Who is going to use this?
Sep. 29th, 2006 07:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkerSometimes I just don't see things the same.
The happy little news people gleefully showed a young colleague in a bar with the newest gadget for your cellphone. First they double-checked - yes, his cellphone was successfully connected with the laptop at the station, with a video link and control panel.
Then he hefted a large mug of beer, and chugged a good chug.
Grabbed the gadget and blew lustily into it.
And lo and behold, the gadget measured the alcohol level on his breath. This was sent to the cellphone via the cable in between, and from there, across to the laptop. So at the station, they could see his picture and the measured alcohol level.
The news people cheered! Soon to be a consumer item, apparently.
Nice little gadget, about the same size as a cell phone. Black plastic box with a cable that plugs into something on the cellphone, with a pullout white tube that you blow into. Associated software, I suppose, for the laptop.
But, but . . . I have to admit, I don't see your average drunk driver buying one and having someone monitor him. Perhaps the local police would like to carry it - it certainly is small enough. But expecting consumers to buy their own tester seems unlikely to me. And who the heck are you going to call to monitor you?
Can't you imagine the average business man calling home? "Honey, I've been drinking. Here, let me blow into the tester and you tell me if I can drive or not?" Nah, not likely.
Just because you can make something into a consumer item doesn't really insure there will be consumers, right?
The happy little news people gleefully showed a young colleague in a bar with the newest gadget for your cellphone. First they double-checked - yes, his cellphone was successfully connected with the laptop at the station, with a video link and control panel.
Then he hefted a large mug of beer, and chugged a good chug.
Grabbed the gadget and blew lustily into it.
And lo and behold, the gadget measured the alcohol level on his breath. This was sent to the cellphone via the cable in between, and from there, across to the laptop. So at the station, they could see his picture and the measured alcohol level.
The news people cheered! Soon to be a consumer item, apparently.
Nice little gadget, about the same size as a cell phone. Black plastic box with a cable that plugs into something on the cellphone, with a pullout white tube that you blow into. Associated software, I suppose, for the laptop.
But, but . . . I have to admit, I don't see your average drunk driver buying one and having someone monitor him. Perhaps the local police would like to carry it - it certainly is small enough. But expecting consumers to buy their own tester seems unlikely to me. And who the heck are you going to call to monitor you?
Can't you imagine the average business man calling home? "Honey, I've been drinking. Here, let me blow into the tester and you tell me if I can drive or not?" Nah, not likely.
Just because you can make something into a consumer item doesn't really insure there will be consumers, right?
