What better way to usher in the 2nd quarter of this year than to write my belated technology wishlist. With only nine months left, I'd better get this in lest the Technology Bunny lose my basket. Here we go.

UI Design Movement

With the ever-advancing tide of Web 2.0, we musn't forget that as we make the web easier to edit, we must make it easier to use. You may be able to drag and drop your web space, but if the result still looks goofy, we may as well all start using Netscape 1.0 again. You can create highly functional products, but if you fail to make them aesthetically pleasing, no one will consume. If chocolate looked like sewage, you'd be very hesitant to indulge.

Gmail + CL2

I've totally and completely been bitten by the Google bug. I've been using the search engine since 2000, but I hadn't caught on to their other services until recently. I'd love to see Google's calendar (still in development) be integrated with Gmail. They're likely planning on it.

Since this is my wishlist, I'll share what I ultimately want with Google. One login to one place where I check my mail, manage my calendar and contacts, store files, view analytics for my websites, and chat. Google offers pretty much all of this, but if it were blended together with a sassy, slick interface (there's another thing: I want Google to hire the world's best UI designers and revamp all their stuff; their design is good, but I think they need to make their web interfaces a little richer) where I could arrange and customize how it all comes together (sort of like the MySpace revolution) then I'd be thrilled. Google, are you listening? If not, how 'bout you, Tech Bunny?

Interchangeable Parts

This idea made Eli Whitney pretty popular. The tech market is bundling everything now. It seems that before long, all cell phones will be PDAs, iPods, digital cameras, and web browsers (oh yeah, and phones). I want to be able to pick and choose the components I want. What if I don't want a camera on my phone? The cell phone camera is the biggest technological flop of the decade. They just don't work. What if I don't need a 100MB iPod? My 30GB will do, thanks. A la carte technology is all I ask.

More Falling Prices

I think we all agree on this one. Once new computers got to the point where top of the line and bottom of the barrel were only 500MHz apart, prices dropped dramatically. You only need so much processing power to do office tasks, so you can settle for a WalMart computer-in-a-box and do quite well. I'm driving a PC Millenium Falcon (don't forget, it made the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs) and it only cost $800. Gratefully, the gaming industry keeps the hardware biz on the move.

Now we just need this equalization of the PC market to bleed over into other markets. Plasma and LCD TVs still need to drop. You know they're low enough when my dad is finally ready to buy one. His price requirements represent the staunch penny-pincher who isn't afraid of technology, but willing to wait for the hype to pass before they buy. MP3 players and PDAs are in dire need of some financial counseling as well. They're still (and will be, I predict, for a few more years) on the it's-so-hot-I-want-I-want trajectory. Cool off, would ya'?

Well, that does it for me. I don't ask much, do I...