What Does My Handheld Really Need to Do?

I just read with great interest the latest post from James Kendrick at JKontherun.com, suggesting that Apple build the handheld device of the future.

This post got me to thinking about what I want in a handheld device:

1. Instant on.
2. Always connected with decent speed.
3. All day battery life.
4. Able to surf the web, read and create emails, and read/create documents.
5. Easy sync with other device but not dependent on "mother ship" to install software.
6 . Able to watch flash video and stream music.
7. Able to download music directly to device from online store.

So, where does the HTC Advantage fall short? #5 is a bit of a stumbling block. Activesync isn't what I would call "easy" and while some software developers are starting to catch on by putting .cab files on their websites, there should be 100% participation on this point. The "companion" model is dead! #6 is also a disappointment. People are mad at Apple because the iPhone browser doesn't do flash video. Let's not give Microsoft a bye on this issue either. Flash video is so ubiquitous on the web that you won't go long browsing the web or reading your email without wanting to view a video. #7 is also a problem that should be fixed. Get over all this DRM nonsense and make it easy for me to buy music and video over the air and play it on any device I want!

In closing, I think the trap that users fall into when they start using a new mobile device is that they ignore all the other computing devices around them and adopt a "desert island" mentality about the new device. As in: "If I were on a desert island (which happened to have electricity and high speed Internet) could this device function as my ONLY computer?" To that end, we then run through everything we might possibly want to do on a computer and start checking them off. "Does this." "Doesn't do that."

My advice? Embrace "the cloud" and recognize all the computing resources that surround you. Get off the "desert island" and focus on the strength that a particular device brings to the workflow. Is an all day battery with HSDPA connection useful? You betcha! How can I use that to extend my functionality before or after my notebook battery dies?

I'm typing this message on my HTC Advantage using the attached chicklet keyboard and posting by email to my blog over a 3G wireless connection. One thing I've taken away from Apple's design strategy is to ignore the feature list and focus on the user experience. That focus applies to manufacturers and software developers but it can also apply to consumers in how they configure and use a particular device.

Enough on that for now. Comment lines are open. Your thoughts?