Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
In search of simplicity
Join the tech horror club
By DAVE GUSSOW
Published February 28, 2005
Technology would be simpler, if it didn't take 12 steps to set up a DVD recorder to save a program.
Technology would be simpler, if it didn't take 90 minutes on hold (listening to songs such as As Time Goes By) to get through to tech support.
Technology would be simpler . . . well, we all have ideas about how to make it better. We all could come up with personal wish lists to get rid of tech annoyances that seem to take over our lives.
My most recent experience with a new DVD recorder flunked the electronics industry's current pitch to make the "out of box experience" easy. It was more like an out-of-body experience. A friend with a similar device, but different manufacturer, fared no better.
In fact, my first problem popped right out of the box in the form of a sheet of paper. "The cable eye is needed to remote record a television signal using a set-top cable box," it said.
But the cable eye was not included in the box. For that, I had to mail in a certificate - and wait two months for it to arrive. I had to wonder what JVC must have been thinking. About 90 percent of U.S. homes have cable or satellite. Why not include the eye in the box?
In the interim, I struggled mightily to get everything to work. More than two months later, I can say that I have mastered a lot of the functions, but still have to refer to the manual more than I should.
My friend sent me e-mail or instant message updates as he went through the process, with the initial finding an instant ulcer: "The power is on but it won't do anything."
Eventually, he too figured out how to get it going, though at times he wondered whether he would be better off returning it.
It doesn't take much to hear tech horror stories. A man buys a digital camera, only to discover that he can't download his pictures because his computer is too old. He can't connect the camera to it.
A co-worker complained that her first-generation DVD player can't handle some of the current technology used in discs, though a newer $40 player can.
Countless readers still blame themselves ("I did something to my computer") for problems that are caused by lousy software and/or hardware, or forces they can't always control, such as spyware infestations.
After years of hearing electronics companies promise to make things easier to use, after years of hearing from thousands of readers who struggle daily with technology in their lives, we decided to explore the idea of simplicity.
Starting today with a number of viewpoints on why technology is difficult, we'll take an occasional look at the issues involved and what the industry is doing. To help us along, we'd also like to hear your experience with gadgets, such as:
Struggling with setup. Just getting some devices working can be a major chore.
The good stuff. Are there some things that just plain work the way the manufacturers promise? We'd love to get some examples. In particular, are there companies that do a good job of making it simple and the out-of-box experience good?
User manuals. Many are incomprehensible, and somehow they always seem to miss the answer to the one question you really need. Specific examples are especially welcome.
Tech support. Sure, it's an ongoing joke, but there are usually new twists to old story lines.
Clearly, complexity has crept into almost all facets of technology. So while we expect to hear a lot about computer problems, we would like the examples to be from as broad an array of gadgets as possible.
Send comments to personaltech@sptimes.com or to Personal Tech, 490 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
[Last modified April 12, 2005, 10:51:33]
Share your thoughts on this story
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor
