I’ve discovered an excellent new blog, arun.is by Arun Venkatesan. Today I read a mini first impression of the Daylight Tablet Arun posted back in March of this year. Long story short, I ended up pre-ordering the device, as it seems to be a promising take on e-ink tablets which is something I have been intrigued with since the first Kindle came out back in the 2000s.
Of particular note in his commentary, I appreciated this the most:
In my previous post, Why we crave healthier computing, I explored how the evolution of computing over the last century has made our devices both more powerful and more burdensome. Technology progressed from large mainframes to ever-connected smartphones. Concurrently, users have been presented with an ever-increasing number of questions they must ask when using their devices. I called these the “Six User Context Questions”:
- “What do I plan to do with this computer?”
- “Which applications should I use?”
- ”How may I best arrange my workspace and workflow?”
- ”How should I collaborate with others?”
- ”When will I use this computer?”
- ”Where will I use it?”
I appreciate the approach of having the technology be limited in order to constrain some of the time consumption our gadgets bring today, in this case a device with no cameras, black and white screen, and limited (?) application availability. On the flip side I’d like to think we as humans can overcome this without the need for outside restraints. I’m sure this device will have its quirks outside of the constraints it naturally has but if they nail the interaction model along with the balance for simplicity, it could be successful (ironically as discussions of turning the iPad into a full fledged computer continue to make the rounds).
I’ve been trying (somewhat successfully) to not be consumed by the technology around me. I hope that some day I am completely free from all temptations and dopamine hits that our tech world brings and truly come to full control of my tech vs. the tech powering me, at the very least as a model for my son as his future evolves.