OUYA founder and CEO Julie Uhrman on the Motorola StarTAC and fitness gadget dependency
Every week, a new and interesting human being tackles our decidedly geeky take on the Proustian Q&A. This is the Engadget Questionnaire.
In this freshly transcribed edition of our regular smattering of queries, OUYA founder and CEO Julie Uhrman addresses click reduction and quantifying inactivity. Head on past the break to peruse the full list of responses.
What gadget do you depend on most?
Cellphone, but I don't consider it a gadget -- it's a necessity, like air and water!
Which do you look back upon most fondly?
Motorola StarTAC -- was my first phone. Huge battery, three saved numbers. I still have it.
Which company does the most to push the industry?
Apple. They taught us to think different.
What is your operating system of choice?
Obviously, I should say Android, but truth be told I also love iTunes... and I have too much invested on kids' shows to get away from it now!
What are your favorite gadget names?
Love the Flip camera. Lytro, Nest, both super descriptive, but of course my favorite
is OUYA.
What are your least favorite?
Names I can't pronounce or spell.
Which app do you depend on most?
Email, but I don't think that really counts. Next is my Up by Jawbone. I like seeing how little I sleep and work out.
What traits do you most deplore in a smartphone?
That I have to click into an app to get information. I think we could be smarter about push notifications and "widgets."
Which do you most admire?
Simplicity and user intuitiveness.
What is your idea of the perfect device?
Beautiful, powerful, impactful, simple and with long battery life.
What is your earliest gadget memory?
Hand-held gaming device playing Donkey Kong.
What technological advancement do you most admire?
Open-source. Puts the ability to change the world into everyone's hands.
Which do you most despise?
Any closed platform or system. Pay-to-play-type thing.
What fault are you most tolerant of in a gadget?
Battery life.
Which are you most intolerant of?
Those that are difficult to use and / or don't add a lot of value.
When has your smartphone been of the most help?
Staying connected while traveling... email, calendar, map... and games.
If you could change one thing about your phone what would it be?
Pulling info out of apps - no clicks.
What does being connected mean to you?
Accessibility.
When are you least likely to reply to an email?
Never, I'm way too responsive -- so, when I'm sleeping.
When did you last disconnect?
I disconnect every day from 5-8:30 PM to make time for my family.
