Digital Dad takes on video calling

Digital Dad highlights a common problem faced with Apple users: How can I have a useful video call from Mac to Windows?

Is this mouse pad for Windows or Mac?

Many Mac users run iChat, which works fine for text messaging to Windows, but video calling is a whole other issue. His solution is to use SightSpeed (thanks for the plug). Shameless self-promotion aside, his dilemma highlights a real issue: How can we make all of this easier?

When I ask a dad - digital or otherwise - if they would like to see their children every time they talk to them, the answer is always an emphatic "YES!". So why isn't every dad having video calls every day? Simplicity, or more precisely, the lack thereof.

Andreas Kluth from the Economist has become the recognized voice of reason on this subject. While many technology reviewers are gushing over the next wave of speeds and features, Andreas focuses on simplicity. For a new technology to be widely adopted, Andreas posits that it must not only deliver the needed functionality, but is must also be "Mom Simple".

So what does this mean for those of us "in the business"? It means we have to continue to make our fancy technology easy to use. I can wow the best engineers around with SightSpeed's performance numbers, but at the end of the day, dad wants to see the kids laugh, and grandma wants to see the baby smile. To make that a daily reality for millions of people, the technology must be simple to use. Or in this case, "dad simple".

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