I think it's the same with cars. There's never an "out-of-the-box" product that meets your exact requirements. Either there's something missing/broken or there's too many unwanted features that you didn't want to pay for (FM tuners, calendars, etc). Cellphones are the biggest example of part 2.

I predict your Thursday column will discuss Palm handheld organizers, such as the Tungsten E. I recall that you owned a Tungsten E and had trouble with the durability of its cover. I don't have that problem because I don't use the Tungsten E very much, although I used to take it to meetings with a portable keyboard and use it as a tiny laptop, which always caught the interest of other attendees. Palm's synching software hasn't been updated (except for daylight savings time) seemingly in centuries, so I predict that's what you're going to discuss. I still sync my Palm Tungsten E every day. The reason? So I don't forget how to do so. Occasionally, it's useful for me to look up calendar items on the device. But the fact that it doesn't connect to the Internet is a big liability. I also think MP3 players are pretty well developed. I don't really want them to connect wirelessly to anything, except perhaps to a radio signal, which they already do. So the "improvements" that have been made to MP3 players over the past few years -- such as the ability to play videos, "beam" things to other MP3 players, or access Yahoo's music streaming system -- have been pretty inconsequential to me. Thanks for Faster Forward. -- Sincerely, Stu Borma

I think what is perhaps even more annoying than "too many features" is a "tease" of features. For example, the iPod bothers to put in a contact/calendar/note capability but has never developed it to a point that might make it useful. Or my Nintendo DS has possiblities in that same direction but doesn't follow through. AppleTV is probably another example, and many cell phones pack in sort of helpful features without the power or capability to fulfill the purpose adequately.

Of course all of these are things that could be further developed with time - but that "tease" is what really drives me batty. If the developer isn't going to follow through I'd rather they left the space for the parts they do so well.

He has to be talking about the Treo. I'm debating buying one and wonder if they'll come out with a new version the day after I buy it. And is it worth it to wait. Very frustrating.

I have a TI-35 calculator that I bought in 1983. Still works fine, and does everything I need a calculator to do. Except that the numbers and symbols have worn off the keys, so I bought a new calculator. Also a TI-35. Why not? The old one lasted decades.

My cell phone. A Motorola. Has the phone book and makes calls. Nothing more needed.

The iPod Nano seems to be pretty feature complete for an mp3 player.

Sure, I could buy one device that has the functionality of all of the above, but why? It wouldn't be as good a calculator as the TI. Unless it had the same size keyboard, in which case it would be too big to be a decent cell phone. If it had the functionality of the iPod, what would that do to the standby time for the cell phone?

Oh, and my 'PDA' is a pocket sized, paper, notebook. With a pen.

My guess is your Treo. I am still waiting for a Palm fix for Vista. At this point, I cannot hotsync either my Treo 700p nor my LifeDrive and I am not happy even though Palm assures me that it's coming probably or that I can transfer files right now. Yes, I can but not nearly as easily as I did with setup on Windows 2000. Did they not know Vista was coming? Does Bill make this difficult? What? I thought there were new owners eager to work on this sort of thing for Palm. !@#$%

I think I have at least 3 digital devices purchased in the last year that are so incomplete that I wish i hadn't bought them. One is a phone (Nokia N80), a camera (Canon G7) and watch (Seiko something). It's frustrating that the convergent devices are getting less able to handle the individual functions, and barely compensate with the integration factor. I have keep the manual for my watch handy, because it is so easy to jog some buttons and get it into a state that I can't recover from from memory (I wish it had a reboot!!)

Claire: No, Microsoft publishes APIs, has long betas and encourages third-parties to use its technologies. Palm is one of a handful (unintentional) companies that is slow to react. But then again for the most part, MS, Palm ... draw from the same labour pool.

Some products are perfect out of the box. I have a Leica M2 which is almost as old as I am and it still takes fabulous pictures. The shuttter is still accurate and it is a constant source of comments from other photographers. Another perfect out of the box product is the Rolex GMT watch. Mine is thirty years old and still keeps time within the +/- 1 minute parameter of a certified chronograph. Yes, there are newer and more stylish watches, in some people's opinion, but none are better. It is rare that an industrial product is perfect out of the box, but it happens. Unfortunately,a cost is no object mindset produces them.

Never mind what I said about tomorrow's review--that's going to hold a week for a piece written about some breaking digital-music news. (You can probably guess what that is, too!)

- RP

I know that this isn't something you regularly write about but I'd say pick-up trucks. I'll never buy another with the original bed on it. The third party ones are better built, cheaper and much more versatile.
On the neg side what the phone companies have done through their financial access to the Congress resulting in a stranglehold on the FCC is criminal. We now are in the position that our tech is implemented in 3rd world countries such that they are benefiting from say wiMax and we are not.
The world turned upside down.
I'm reliably informed that the average Japanese can buy voice and data at 23Mb/sec for about 20 bucks a month. I'm paying what 3 times that for voice and 1.5 Mb /sec from Cox. Yeesh.

I want more from a watch.
The photo cell is great.
However, what is today's date?
What day of the week is it?
Can't I have a reminder of my next appointment (without a PDA)?
If centuries old clocks could keep track of moon phases, why not today's watches?
Does it synchronize with NIST?
Will it measure elapsed time?
What time is it at my destination?

While all the above frequently make operation complex, I do not think that is a necessary consequence.

You big tease.

My Palm TX! I got a 2 G SD memory and downloaded all my Diana Krall collection, so with an earphone it is my music player (dare I say iPod?). I can can display my pictures on it from another chip (am a professional photographer). It has all my appointments and contacts, I can play games with the resident games and also off of a chip, I can get on the internet by WIFI, I can look at my eMail, keep reminders and notes, calculate, read a book, type a WORD file, I can beam stuff to my wife's TX.
Nuff said