Radical Simplicity: Transforming Computers Into Me-centric Appliances (Hewlett-Packard Press Strategic Books) [Paperback]

Frederick Hayes-Roth (Author), Daniel Amor (Author)

Book Description

Series: Hewlett-Packard Press Strategic Books | Publication Date: February 25, 2003

This book is about change. Me-Centric computing will revolutionize how we approach computing and appliances of all types. In fact, we won't have to approach them at all. In some cases they will "know" what it is we want them to do. In this book, technology and business strategists learn how to make me-centric computing work for them. Until recently, the growth of computer usage has been driven primarily around the ability of computers to crunch numbers, handle text, and edit documents and slide presentations. Computers in the backroom were invisible to us. Productivity gains were modest initially and probably reached diminishing returns some time ago. The world is about to be turned upside down, however. This new technology is called "me-centric" because it fits into the individual's life in a natural way, conforming to preferences and requirements, taking orders, and performing a variety of delegated tasks. In me-centric computing, every appliance becomes part of my environment, my team, my extension. I get increased power, save time, have more fun, do fewer menial tasks because the vast power of computers, communications, and software is working in concert to do my bidding.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Hayes-Roth and Amor have provided a long-needed, essential book for the technology and business strategists who will provide the services. -- Donald A. Norman, Northwestern University and the Nielsen Norman group, Author of The Invisible Computer

Today's computing tools force people to adapt to them, rather than doing what people really want. This book shows how. -- Hal Abelson, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT

From the Back Cover

Radical Simplicity: Transforming Computers Into Me-Centric Appliances

The next computer revolution will be built around one person: you

Imagine computers you can delegate to... computers that tell you things you want to know about ... adapt to your needs and preferences without being told ... work together on your behalf ... and respond to your voice, language, and gestures. It's all coming, sooner than you think -- and when it does, today's computers will be recognized as the dinosaurs they are.

Radical Simplicity previews the "Me-Centric" computing revolution, in which the vast power of computers, communications, and software finally comes together to do your bidding-seamlessly, easily, and naturally. This "plain English" guide covers both the technology and its implications-and shows how you can prepare, starting today.

• How tomorrow's personalized intelligent appliances will extend your power, save you time, improve your productivity-and make life more fun
• From agents to Web services: emerging technologies that are making Me-Centric computing real
• New business opportunities in virtually every key industry-with realistic business cases
• The coming revolution in end-user expectations-and how IT must respond
• Rearchitecting products and services around users, not infrastructure

Whether you're an executive or an IT professional, Radical Simplicity will help you take the lead in a new technology revolution that will dwarf everything that's come before it.

About the Web Site

You'll find even more articles, updates, and ideas about Me-centric computing at this book's Web site.

www.radicalsimplicity.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR (February 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131002910
• ISBN-13: 978-0131002913
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,220,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Designing a Me-Centric World is cool!, March 27, 2003

By 

Matthias Blendheim (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Radical Simplicity: Transforming Computers Into Me-centric Appliances (Hewlett-Packard Press Strategic Books) (Paperback)

This book talks about a radical change in IT. It shows how computers should be programmed. Not in a tool-centric way, but in a user-centric way, meaning that not the functionality is the main focus, but the usefulness of the system towards the user. In many cases, you can see systems that are full of features everyone and nobody needs. If these systems would only provide the functionality that I need at a given time, it would reduce the complexity of that system and would enable me to do my work faster. By connecting all sorts of devices and services, it is possible to create new me-centric service chains that can give better value to me.

The book provides a lot of good ideas how this can look like in the future, but also shows what is necessary from a development point of view to make this happen. Technical, social and business aspects are introduced and enable the solution architect for a new product/service to make it me-centric.

A must for product development!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The right approach - computers do it for me, March 18, 2003

By 

Billy Henderson (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Radical Simplicity: Transforming Computers Into Me-centric Appliances (Hewlett-Packard Press Strategic Books) (Paperback)

Although it may seem simple, so far computers did not actually do work for us, the did the work instead of other tools. Word ist just an electronic typewriter, but did it write the text for me? No! The next generation of computers will be different. They will actually do work for us, they will make their own decisions and execute predefined work tasks in an intelligent way. Sounds spooky? Maybe, but if you trust your secretary, you should also trust your computer. Hayes-Roth and Amor show us how this brave, new world may look like. Very interesting read, indeed!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on technology, May 28, 2003

By 

Frank Schoch (Frankfurt, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Radical Simplicity: Transforming Computers Into Me-centric Appliances (Hewlett-Packard Press Strategic Books) (Paperback)

Roth and Amor provide a great book on how to simplify technology. If we do not try to simplify it, it will become unmanageable in the future. The book shows what the problems are and how to solve them. Unfortunately, production was weak and there are some figures are not very well readable. Please change this in the reprint.