As far as I am aware, there STILL isn’t a simple solution for having a media-hub-like box in your living room, which can run the show (as far as entertainment goes) for one or more rooms, AND also sync up seamlessly with your chosen Mobile device.
When I say sync, I mean that I set up initially what entertainment content and utility data (calendar, contacts, messages) I want sync’d across, and then drop my device in a charging bay which either wirelessly or via a wire, connects to the media-hub.
Why hasn’t this happened to-date? Well there have been some half-hearted attempts at this, but fundamentally CE devices and mobile devices are not created by the same manufacturer, except in some rare cases – and where they are, the manufacturer typically isn’t an expert in both areas, so the final solution is well…. flaky.
I wonder if Apple may actually be the first to bridge this gap with their Mac Mini / Apple TV / iPhone strategy, and possibly even bring another multi-purpose tablet/MID that is capable of doing more than one thing very well. Apple only play in some very well-defined verticals, but as my post the other day suggested, they are least some way down this road.
But why would anyone want a converged home so badly? Well it isn’t until you start using converged solutions that you realise they really do add value. For example, being able to share a “house” calendar (something the new O2 Joggler does VERY well), or alternatively having a seamless copy of certain media on your mobile device which you can continue watching when you leave the house.
Right now what we have is a whole ton of companies trying to solve what has become the next great question from different angles – without perhaps looking at the whole picture. Ultimately consumers want stuff that is (a) simple (b) reliable, and (c) valuable – in the sense that they can derive value from it.
What requirements do you have of “converged media” in the home? Is there something you’d really like that currently no service offers? Let us know………