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Poortability?

So here we have it:

The entry that was written a few days before I embaked on my pilgrimage to the East (thus resulting in a few lawsuits from everyone's favorite anthromorphic monkey), but here it is:

There will be no more colons from this point:

Well, this is just the first entry, and is simply a test of the limits (though some claim that the videos are in fact frauds) of the portable Palm keyboard for the Tungsten T3. And for the total evaluation, I'm suprised to say that I really can't feel much of a difference when typing when compared to my laptop keyboard. There are two possible reasons for this, but I'm quite sure it's all very self explanatory. Although it's not to say the thing is perfect, since, by definition of the word perfect, there are a few quibbles to be had with the portable keyboard.

1. I can't charge my Palm while using the keyboard, for the simple reason that the Palm simply couldn't live with itself if the keyboard found out, or from a more Gradgrinian point of view, the keyboard interfaces with the Palm the way I like it, by plugging into it at the bottom, which coincidentally also happens to be the location of the unmentionable charging slot. So in the end, my Palm is torn between having to choose between being provided for and the fleeting pleasure of being able to type at the same speed as I would on my laptop.

2. Unfortunately, as is the case with most flat things, the Portable keyboard is simply frail. Underneath it's cold hard exterior lies a weakling longing for protection. And while this is due to the fact that the keyboard can be folded up into a case the size of a wallet, you can't help but feel that this keyboard will someday leave you prematurely, and that you should treasure every moment you have with it.

Though the keyboard does earn points for portability and compactness when folded, so in the end, its disadvantages are counterbalanced by whatever weaknesses it may have.

So while we're on the topic, let's talk (or if you tend to have crushes on four eyed beings which spend more time in front of a screen than anything, I will) about the whole concept of portability.

Human beings seem to be completely obsessed with being able to bring things with them (a brief apology to all the parents on the planet) wherever they go. Of course, this wasn't really much of a possiblity until the wheel was invented, but then most people didn't like the idea of having to Tour De France just to keep an error message on the screen and the SPCA had strict rules regarding hamsters, so we had to wait till the battery was invented.

The first kind of real portable computer (Not those wishy washy holographic versions) ran on AA batteries, and could last for an hour or so before ceasing to provide all sorts of wonderful error messages. But at that point of time, it was considered a wonderful breakthrough, because you could now enjoy error messages on the go, and would never have to do so in the comfort of your own home.

All was well and splendid till some genius came up with the idea of using rechargeable batteries which were only avaliable for fifty dollars or so, but could provide up to two hours of error messages. And so the market for portability exploded, and managers could now give you forty times your normal workload, because having to travel long distances was no longer in the way of getting more work done.

But of course, as our favorite uncle with a vocabulary of one sentence once (alright, once may be understating it a little) said, With great power comes great responsiblities.", Which brings us to one of the problems with portability: Power sources. Most laptops these days can usually only stay awake for about three hours on average, with higher end laptops being able to frustrate you for five hours or so, but most laptops still being in the regions of two hours or so. But with human beings' ability to adapt to all sorts of wome- situations, power plugs are now the most dominant species on Earth, though I still don't trust them.

Another problem, as mentioned before when discussing the Portable Keyboar- hold on a second... the U goes here... Shift key goes here... Alright, where was I? But more importantly, where'sthespacebar? You can see my point here. Portability results in a drastic drop of (this may not be the best choice of words on a plane...) strength and durability, especially if something was not specifically designed to be portable, then is suddenly dragged onto the porto bandwagon.

Occasionally, portability also shoves convenience and user friendliness off the wagon, such as reducing (I mean upgrading of course) to a pocket calculator, such that typing is only possible with your thumbs, thus making a lot of other species of creatures very angry at the wretched humans.

So why do so many foolish humans insist on making things portable? Morpheus is getting very concerned...

Well, for obvious reasons, of course. I mean, seriously. What sort of question is that? I mean, you can carry it around with you...

Well, for starters, it makes your devices more personal. You can now spend more time with them, and use what would be otherwise wasted time on the train to get that new game +, or type your letter of resignation. Our choices of what we want to accomplish are no longer limited by distance and postion, because we now bring our tools with us. You'll notice that the longer someone uses a device, the more information goes into the device and the more personal it becomes. It almost becomes a part of that person, which brings us to our next question:

Red pill or Blue pill?