In my opinion, there’s two problems here:

1) There’s not enough behavioral studies, ethnographic research or just basic observation going on to decipher the needs of users on a day-to-day basis.

2) Consumers, lined with bloated credit over the years, have bought into the idea that every facet of their life can be improved by purchasing some new device or service that promises something faster, smaller, larger and/or more lifelike for cheaper. 

The solution to the first problem is simple. Companies need to identify true innovators in the industry, find out what they’re thinking and, more importantly, why they’re thinking that way. For example, when Steve Jobs said that Blu-Ray doesn’t make sense for MacBooks he’s saying more than one thing. First, and most obvious, Blu-Ray competes with HD movies from the iTunes store and that doesn’t make sense for Apple’s bottom-line. More importantly though, the demand for Blu-Ray is overblown. I, like a lot of friends, have the perfect setup for watching Blu-Ray media but aren’t collecting or renting a lot of HD movies on Blu-Ray. Why? Well, why do that when digital movies and rentals are available (legally and illegally) right from my couch?  People are downloading way more movies than buying Blu-Ray discs, despite the trade-off in quality because it’s easier. Jobs knows that placating the majority* means supplying for the true demand (convenience for now, picture quality when it’s convenient) and, in turn, making the most out of his business. This is what’s at the core of user experience design; Among other myths, it’s not just about the user, but also creating a legitimate market ecosystem based on real needs and behaviors.

As for us, the consumer, we need to really look at what a new service or product is offering and think, “Am I really going to use this?”  Aside from the Palm Pre and networked-TVs, nothing in Gizmodo’s Top 10 of CES Day 1 will actually make my life better. By curbing our consumption (easier done in the current economic climate) we can use the ultimate message, dollars, to tell companies what not to waste their time and effort on.

So what technology out there would I like to see that actually helps? At the the top of the list I’d love to see advances in cloud computing so, like Gmail, my preferences, data and software can be ubiquitously available whether I’m at work, on the go, or at home. 

Also, it would be nice to see offices ditch horrible, single-packet coffee machines in lieu of a nice, big, French-Press coffee pot.

The folks at Nike would probably like to remind you to stay off the roads during bad weather conditions, especially if you’re wearing the new Zoom Nike Kobe iD editions, because you will blind the shit out everyone and cause a traffic pile-up.

Don’t forget, the best present you might get today is the Celtics vs the Lakers at 5pm ET on ABC.

RIM$ – Toyz for Big Boyz, originally uploaded by cat_scratch.

If you haven’t already considered getting Google Chrome, here’s five reasons why you may want to:

1. You’re not a developer, just like 99% of the rest of the world
2. As a PC user (for now), you deserves a faster, stable browsing experience now (not 3 versions too late) – just like us Mac folks
3. You’re sick of typing ‘www’ or ‘http’ (Typing in “Roscos” should just get me my favorite fried chicken)
4. Streaming the Packers/Cowboys game in one tab won’t crash your Fantasy NFL Draft in the other
5. Just to get a rep’ (like Mr. Cheverolet above)

Better reasons here

Wait, before I go on, I’ll backtrack a bit so you can see how I ended up there.

Two weeks ago, I found myself at work (yes we have a gaming console at work) completely amazed at Grand Theft Auto:IV, a game I’m sure you’ve heard about, for better or worse, by now. I was hooked. Seeing New York City rendered and stylized to detail in an immersive playing experience; I had to have a copy. (Note: I already own a Wii, which I still love, but doesn’t have the guts needed to run a game like GTA). So the decision was, X-Box or Playstation. This is where my paradox of choice came into play.

For those who haven’t read it, I highly recommend Barry Schwartz’s ‘The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less’. In his book, Schwartz, a professor of Social Theory and Social Action at Swathmore College, carefully examines the pains and pitfalls of the perceived luxury of freedom of choice. It’s not a essay on consumption in Western society, rather it’s an empirically based examination on the hows, whys and results of having to pick between equally attractive alternatives.

Case in point, among my friends, everyone seems to have either a 360 or a PS3, so that didn’t help me decide. The PS3 has a Blu-Ray player but the 360 has a superior multiplayer framework. Would I rather watch true Hi-Def movies or enjoy chatting and playing games with out of town friends who I rarely get to connect with? Another tough choice. Two close friends who live within a few blocks of me each have one or the other, so who do I share my latest game purchases with? Lastly, are the games I want to play available for only one system? Well it turns out, Skate and GTA, the two games I’ll waste most of my scarce time with, are available for both systems.

The anxiety in making my decision and the social, personal and economic effects they have are what make ‘The Paradox of Choice’ such an important read to anyone. I know that I refered to it to help me make my decision.

In the end the best thing to do was to rip the band-aid off and make a gut choice. I’m proud to say I didn’t leave that Best Buy empty handed. So now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to play some GTA on my shiny new PS3.

The truth is, with an additional monitor and a USB hub (you’ll probably need that USB-Ethernet dongle, a mouse and an external hard drive to complete the package) it is the only machine you’ll ever need.

The argument put forth by most is that it won’t run computationally intensive applications like Photoshop. But if SvN’s David  (err, last name please?) is correct, it runs faster than a Macbook Pro from 2006, which is saying a lot.

It’s good to see a defense like this from a user who already has a MBP and has been using the Air for all of his tasks to date (including programming and running Photoshop). It’s promising news that you can get a more than suitable computer for all your tasks that looks great, weighs less than Nicole Richie and still comes in at under $2K.

Maybe I’ll bring this argument up again next week at work. Or not. Depends on my boss’s mood.

Seriously, the time you may give up to Facebook doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the quality of your social life. If you think you’re losing a few hours a week to Facebook, pull the trigger (not like that) and quit. You’ll probably go into some type of withdrawal soon after but eventually that will subside.

Now if you don’t mind, I have to check up on how many friends iLike the same music as me.

Subtraction: Clothes Make the Design Director
“This morning I woke up and dressed myself all wrong. I don’t know why, but I dressed like an idiot. I put on a short-sleeved, collared shirt that, once I arrived at the office, seemed entirely inappropriate for the workplace; a pair of light brown corduroys that somehow seemed more ill-fitting today than anytime I’ve worn them before; and a pair of black, Chuck Taylor All-Stars-style sneakers more fit for a playground than a meeting room.”

The article covers off some personal faves including MoCCA and Czhehoski (where I celebrated my birthday last year) but fails to mention other great spots including Chippy’s (best fish and chips in town), San (original, well-priced Thai) and the Nutty Chocolatier (no need to explain here) to name a few. If you’re ever in Toronto on a Sunday, you’ll find me around this area pretty regularly.