((("Digital nomads" – well, Christian Lindholm was hitting a core audience at LIFT in Korea, as the nomad-quotient for parachuting globalist geeks was impressively high.)))
Link: Lunch over IP: LiftAsia08: Tending towards beauty.
(...)
The product-maker has to create beauty. What is beauty? Roman architect Vitruvius in 30 BC said: A structure must exhibit firmitas (solid, rugged), utilitas (utility) and venustas (beauty). Another architect, Leon Battista Alberti, defined beauty in 1435: "The adjustment of all parts proportionally, so that one can not add, subtract or change without impairing the harmony of the whole". But you also have to have "oréos", the greek word for "beauty of one's hour", timely beauty.
(((Unfortunately this useful archeologism is pronounced like the American cream-filled cookie, as in, "hey man, my Nokia is full of Oreos.")))
The Apple iPhone is beautiful, but it really still feels like a prototype. (((As opposed to a Braun vinyl record player from the 70s, which looks as timeless as the Pyramids but is deader than mutton.)))
To see the future, look at the present. We interviewed a group of "elite nomads", the bleeding edge of global travelling users. Here some of the findings:
Data-roaming costs stifle demand; people downgrade to pure voice; they carry several prepaid SIM cards. (((I would have told him the same thing, as that's just what I do.)))
Reliable Internet connection is like a shade under a palmtree for these digital nomads, it's comfort. Coffee, wi-fi and friends is an invaluable combination for these digital nomads. (((If you really want 'em to flock, throw in some Piedmontese Slow Food.)))
Battery life is a constant worry for them. Battery life is the number 1 enemy of convergence: basically everything already works, except that all-in-one runs out of batteries.
Power is the digital water. People go to ridiculous length to find the power.
What I see more and more is digital divergence – a phone AND an iPod, separate devices – and the main reason for this is to two batteries, so that you don't run out of juice in either (for the same reason many Blackberry users have also a cell phone: in order not to run out of battery in either calls or e-mail).
My favorite mobile gizmo from Nokia from the last few years is the USB charger (Apple iPods also have one).
Laptops are the only one that are qualified as "tools" by these leading digital nomads; the phone is a read-only device. All the nomads were carrying laptops, and many had also Blackberries and phones and other devices.
This year is the year of bad touch screens (BG: picture of the iPhone behind the speaker). The reason why Apple is so phenomenal is because they have their own screen technology. But the natural evolution of the iPhone is a small sliding QWERTY keyboard. (BG: totally, totally agree: the iPhone will never become a business tool until the keyboard is there).
The Internet builds a base for stronger ties when meeting physically....
(((A round of applause there for Bruno Giussani, ace conference blogger.
Better than being there. Okay, well, you don't get the free kimchee.)))
