Other atrocities include PS3 and Xbox3. Not only do they cost more than a high end home built computer, but they do absolutely EVERYTHNG a game console shouldn't be doing! Why do simple ideas like "game console" and "phone" become "game/dvd player/computer/internet browser/mp3 player console" and "PDA/digital camera/video viewer/mp3 player phone"? By God, and in my humble opinion, when I want a phone, I want just that - A PHONE ... they already sell PDAs, mp3 players, video viewers, and digital cameras and these standalone products usually do a better job at their purpose than the cell phone.
You know, in the very end...I say we scrap the phone idea. Lets make something new, call it Thing, or Object and just append every possible conceivable function into it. Object can be used to open cans, or it can be used as a spoon, it can take pictures, play movies, be used to shave, have bluetooth and USB, hold files, play mp3s, run Windows, play PSP, DS, XBox, PS2/3, and Computer games, runs Linux, has a toilet paper dispenser, can be worn as a hat or shoe , be used as an umbrella, print documents ... oh and I almost forgot, Object comes with a knife. Everyone would have an Object, and no other product would ever be needed to do anything else since Object does everything.
Actually, my Xbox 360 has gotten much more use than just the video game device. Sure, it's a functional video game device and I get plenty of use out of it in that capacity. But we also appreciate the media center capabilities it has for several reasons:
-- The wireless network in my house supports streaming music to it from any of my roommates' PCs as well as my own. We use this whenever we have a party since my Xbox, TV, and audio receiver are in the central location in the house, whereas our computers are all in our rooms or the den.
-- Having DVD features on the Xbox is handy because it frees up a device input. I don't know how many audio receivers you can afford, but the fiber optic inputs on mine are the least-repeated features (that is, there are seven input channels available, but only four have fiber optic input). Eliminating the need for a separate DVD player freed up an optical connection as well as the necessary cabling to support it (since the Xbox 360 already supports fiber obtic output for audio).
-- HD-DVD support on the Xbox 360 and Blu-Ray support for the PS3 make them the cheapest players for their respective brands.
-- The Xbox 360 also supports Windows Media Center Extender functionality out of the box for Windows Media Center Edition PCs. There are a LOT of these out there. My house has classic, analog cable - this functionality allows us (for the cost of a TV tuner card) to add the nice features of digital cable and Tivo to our basic cable system and not have to relocate the PC or anything like that. Until I built my new computer and repurposed the media center PC to be a centralized file server, this would have only been available via the Xbox 360. (Incidentally, it still is only available through the 360, but in theory it *could* be connected directly to the TV). Especially with the widespread release of Windows Media Center Edition on new PCs (rather than XP Home Edition) and the undoubted mass-market manufacture of Windows Vista Home Premium, TV functionality will be coming into the mainstream for PCs sooner than later if Microsoft can get TV tuner manufacturers to make something worth buying. It's still more practical for people with a 360, though, to use the PC and 360 extender than have a dedicated appliance.
-- I'm the kind of person who is interested in video game development. Down the line I might like to look into that. Oh, look, my Xbox 360 supports that functionality through the Game Studio Express package. I don't even need to mod the box to put my own software on that.
-- Especially once I get a big screen TV, I think it would be preferable to me to use the 360 as an internet browser, especially if you're doing something social and don't want to get up to look something up on your PC. Fortunately, this functionality is also available through Media Center extensions.
-- It's able to play videos, pictures, and music directly from USB now, so if someone brings something over on a USB stick, we don't need to put it onto the file server or another computer first. Bluetooth would be handy too, but I don't think it's fast enough nor has enough market penetration (I remember when my networking teacher said it was the wave of the future, lol) to be a worthwhile feature.
So, there is something to be said for having a device that can be as varied in function to include playing games, videos, DVDs, photos, music, browse the internet, and the like. In terms of shaving or using it as an umbrella, well, I think you have psychological issues.
Now, to comment on the iPhone - I think that it looks really neat (it has a certain techie sex appeal), but I would be concerned with the #1 thing that I'm always concerned about with both my phone and my iPod - battery life. If I'm listening to music then I'm going to be depleting my phone battery. I'll stick with my Razr for now - I get about 2 days of use out of a charge.
