Fan To Pro - The Blog of Professional Geekery

A Game Machine - Or a Machine That Plays Games?

I mentioned yesterday I'd been playing Dungeon Fighter on my Netbook.  As I played it, it struck me that, with this game, I now had something to play when I travelled, all in convenient Netbook size.

Then it struck me and I nearly yelled "It really IS a portable game device!"

The Tribes Of Gadgets

My wife has an Android.  My co-workers have iPhones.  I'm a recent Mac convert.  These issues and more come up in discussions among people, in banter, and on serious work subjects.

In each case, I begin to notice something about  people as they discuss their smartphone or computer or whatever gadget they use.  There's a tribal feel to it.

People identify with the tech they use.  Android users can swap stories about their experiences.  Mac users trade tips and advice, and even mock the image of Apple users.  Cell phone plans are discussed, printers are rated, and USB brands discussed.

Think of these social groups as Gadget Tribes - or Gadgetribes.

Stand back for a moment and think about the gadgets you use.  Do you identify with them, with other users?  Do you have friends you trade tips with, or forums you hang out on reguarly?  Does the subject come up in conversation when you whip out your DS or your iPhone?

Are you part of any Gadgetribes?

I think what we witness with Gadgetribes is identification with technology that's always been there, but that is far more widespread due to increased use of technology, and deeper due to the power that new technologies bring us.  This use, this depth of power, makes Gadgets unavoidable and desirable for us.  Humanity's social nature of course - and our need to share experience - means we form tribes around our gadgets.

For progeeks, the Gadgetribe phenomena is important:

• It means that, professionally, if we can identify with others who are part of the same Gadgetribe, we can more easily establish rapport.
• Being aware of Gadgetribe identification can tell us when we're tuning out others due to their being part of another tribe.
• Understanding that deep identification can help us understand the loyalty and identification we want products we work on to have.
• It represents the continuation of the classic identification with technology we've seen in the days of car enthusiasts and the like - but we need to realize its power and depth.
• We can better understand conflicts and identification that people may have over seemingly trivial matters.

Keep an eye out for Gadgetribes, and you'll see them.

Once you see them, you can ask what it means for you as a progeek.

- Steven Savage

The iPad Geeksplosion

So, the iPad arrived in a fury of media attention, debate over the product's merits (there were a few people who said they expected more from it) and snickering over its name. It will inevitably be closely followed by other tablets of both the Android and Windows varieties.

This was more than a big product launch - it was a geeksplosion, because this thing is going to touch every corner of the geekonomy. Here's a rundown on how it's going to affect most of the major industries we cover:

Tablet Time?

So, as we deal with the inevitable age of the Tablet, the question is: why now?

This is something I see coming up a lot lately: why the heck are we suddenly enthusiastic about tablets (and by we I mean everyone).  Really, why is everyone so enthused about an idea that's about a decade plus old by now?

Actually I think it's because this is just the right time.

100+ Technical News and Information Websites

If you work in technology you have no choice but to keep up with the latest news or fall behind. If you don't work in technology it's pretty much the same anyway.

If you're a progeek of course, you already know this. So we here at Fan-To-Pro have done the work for you in finding the best technical news sources to help you stay informed.

Predictions: Technology in 2010

Our 2009 predictions are here.

Our 2010 predictions are here . . .

The Tablets Are Coming, The Tablets Are Coming

It's amazing, sometimes, how fast things move in the world of tech. Something that one day seemed to be a project that would never come to fruition, a frivolous idea, a joke . . . suddenly becomes the harbinger of the Next Big Thing.

A few months ago, Apple's tablet was merely a rumor, and a baffling one at that. It sounded like a huge, overpriced iPod. Nobody was quite sure what role it would fill (A netbook without a keyboard? A super-sophisticated E-reader?) It was being thought of as Apple's folly even before it was officially announced.

But the more people talked abut it, the more they realized this may be something after all, especially if it ran the full Mac OS. And apparently, other companies paid attention to the talk as well, because, apparently, there's a genuine challenger to the Mac tablet in the works.

The tablets are coming. Welcome to the next battleground of the Everything Wars.

Go Farther: DateSims?

Datesims have a rather creepy reputation in the US.  The ones we see from Japan often contain questionable content.  By questionable of course I mean soul-searing horror that would make Cthulu call for his mommy and curl up in a blanket.  Yes I know there are Datesims that don't have objectionable content, you just don't hear about them that much.

Except I'm thinking Datesims may have more of a future.  I'm not talking that people will begin playing them instead of Modern Warfare 2.  But I'm thinking that the time may be right for more of them in  . . . well places that aren't Japan.  Oh, and datesims that aren't of a prurient nature.

Before you get scared, let me explain my logic.

• Datesims are casual games.  Casual gaming has obviously been on the increase.
• Their relatively simple nature would let them take advantage of the increased use of Downloadable content - reducing the cost, reducing the investment.
• Let's be honest, the standard Datesim is not overly complex as a piece of technology.
• Romance is always a big genre, and companies doing romance novels (Hey, Harlequin, want ANOTHER initiative?) could jump on the bandwagon.
• Their multimedia nature may tie-in well to people's interests.

So the reason I think Datesims have a future could be summed up as, I think they're viable because you can deliver them fast and cheap, they'd have good appeal, and you have audiences that would be interested in them.  If anything, I see the marketing being a bit troublesome - you'd probably have to call them "interactive romance novels" or something.

I don't see them as being big business (though I see the "interactive novel" idea having more of a future), but I think they may be a viable product for some companies, and a valuable addition to publishers of romance novels and products.  After all, if you got a modern anime-style artist to do a Datesim/romance with hunky vampires, and it cost $10 with the purchase of a novel, and maybe had unlockable desktops and themes - yeah, I think it'd sell.

- Steven Savage

Operating System Battles: Not what we think?

I recently moved to a Macintosh for my major home computer.  It does everything I need it to do, comes with my preferred web development language and server I can use for development, and lacks a lot of the problems I got tired of with Windows.  Simply, after evaluating everything, I realized I wasn't going to count on Windows 7 to fix issues, and liked the consumer-electronic focus of the Mac.

Of course, I also use a Windows Netbook from Asus that, as readers know, I quite adore.  Its small, fast, and efficient, and was very cheap.  Since I don't use it for excessive amounts of activity (mostly travel and writing), I keep it set up for limited use, with plenty of security, to avoid problems with Windows.

Then there's my cell phone, and I'm looking at Android . . .

The point of all this?  I think the idea that people are "dedicated" to one Operating System of any one kind is ridiculous, and is probably going away.  OK Hopefully IS going away.

The Technology Timeshift and Careers

We all know technology has changed how the world works, careers, go, and so on and so forth.  However I think one thing technology has done to careers - especially fannish and geeky ones - is that it's created an odd timeshifting effect.

Technology has the obvious effect of making a lot of things faster and easier to do and distribute to people.  The upside of course is obvious - the downside is that EVERYONE is able to do and distribute more things faster.  Everything is faster but the competition is the same - if not moreso.