8 BIGGEST TECH ANNOYANCES
As much as technology has
the ability to enable and delight, it can also frustrate and annoy. These
issues may seem small but when they combine over all the different devices you
have, it adds up to a few extra BP points.
FAKE MEMORY CARDS
As if fake batteries, copied
cellphone designs and fake mobile chargers weren't enough, we now have to deal
with fake memory cards too. This is a real problem, especially if you decide to
shop in the competitive, crowded, computer marketplaces like Nehru Place in
Delhi and Lamington Road in Mumbai. The fake cards have very convincing
packaging which is exactly like the original. They are exactly the same size,
shape (without any rough edges) and even have the same printing without any
mistakes. In fact, kept side by side, you will not be able to tell the
difference between a genuine memory card and the fake one. The difference is in
how they're made and the quality of silicon used. Fake cards will often be much
slower, they obviously won't adhere to any speed ratings or certificates (such
as high-speed, Class 10 and so on) and they'll have much higher failure rates.
You'll know only when it's too late.
Margins are high in this fake trade
and the number of people who can spot the difference are few. In fact, fake
memory cards is one of the main reasons why companies like Xiaomi do not
provide memory card slots in many of their devices. Fake cards can lead to data
loss, irregular performance, disappearing apps or just general device
misbehaviour. To be sure, check for things like holograms or an official
manufacturer price label (which lists price in INR, addresses and customer
helplines). Make sure you buy from authorised dealers or just buy from reputed
sellers online. For instance, buying from WS Retail on Flipkart or from Cloudtail
on Amazon will ensure that you get a genuine product.
NON COMPATIBLE 3.5MM PORTS & HEADSETS
All smartphones have a 3.5mm port
but the truth is that all 3.5mm ports are not the same. Well, they are the same
`size', which means that you can take headsets and earphones from one brand and
plug them into a phone from another brand. Now the best case scenario is that
they work just fine, and this is likely if they're plain stereo headsets.The
problem arises with earphones that have inline volume or playback controls.When
you use one brand earphones with another phone, the problems range from the
basic (inline controls don't work) to the more severe (crackling sound, sound
from only one earpiece, no sound at all). The problem arises because headset
jacks typically have three or four contacts, separated by little plastic bands.
Three connector jacks are typically called TRS: tip, ring and sleeve for the
three different contacts. Four connector jacks are TRRS, because they have two
ring connectors. The connectors may be at different heights for different
phones which is what causes the problem.
NO HEADSET IN THE BOX
Not having a head
set in your cell phone box may not be a big deal to most people. The reasoning
is: there are multiple head sets lying around from other phones, so why waste
money by increasing product price (and contribute to electronic waste). The
reasoning is sound, but combined with the previous point about different 3.5mm
connectors and the fact that cheap in-box headsets don't contribute much to the
overall price -it adds up to a pet peeve.
FORCED APP DOWNLOADS
There was a time when an online re
tailer or seller of products was re quired to have two different `versions' of
their website: a regular one and a mobile optimised one which would work better
on smaller screens. Then came the app revolution and suddenly everyone wanted
to have their own apps -which is fine, as long as you're offering the consumer
choice: whether to shop on the website from a computer, on a mobile device web
browser or by downloading a smartphone app.There's no denying that apps are the
future.But the problem started when the larger ecommerce players started luring
customers to shop from the app -with app-only deals, lower prices on the apps,
shopping festivals that begin earlier on the app and so on. Now, as it turns
out, Flipkart will not allow you to shop from a mobile device unless you have
the app. If you try to open Flipkart's home page from a mobile device web
browser, it simply asks you to download the Android or iOS app and provides a
link to each app store. But what happens if you're on a BlackBerry or Windows
Phone? No luck! Other majors like Myntra have now gone app-only which will
eventually lead to another problem: you'll have to have multiple, specific apps
for each portal that you visit, which will clog up your phone memory, probably
eat up your data in the background, increase your battery consumption and
pop-up irritating notifications (with sounds) when you least expect them.
TOO MANY REGISTRATIONS AND FLASH SALES
From a marketing standpoint, flash
sales and pre-orders are brilliant tools.
You can drum up free publicity about
an unannounced prod uct. You can accurately judge interest from potential
consumers and get a a fair idea of initial sales numbers.And depending on how
desperate the consumer is, you can even take part or all of the money up front
with no clear delivery dates (or sometimes even prices) in sight. But we're
more concerned about the consumer who can end up drawing the short straw with
these deals.
The reasoning behind some of the
flash sales is that there is high demand and not enough units to go around. But
as more and more manufacturers start having exclusive deals with e-commerce
giants and start limited registrations and sales that finish in seconds, it
begs the question: are these le gitimate or just marketing gimmicks?
PROPRIETARY LAPTOP & CAMERA CHARGERS
Every smartphone manufacturer except
Apple has moved to the micro USB port for charging. This move has made it
simpler to charge your devices anywhere because everyone has the same
chargercable. However, when it comes to cameras and laptops, it's a different
story. Almost every brand uses proprietary chargers for their devices. At
times, the same brand will have different proprietary chargers for two
different variants from their range. It's inexplicable! This compels you to
carry multiple chargers: laptop, camera and a microUSB charger for phones. If
only cameras & laptops could also switch to microUSB, it would make life a
lot easier for road warriors.
NON EXPANDABLE & NON REMOVABLE
This is a new trend with smartphone
makers for the mem ory and the battery.
There are some rea sonable sounding
ex planations for this.
For instance, per formance can be
compromised by fake or low quality memory cards. About smart phone batteries,
most people don't buy spare batteries in any case, preferring to use battery
packs. A non replaceable battery is also safer because a consumer won't have
the opportunity to use a spurious battery.
However, this also means that
manufactur ers can offer pricey upgrades for different storage options -how
convenient is that? It also means that you have to send the device in for
service if you need a battery replacement -another pricey option. Non user
removable batteries are also becoming commonplace on tablets and laptops.
Though it could be argued that this is good for sturdiness of the device and
helps to make it slimmer.
REDUCED PORTS IN LAPTOPS AND TVS
Most of the devices we use -be it
smartphones, tab lets, laptops or TVs -are getting slim mer every day.
While they might look great in their
slimmer avatars, the obvious downside is that something is cut because of lack
of space. In Televisions, slim TVs typically offers only two HDMI ports and a
combined compositecomponent port. If you have more than two video souces that
connect to the TV, you will need to keep switching wires or buy additional
equipment. The more sources you have, the more irritating this problem becomes.
With laptops, the fight for slimmer
and lighter has led to the same issue: limited ports. This means that the
number of peripherals you can use is limited. There are mostly two USB ports, a
card reader and HDMI port.So if you use a 3G dongle, you're left with just one
USB port. VGA and Ethernet ports are usually removed as they take up a lot of
space. If available, you might have to use additional adapters and this means
added weight, expense and complication. You could use a USB hub or dock (if
available), but wouldn't you prefer a slightly thicker notebook that offers
more ports rather than having to fumble around for multiple adapters.
Hitesh
Raj Bhagat & Karan Bajaj ET20MAY15
No comments:
Post a Comment