Let's talk "personal" fragmentation

[Fingolfin269]

So I'm sitting here reading the Nook Color vs. Fire thread trying to figure out which one I would prefer and then realized how fragmented my devices have become. Usually we talk about fragmentation within a specific ecosystem. Fragmentation within the Android community for example. This is meant to discuss fragmentation of our gadgets within our own homes and the creeping madness (sometimes) associated with it.

I have the following:
iPhone 4S (had an EVO 4G 2ish weeks ago)
Windows desktop
13" MBP
Nook Touch
Xbox 360
PS3
Zune 120gb
Amazon cloud storage
iCloud storage
blah
blah
/head explodes

I know this isn't a new discussion or anything but it seems to be increasingly burdensome on me, at least for future purchase decisions. It seems like not only do I need to decide if I like a product but also if I care about how it may fragment my devices even further.

In the end it probably doesn't really matter. But I think all of us have some level of OCD which means for some this kind of thing is a fleeting thought and for others it forces complete tunnel vision.

 

[Nebor]

Entirely Microsoft. Windows 7 on my laptop, desktop and HTPC. Zune HD in the car & for working out. Windows Phone 7 for my phone.

 

[darkewaffle]

...why do you care?

 

[Dulanic]

They are different devices meant to do different things. Why does that lame ass word "fragmentation" need to be used? Is my kitchen fragmented because OMG I need to use an oven to make a pizza when I have a coffee maker! Why can't my one device do both things seamlessly together! Damn fragmentation!

 

[shortylickens]

I use my HD7 for all phone and communication and personal organization.
I use my old Droid for music and games, and I dont always take it around with me.
Dont use any cloud, but if I did it would be only Amazon, or just stream from my home computer. Would not use multiple services.

One computer does all my real work and communicating with the world (web). One computer for gaming and it rarely gets touched. They are both Windows.

You could simplify your life if you wanted, you just dont want to. Get rid of the PMP, do everything on your phone. Use one cloud. Use one computer. It can be done. In fact thats actually how most people do it.

 

[ponyo]

Next Apple device should be espresso machine. Siri, make my latte.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Next Apple device should be espresso machine. Siri, make my latte.

If only they would... My Rancillio Silva is a PITA...

Thinking of adding an Apple TV to my stuff

 

[roguerower]

Windows Desktop
Windows Netbook
Org. Droid Phone
ZuneHD

All of my files are stored on Dropbox for easy access.

Expected changes are Windows Phone for android (when Verizon pulls their head out their ass) and possibly a T2 for my netbook.

Not that big of a deal.

 

[Munky]

I don't see why that's a problem. I have a Windows 7 desktop, and it plays nicely with my Nokia phone, Nook Color tablet, Nikon DSLR, Cowon mp3 player, Amazon mp3 store, and numerous other things based on industry standards.

I like having options. If I had gone the Apple route instead and been locked into proprietary Apple ecosystem, then it would be a problem for me.

 

[Anubis]

all my PCs are windows based. some dual boot linux
i have an android tab and phone

 

[obidamnkenobi]

What annoys me most is "HTPC" fragmentation. Netflix is best on the PS3, but the local files on the sever I need to use Boxee on the HTPC. But the boxee netflix app is broken, and to use Hulu I need to quit to the desktop and start the hulu app. Daily show I can watch in the browser, and in boxee , or maybe from my DVR recording. I just want one box to do it all!!

 

[Red Storm]

I used to have a lot of "fragmentation" but I've cut things down to a much more manageable smartphone (OG Droid, soon to be Nexus), and a laptop (MacBook Pro, soon to be Transformer Prime), and that's it.

 

[zerogear]

Windows 7 Laptop (Vaio Z)
Windows 7 Desktop (Custom)
Windows 7 HTPC (Custom)
Boxee Box (D-Link)
Windows Home Server v1 (HP)
Debian 5 (Mail Server)
Android Tablet (Asus TF101)
Android Phone (GSII)
PS3
XBox
Wii

Had Windows Phone 7 (Samsung Focus)

I'm thinking of replacing my HTPC with the boxee box, but I'm still waiting for some 'apps' to be released before I can. Namely Slingbox and Amazon Video on Demand...

 

[alent1234]

What annoys me most is "HTPC" fragmentation. Netflix is best on the PS3, but the local files on the sever I need to use Boxee on the HTPC. But the boxee netflix app is broken, and to use Hulu I need to quit to the desktop and start the hulu app. Daily show I can watch in the browser, and in boxee , or maybe from my DVR recording. I just want one box to do it all!!

PS3?

you can even stream from windows media player to PS3 very easily

 

[Mopetar]

I've got a myriad of different devices and it's not too much of a pain to get them all to work together, but it takes time to transcode files to compatible formats, find solutions that work for multiple devices, and to get everything set up and configured.

There are advantages to primarily using devices that work in the same ecosystem, but once you do, it's more difficult to get out. If all media were DRM free, then it would be nowhere near as much of a problem, but I don't know how much we can blame that on the device makers when it's the media companies that are so insistent on having it.

 

[Nebor]

What annoys me most is "HTPC" fragmentation. Netflix is best on the PS3, but the local files on the sever I need to use Boxee on the HTPC. But the boxee netflix app is broken, and to use Hulu I need to quit to the desktop and start the hulu app. Daily show I can watch in the browser, and in boxee , or maybe from my DVR recording. I just want one box to do it all!!

Do you have an actual HTPC? Because then you have netflix built right into WMC, and you can launch hulu desktop from WMC, and when you quit hulu desktop it'll return you to WMC.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

15" MBP
27" iMac
13" MB
iPhone 4
iPad 2
iPhone 3G
iPhone 2G
iPod Nano 4G
Airport Extreme
Apple TV
Xbox 360 S
Xbox 360 Pro
PS3

 

[evident]

w7 desktop
my laptop
galaxy s2
ipod touch
ps3 and wii both which i hardly use

not including my fiance's laptop and iphone. trying to keep this as simple as possible, If i can use my sgs2 as my portable music player i can eliminate the ipod. Unfortunately I don't have a way to stream over my network via gigabit ethernet (can't wire from my router down to my tv area) and stupid verizon router is only 802.11G. I normally have to copy crap from the desktop to the laptop and then put hook that up to my tv.

 

[Deeko]

The two ecosystems I'm most heavily entrenched in are the Zune (I love my ZunePass) and Kindle.

Phones (in use):
-BlackBerry Bold 9900
-Samsung Focus

PMP:
-ZuneHD 32GB

Tablets/E-Reader:
-Playbook 16GB
-Kindle Fire
-Kindle 4

Consoles:
PS3 (original model, upgraded to 320GB)
XBox 360 w/ Kinect

Computers:
Dell desktop w/ Windows 7
HP Laptop w/ Windows 7
HP Laptop w/ Windows 8 dev preview
Some sort of an old MacBook for iOS dev purposes

 

[obidamnkenobi]

Do you have an actual HTPC? Because then you have netflix built right into WMC, and you can launch hulu desktop from WMC, and when you quit hulu desktop it'll return you to WMC.

yes I do. I have given WMC a try a few times but find that I like the library in boxee better, plus that also has other apps I use (pandora, youtube, wolfgang's vault mostly). Haven't checked if these are in WMC though. I tried the addon for WMC for a "better library", don't remember the name, but that wasn't quite to my liking either. I don't watch local content that much anymore though so if I could get some core apps to work in WMC it might be a good option. Boxee is stuck in beta and I've given up on it anyway so I know I should look for other options. XBMC is also on the 'stuff to try' list..

I haven't gotten the PS3 work with the server, or even my desktop, and didn't want to waste more time in it. The ps3 can see it, but says folder empty or something..

 

[Fingolfin269]

They are different devices meant to do different things. Why does that lame ass word "fragmentation" need to be used? Is my kitchen fragmented because OMG I need to use an oven to make a pizza when I have a coffee maker! Why can't my one device do both things seamlessly together! Damn fragmentation!

I think you really took this the wrong way. Calm down.

 

[Ns1]

4s/ipad1/iMac


Simplified my setup. Everything linked via iCloud/dropbox. Just need an apple tv again

 

[dguy6789]

Platforms/ecosystems I use: Windows 7, Steam, Amazon Cloud Drive/MP3 Store, Microsoft Skydrive, Google(Gmail, Calendar, Youtube, Picasa, Docs, maybe more but I'm forgetting), iOS, Android, Xbox Live

 

[zCypher]

I haven't had any problems getting my Win7 computer to work with all of my devices, I never really even thought about it as an "ecosystem" until I heard one of my Mac friends describe it that way (as an advantage to using Apple products of course ).

Meh... What I have does what I need very well.

 

[QueBert]

Android phone
iPod Touch
iPod Nano
iPhone 4S this week

With iSyncr I get full iTunes syncing capability on my EVO 4g, so I don't have to use Doubletwist or some other POS fail made for Android software to sync my music.