arent in-depth enough - i normally enjoy them but not this time
I've got... let's see... Old laptop, new laptop, Dell 24" monitor, Samsung 24" monitor, media player (that sucks so I don't use it), cellphone (technically two screens on there), and GBA. So that's seven screens just in my room. Even if you don't count the GBA because it's only good for playing Nintendo games and nothing else, that's still six devices with screens, just in my room, that are all capable of communicating data to each other in some way.
Add another laptop and a TV (not mine) and we're up to eight, plus a screen I've got half apart because I'm trying to fix it sorta makes nine. Of course, like many on this blog, I'm someone for whom their lives revolve more or less around technology, so this might not be typical, though I'm not sure "three" is that typical either.
I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this post. I guess I'm wondering how many screens other Engadgeters have hanging around. My guess is, it's not three.
@thomaskingx1 I was looking through the comments hoping nobody had said that so I could say it. Damn you!
@HurricaneDC
Well, they (Engadget) presumably deleted it, so I will type it again:
"Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. "
Everytime I read that it makes me cringe at just how cheesy and pretentious it sounds.
can Sony wait for Wi-Di please.... wires everywhere and we'll be tripping around the house and see clouds when we fall...
@annoynimous What exactly is wi-di?
@Grubasaurus Rex
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2357919,00.asp
Hey new buddy, thanks for the green light to call you whenever I want
I would actually like to own a dash, for one legitimate use and it would gets its moneysworth. The thing is, $199 is too much for me for this use.
Every day, I come home for lunch and I eat a couple bowls of cereal and I listen to the radio... either the commercial news talk out of Boston or one of the two NPR stations from Boston. I have an ancient radio that was left in my house, but the reception and talk-quality is good and so I like it... but it's got an old non-digital dial for tuning, and I'd love to get a new unit that is easier to use to switch stations, and so on. I'd be willing to spend $40 on a new radio, and so, if the Dash was $90, I'd be willing to drop down another $50 on it for something that can do so much more.....
But at $199, for something that will generally be an internet radio for me.... I can't justify it.
An alarm clock. A weather report. An alert center for all my messages and updates. A docking station for my phone. A device to make voice and video calls through. A dock for my music player and an internet radio, allowing me to send the audio over Bluetooth to a set of decent speakers. A digital photo frame for any time when it's not doing anything else.
I can definitely see a use for the Dash, it just has to do all of that stuff exactly the way I'd need it to, otherwise it'd just be cumbersome. It seems like the current Dash kind of has that problem. Where it's an uneasy solution for a nonexistent problem, rather then a convergence device that makes my life easier and more enjoyable.
Devices in the Dash's category have always failed, as will the Dash eventually, but sooner or later someone will get it right, and the Dash is closer to what will work than anything else thus far.
Whoever puts out a decent Android tablet with a kickstand will rule the world for a while...
An Android handset is the ultimate in glanceable information. Just about infinite customization of apps and widgets across multiple screens means you can see everything Michael wants to see just by turning your screen on. Secondary/tertiary data is only a screen swipe away or if you want to dig in deeper open an app. A quick double tap of my menu button and I'm presented with the weather, time, daily calendar, and notifications, all on one screen, all one click away from gaining further information. Too much iPhone use if you ask me. Everything this device does, my phone does. Except the part about being tied to a wall.
Dash may not be the device that would succeed in this category, but that doesn't mean a general multi-purpose device like an iPad or a smartphone can replace every "smart devices". I think the most vocal advocates of "iAnything" miss the point that we need dedicate devices. Yes, you can use your smart phone as an alarm clock, an universal remote, etc. But you will have to SWITCH your smart phone into such devices. On top of that, you will need to bring your smart phone with you all the times, everywhere. The Dash at least attempts to address this problem. However, its price is killing it. At $199, I can get an iPod Touch and permanently convert it as a smart-clock.
"There are some devices that are universally loved or reviled -- I don't know anyone who doesn't think HTC EVO 4G is awesome, or anyone who doesn't think the WikiReader was awful."
I am not sure what an EVO 4G is I am guessing a phone, but I guess it could be a Mitsubishi car. I have a Wikireader and love it. 99% of the content doesn't change, it doesn't need phone service, and the batteries last forever. My only complaint is no backlighting.
@sporkinum
You can't be serious! At this point, even Helen Keller has seen and heard about the EVO 4G
@bphatness
Yes, I was joking. I know it's a phone, But if you handed one to me, I wouldn't know that it was an EVO. Really!
I think I am more rally aware than phone aware as first thing I think of when I see EVO is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Lancer_Evolution .
Love the concept, but Dash blocks open content (ever wonder why Sony says 1000 apps, but Chumby says 1500 apps?).
Also, Dash is PAINFULLY slow to configure and get to your info.
RETURNED AFTER 3 DAYS
I would have owned one on release day except Canada gets screwed on new technology again and I don't want to order from the states.
however mediocre Dash is, it's gotta be better than the bag full of hurt my Squeezebox Radio has been since the last firmware update:
dropping connections
screaming default alarms
server software taking over my WHS box (just this morning, when investigating why my server did not go to sleep at the correct time, I tried adjusting the time a little later and a dialog popped up telling me the sleep time could not be changed because squeezebox server would not allow it... LOL
I really like the idea of having many screens around the home or workspace, all displaying your information, giving you glanceable stuff, showing when you have new messages, and so on. Three screens and a cloud requires you to go to the screens, or to carry them with you. Thirty-screens, means they're always just *there*. This category of device will, I think, eventually replace clock radios, telephones, and those little TVs people keep in their kitchens for watching 24-hour news.
But to be really useful, these things are going to have to deliver important, relevant, and potentially-sensitive information to me. My email, my calendar, my address book. Photos, documents, whatever. My personal cloud. They're going to have to take care of security somehow, and in a way that's non-intrusive and easy. It's a tricky problem, but not unsolveable - good, fast facial recognition, or voice recognition, or a combination of both, may work.
They're also going to have to make these things family-friendly, as in, multi-user.