The mail today brought something that takes the idea of a device dedicated only to one function about as far as it can go: the Playaway digital audio book. This device ignores the ability of a digital audio player to load new content, and instead, comes preloaded with one audiobook ($30-$40 or so), which is the only thing it will ever play. That's right; you cannot load new content onto this player.
This limitation comes with its advantages. Playaway gets to cover the Superman version of this Ideo-designed device with colorful Superman graphics, rather than leaving the design content-neutral. But a more important factor is the way you can unbox the device, press play, and hear the story right away. The folks over at Engadget made fun of the Playaway when it was announced last year for the potential of these devices to end up in a landfill next to other single-use devices such as the one-play DVD and the single-use digital camera. They have a point: it's a bit absurd to carry a device that plays one audiobook when you can load 100 audiobooks onto your iPod.
But on the other hand, this device does what it does very well, and minimizes user frustration (aside from the "louder only" volume button). I see the Playaway as sad commentary on the fragmented state of the digital music market, which is still too complicated for technically unsophisticated users. If you're looking for a gift for someone whose eyes glaze over when you say something innocuous like "USB cable," you can give them a Playaway volume safe in the knowledge that you won't be spending the next six months doing tech support.
The Playaway also demonstrates an important principal of device design: devices dedicated to one function tend to handle that function better than multi-featured devices do. The Playaway has dedicated buttons for bookmarking up to 50 spots and altering the speed of the narrator's voice between three speed settings (try that with your iPod). [Sorry... iPods do in fact support the variable speed playback of audiobooks – thanks for the reminder, Scott.]
(image from sacbee)
