The New MacDock

April 12, 2009 · Unthoughts

This is the first step of what I want my smart phone to do. Is this too much to ask? It shouldn't be too tough, and it shouldn't be expensive either. iPhone would be great for this. The MacDock would simply make working with your phone easier when you are on a plane, at a client meeting, at lunch on your way to your next appointment. This is to make life on the road easier.

I see so many people at conferences with iPhones, taking notes on their netbooks. Put them together, and make it SEEMLESS. When the phone unplugs, everything stays with it.

• The phone docks into a netbook size device, becoming the track pad.

• As a fully functioning touch screen, the interface could be amazingly customized on the phone when functioning as a trackpad. Custom buttons, controls, anything.

• All the main drive space is still on the phone (possibly with some type of backup drive on the MacDock, or maybe a cloud-based backup drive). All the things you do on the iPhone, you can do easier on the MacDock, just because it is bigger and has more power. It augments your phone.

• Additional RAM.

• Additional battery power that can charge up your phone as you use it.

• Real keyboard

• Bigger Screen

• Full video conferencing capability

• Working speaker phone

• Optional speakers?

• Application extension. If you have a twitter app on your phone, it expands and is easier to use on the MacDock. But when you have to run, all the data stays on the phone. Evernote would be a great app for this.

• All photos/messages/emails/attachments/music/downloads from the phone can be off-loaded/backed up.

• Better WiFi/cell signal reception. Better antenna? Cell phone booster?

• Network hub capability. The MacDock could create a wireless network for an area through the cell phone connection. Would ATT be happy with this? Probably not.

• Vehicle dock. A similar dock for a vehicle could use the phone to drive a flexible GPS system. Or even serve as a key. Plug in your phone and drive.  If not plugged in, a car could connect by Bluetooth. It wouldn't charge your phone at this point, but would work similarly.

What else could it do? Remember, this is a tool to augment the phone, not a laptop. Let me know what you think.