Lifestyle PCs – Making Windows personal

Ken Hardy is talking more about the Lifestyle PC at the Mobile Division Partners Brief on making Windows Personal. Here are my notes from his talk:

Lifestyle devices

• Small Enough to go anywhere
• Simple enough to be used naturally
• Fashionable enough to be carried
• Devices stop becoming bits and hardware, they are about the music collection, the pictures
• Often times, converging devices is difficult – example – ROKR, adding calendar items to iPod, etc
• Ultra mobile PCs are becoming a reality, however:
  • Windows is hard to use on the go
  • Not optimized for a small screen experience
  • Personal information is buried
  • Not aware of the user and their environmen
  • Windows and windows apps needs to be more personal

• Simplicity
  • Never more than a couple of clicks from primary action
  • Users can purchase a device that matches their taste, represent personal experience, used casually without looking

• Simplified convergence
  • Custom UI that offers 2 – 3 scenarios
  • Scenarios are tightly integrated
  • Hardware supports scenario and style

• Simply personal
  • Luxurious screen sizes deliver strong focus, full screen media, rich presentation, minimize menus (transparent)
  • Flexible devices allow for natural interaction
    • Reach out and touch the screen
    • Write with a pen

• Making Windows about people, places, and things
  • How many clicks does it take to get to what you care about
  • Highly Personalized desktops, large buttons for touch (audio books, movies, music, photos, TV) – great screen shots (I’ll post the Powerpoint screenshot when available)
  • Devices that have a flowing theme – Eddie Bauer type of device for outdoors people, etc.