What I really want in a smartphone

The smartphone wars amuse me – first there was Blackberry vs. Apple and now Apple vs. Palm. And LG, Samsung, Nokia and Motorola are doing their best – but none of their products has the same cache.

Apple did turn the entire smartphone industry around with the iPhone. Who had heard of apps before that? But, other more important features like email, texting, phone, tasks, memo, calendar, camera, audio….. have been around for a long time.

I get it that some people will find one phone “cooler” than the other. I understand cool. But here is what I really want in a smartphone.

I want a phone that can “true” dock with my car

• and the phone display appears in my car’s LCD screen (which is pretty much underutilized for GPS and car info type activity).
• My phone needs to drive that LCD panel as if it were a monitor and
• the rest of the car electronics (okay, audio) should be controlled through the phone
• and yes, when docked the phone should charge

I want a phone that can “true” dock with my computer

• and i don’t mean as a drive or a connected device,
• but it should extend to the monitor as a parallel desktop and
• I can toggle between my main desktop and the phone desktop
• I would love to not have an email client (outlook/lotus notes) on my computer – but use my phone for that.

since these phone are now computers, I want them to extend themselves to act as such.

In the meanwhile, I will continue to use my Blackberry

Filed under: Innovation, Technology, Web , apple, blackberry, iphone, palm pre, smartphone

Europe Going Green”er”. Wake up USA!

In the past few weeks, Europe announced a slew of proposals on improving the efficiency of:

1. Buildings, applicances and transportation
2. Phasing out incandescent light bulbs
3. Wasteful water pumps
4. Power adapters that connect devices like laptop computers, modems and cordless phones to wall sockets – The enhanced performance standards for external power supplies means the E.U. could save enough electricity by 2020 to power Lithuania for a year. (Wow!)

What are we in the US doing?

• We still don’t have recycle bins in most public places – malls, airports, offices, starbucks (hello?). We have seen these all over Europe.
• Many cities/towns are still not recycling
• Most of our office buildings leave their lights ON all night. What exactly is the justification for that? Can technology not solve it?

Wake up, USA.

Filed under: Corporate Sustainability, Politics, Technology , Corporate Sustainability, Europe, Gov. Policy, Green, New York Times, US

The 20 Worst Foods in America 2009

I love this article from Men’s Health Magazine titled The 20 Worst Foods in America 2009.

Here is a quick Cheat Sheet:

1. The Worst Food in America – Baskin Robbins Large Chocolate Oreo Shake
2. Worst Pasta – Romano’s Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce
3. Worst Starter – Uno Chicago Grill Pizza Skins (full order)
4. Worst Pizza – Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza
5. Worst Ribs – Outback Steakhouse Baby Back Ribs (full rack)
6. Worst Chicken Entree – Romano’s Macaroni Grill Primo Chicken Parmesa
7. Worst Sandwich – Quizno’s Tuna Melt (large)
8. Worst Burger – Chili’s Smokehouse Bacon Triple-The-Cheese Big Mouth Burger with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
9. Worst Mexican Entree – Chili’s Buffalo Chicken Fajitas with The Works (Ranch Dressing, Guacamole, Sour Cream, Cheese, and Pico de Gallo + 4 tortillas)
10. Worst Chinese Entree – P.F. Chang’s Tam’s Noodle
11. Worst Surf and Turf – T.G.I. Friday’s NY Strip & Shrimp
12. Worst Dessert – Romano’s Macaroni Grill Dessert Ravioli
13. Worst Fish Entree – On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Chipotle Sauce and Refried Beans and Rice
14. Worst Breakfast – Bob Evans Stacked and Stuffed Caramel Banana Pecan Hotcakes
15. Worst Salad – T.G.I. Fridays Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad
16. Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal – Dairy Queen 6-Piece Chicken Strip Basket
17. Worst Kid’s Meal – Chili’s Pepper Pals Country-Fried Chicken Crispers with Ranch Dressing and Homestyle Fries
18. Worst Healthy Sandwich – Blimpie Veggie Supreme (12”)
19. Worst Supermarket Meal – Marie Callender’s Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie
20. Worst Breakfast Sandwich – Hardee’s Monster Biscuit

I would have loved to know what the Worst Indian Entree is. Oh wait, it must be the $6.95 buffets everywhere.

Filed under: Cuisine, Humor