Productivity Wishlist for 2009
by Celine Roque
Taking a cue from LifeHacker and also as an answer to Jenny’s recent post, I’m sharing my productivity and technology wishlist for 2009 here at The App Gap. These are just simple things that I hope get implemented in the coming year to make managing my online life a little easier. Let’s start:
Social Networks. I’d like more interoperability between networks, starting with the sign-up process. Social Network A should recognize my account from Social Network B, be able to import my profile and friends list either fully or partially depending on my settings, and automatically synchronize all my profiles whenever I make changes.
Email. Although there have been significant progress in fighting spam, a few still manage to squeeze their way into my Gmail inbox. Better filtering, tighter security, and fewer downtimes would be welcome. Also, a built-in backup system in Gmail would be very helpful, if only for peace of mind. The same goes for Google Docs, which right now can only be backed up by using third-party extensions.
Search Engines. I wish Google and other search engines could improve the ways that we navigate through search results. In particular, I await the ability to filter according to site format (is it a news site? a blog? A discussion board?), narrow things down to a specific time frame (when you’re looking for items that appeared in the past, giving “From-To” limiters), and arrange according to either relevance, date, or popularity.
Wireless Connectivity. 3G is starting to become widespread, but it has a long way to go. It would be great if in the next year, telecom companies would aggressively promote it by spending on infrastructure, starting on the most populated areas. Preferably, do so at HSDPA speed.
Displays. Lastly, I am fervently hoping for more computer displays to come out utilizing E-Ink or a similar technology, because they are kinder on the eyes. Being in front of the computer all the time has given me numerous headaches and has probably damaged my eyes even more. They’re a little expensive at this point, but if they catch on, mass production will eventually bring the cost down.
Do you have your own wishlist? Perhaps a few web app ideas? Please share them below.
Thought...
