20 ways to converge when we only need 2 or 3

There’s an old saying that captures all the big announcements last week at the annual Consumer Electronics Show here: “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”

In other words, the tools you use determine how you see the world.

The nail, in this case, is digital convergence — the epic shift of electronic entertainment, information and communications to the Internet.

Each technology heavyweight presenting its version of the future at CES wielded a different hammer, based on its background and strengths.

The upshot is that there are simply too many products out there and they don’t yet work well together. That’s why 2006 won’t be the year convergence becomes mainstream in U.S. households.

By Mike Langberg
Mercury News

Full Story: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/13578144.htm