Tech talk
My friends call me "gadget man". The clutter of PDAs on my desk
offer silent testimony to the fact that I cannot make up my mind
whether a Palm is better than a Psion or a Compaq iPaq.
Recently, Gartner Group came up with the expression "PDA
attention deficit" to describe a new phenomenon in the US, where
wireless connections to pocket-sized devices have been available
for some time.
It seems that when business people across the pond might come
together for a meeting, their minds are increasingly elsewhere,
namely being preoccupied with the e-mails constantly dripping into
their Palms or Pocket PCs. Microsoft's clever new generation of
games even transforms a Pocket PC into a Super Game Boy
replacement, which can take the edge off dull management
meetings.
Personally, I have fallen in love with my slimline Compaq iPaq
with the expansion jackets, which allow me to cram most of my
important PC files into a pocket-sized memory monster. Mail still
has to be collected via a modem or, very expensively, courtesy of
Vodafone through the infrared connection on my mobile phone.
Around the corner, of course, is GPRS and 3G video streaming, so
I can retire to a croft in the Outer Hebrides and my mail will
still find me.
At what point does such clever technology become a form of
personal tyranny?
Arriving at Heathrow last night, within seconds of "cabin doors
to manual", the aircraft became a wave of phone jingles as we
switched on to pick up voice mail.
"What do you do?" I am often asked. "I read e-mail," I
frequently reply. And the more I talk to people in this industry,
the more I hear of the desperation of trying to struggle through
the day without distraction.
Pocket PCs and PDAs are remarkable tools, but the constant
availability they bring could become a social curse. Why? Because
the "always-on" description may well refer to us, rather than the
PC in our pocket, and that is no way to live, is it?
Simon Moores is chairman of The Research Group
www.drmoores.com