Big is Still Better

I am a Chicago Bulls fanatic. They ended the 2010-2011 regular season with the best record in the NBA, and I was thrilled in ways I hadn’t been, since the heyday of the Michael Jordan era in the 1990s. So when the playoffs came rolling around in April, I was psyched!

Unlike the 1990s, however, I now live in Dubai. There is a time zone difference with Chicago (9 hours). What’s more, no TV subscription: Too much crappy programming on offer here. But without access to live telecasts, I found that ESPN had live ‘gamecasts’ online, which allowed me to follow the exploits (and struggles) of the Bulls throughout the playoffs. I also watched as many video highlights as I could find online: on Sports Illustrated and YouTube, along with ESPN.

Now, in the advent of on-the-go devices, like smart phones and tablets, someone like me can keep up with sports whenever and wherever. In fact, with the time difference, I’d wake up in the early morning here and follow the gamecast on my BlackBerry. I’d be half-asleep, but it was cool to check live-play of the Bulls in bed.

There is a lot of talk about mobile technology being the next big frontier for information and communications. After all, many more people around the world have a mobile than they do a PC, and this is a boon to advertisers. Google, among many, is big on it.

Here’s the thing, though, about the internet on mobile: The screen is too small. I have to zoom-in, once or twice, to be able to read text. The CNN user interface for mobile is actually pretty good, as I don’t have to zoom-in. Still, it took a while to get used to reading ‘fine print’ on my BB.

What’s more, I’m not satisfied with the mobile ‘apps’ of some sites. I’d click ‘Like’ or make a comment, using the Facebook app, for example, but there was no apparent synchrony with my Facebook on the laptop. I couldn’t find those ‘Likes’ or comments. Also, the Newsfeed was entirely different, and I couldn’t access much of friends’ profiles. So I abandoned the app, and just browsed the site straightaway. It’s dial-up slow, mind you, but the synchrony is much better.

On a similar note, when a friend showed me photos on his iPad, my first reaction was, “It’s small.” Somehow I expected a screen as big as that of my HP laptop.

So, at the end of the day, my internet experience on the laptop is still tops. I love the convenience of my BB internet access, but for now it’s a modestly satisfying experience. (I hear from friends that the iPhone is better, though. Maybe, maybe not.) I do a good amount of working, connecting, and watching videos online, and my HP screen is nicely sized!

So, yeah, big is still better.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD