RE: Pronto RU950 First Impresions

["Mark Hetherington" <mark.egroups@xxxxxxx>]

Phil Harris wrote:
> I think that some of the
> dissapointments that people have been voicing here are more
> to do with Philips getting the original 890 and 940 so damn
> close to "right" in the first place.

Although a number of group members are fans of the Pronto, as indeed
some of my friends and work colleagues are, personally, I have yet to be
interested in buying one. Although we are all technically minded enough
to consider the pros and cons of the new pronto over the old, IMO they
didn't get it "right" in either generation.

Touch screen technology has it's place, but the size of the pronto plus
the lack of tactile feedback is something that put me off the pronto in
all it's generations. If it were not for the price tag, I might put up
with what IMO are the failings of it for gadget value if nothing else.

I have a Sony "universal" remote that came with my amp that while
not
completely customisable, supports most AV systems through a
"normal" set
of buttons and a small but useful LCD screen. I can use it with one hand
and access all functions of my AV equipment. I don't have macros, and
cannot control X10 through it (although in theory I could devise a
method to do so), nor can I program it to any great degree but the
pronto would not allow me to use it with one hand comfortably and
provides zero tactile feedback.

When controlling equipment I often do not want to have to look at what I
am using to control it and with a "traditional" system I can
quickly use
a computer keyboard, a telephone and a remote commander by touch alone.
I can dim my lights whilst watching a movie without navigating a touch
screen merely by picking up a remote and feeling for a particular key
should my motor memory not hit it correctly at first shot whilst not
missing a moment of what I am watching. In bed I can reach to a
controller during the night in complete darkness and control equipment
within the house through pure touch.

With a touch screen system to replace such actions, this habit has to
change and it becomes more work than it is worth. Touch screens have no
tactile method of establishing correct placement whereas traditional
systems do with the slight raised points on telephone handsets/remotes
on the number 5, on keyboard on F and J to allow entirely tactile
repositioning of fingers. The common layout of numbered system be they
telephone, keypad or remote control.

I fully intend to install touch screens in my house at some point, but
at locations where you are likely to use vision in addition to touch to
access services (e.g. alarm keypads and entry/exit points). Requiring
vision for actions that previously did not, is something I intend to
avoid. I also want to utilise them for functions that have an obvious
benefit from touch screen technology by providing visual feedback.

IMO, the lack of tactile feedback is what prevents the likes of the
pronto establishing a mainstream presence (however successful it
currently is). The size will be an additional factor given that most
devices are shrinking and can be used with one hand. Whenever I visit a
pronto owner, I always see them holding it with their left hand,
controlling it with their right while looking from it to whatever they
are trying to control for response (obviously this would likely reverse
for left handed people). A non pronto owner will be chatting to you or
say watching the screen while performing the exact same activity.

No doubt I will be "flamed" by some of the pronto owners and the
pronto
'want ones', but after many years of devising systems to minimise the
effort and number of senses required to perform a task, the pronto seems
to go against them. Part of the group name is "automation" which
is the
ultimate aim in minimising the work required by use to perform a task.
The pronto in current form appears to be a step backwards rather than a
step forwards in the aim of automation.

I rarely turn a light or general appliance on or off manually these days
so see no need to make my manual use of any system more work than it was
before I introduced automation. My current system has it's failings
(largely due to interference from recently introduced permanent
electrical fittings causing odd on/off sequences in the kitchen) but is
so vastly superior to the system prior to automation that these are not
a high priority to fix even though they remain an issue that needs
addressing and actually worked out well in that it proved the viability
of my local control systems. My aim with HA was always to automate as
much as is feasible while providing a local override at all times. The
local override was initially thought to be more important for visitors
and those unfamiliar with an automated environment, but I believe
remains an essential element in an installation.

Give me a handset size (i.e. one handed use) equivalent of the pronto
with hard buttons over any current pronto and I would buy it. Not only
that, but the chances are any visitor could pick it up and comfortably
use it without a short training seminar at the door. That has always
been my aim with HA and remains the aim throughout. IMO, the gadget
value is not worth the price they ask and despite the many features the
pronto has, I fell it currently falls into a pure gadget category for
the failings described herein.


Mark.

P.S. Despite not owning a pronto, I have had the opportunity to use one
for a while.