Multi-Function Watches

I like multi-function LCD watches. The more functions, the better I like them. I still have one of those Timex Data-Link watches. That watch allowed me to synchronize appointments, contact phone numbers, and alarms. Plus, I could also upload various mini applications. And this is what got me to thinking. One of those applications was a count-down timer. You know, you set the watch for 10 minutes, and 10 minutes later the alarm goes off.

If you look at multi-function watches, one of the functions you will invariably find is the stopwatch. Now I understand that a stopwatch is a useful feature if you have need of it. But come on, how many of you that have the stopwatch function ever actually use it? I tell you, I've got a greater need for the count-down timer than anything else. I don't need to know how long an event takes. I need to know how long until an event happens...

1. My eBay auction I'm bidding on ends in 2 hours.
2. I need to move the lawn sprinkler in 30 minutes.
3. "Back To The Future" starts at 4pm. (Okay, that's more of an alarm thing)
4. Pick up the wife from Bed, Bath and Beyond in 40 minutes.
5. The parking meter has 30 minutes on it. Be back in 25 minutes.

You get the idea. Sure, I could use the alarm function for these things, but the count-down timer is more suited. Heck, watches these days have more processing power than the first IBM PC ever did. How hard would it be to add a timer function for watches?

Standards

Now, I'm not usually one to espouse standardization. However, some things I think NEED to be standardized. In the early days of the personal computer, power cords, and peripheral cables were all pretty much the same. I could take the power cord from an IBM PC and use it on a Compaq PC. Or even on an Okidata dot-matrix printer, or any number of devices. For desktop computers, that still remains the same. But if you look at laptop computers (and I have had hands-on with many), the power cords all have different connections. Even among laptops from the same brand, but different models.

Okay, maybe they all have different output voltages on their associated AC adapters. Couldn't they have made them to all conform to a standard voltage?

And remoted controls. Why does every bloody manufacturer have to have their own IR codes to perform the same stupid functions? I should be able to pick up any remote for any television and perform the same basic functions; Power On, Change Channels, Volume, Mute, Menu, 0-9, Up Down Left Right, and Select. I shouldn't have to buy a universal remote only to pick through a listing of manufacturer codes to find that NONE of them work.

And how about standard IR codes for the various multi-media devices that are out there, too? I've got a DVD player and a VCR recorder. All DVD players should have the same IR standards, too; Play, Stop, Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind, Skip Track (both ways), Disc Menu, Device Menu, 0-9, Up Down Left Right, and Select.

Sometimes it just drives me nuts.