Let's talk "personal" fragmentation

[MrX8503]

13" MBP
iPhone4
Windows 7
WHS 2011
Seagate FAT+

Having the iPhone with Mac OSX works really well together. Then my WHS backs up my MBP, Windows 7 Desktop, and streams media to my seagate.

Oh I also have a Wii, but that doesn't connect to anything. I'm satisfied with my setup and I just need to replace my Seagate as it doesn't stream HD content very well.

I also have Amazon Cloud, Google Music Cloud, and iCloud. I also use spotify and pandora, my music ecosystem is kind of a mess.

 

[MotionMan]

I went all Apple beginning in about 2009:

Mac Mini (2GHz Core 2 Duo)
Mac Mini (1.83GHz Core 2 Duo)
MacBook (2GHz Core 2 Duo)
MacBook (2GHz Core 2 Duo)
iPhone 4
iPhone 4
iPhone 3GS
iPhone 3G
iPod Touch 4th Gen
iPod Shuffle 4th Gen (Pink)
AppleTV 2
AirPort Extreme
AirPort Express
Time Capsule (1st Gen, 500GB)
iCloud

I also have 2 Rokus (1st Gen)

I have the Amazon cloud storage, but never use it.

I use Dropbox to move individual things from one computer to another on occasion. I also use it to keep all my basketball coaching documents during the season.

I am not personally fragmented, I believe.

MotionMan

 

[Fingolfin269]

I haven't had any problems getting my Win7 computer to work with all of my devices, I never really even thought about it as an "ecosystem" until I heard one of my Mac friends describe it that way (as an advantage to using Apple products of course ).

Meh... What I have does what I need very well.

Yeah to be honest I mainly heard the term "ecosystem" here first and I'm not really sure which platform it was related to. But since many of the App Store apps are paid I can see how someone on the Apple front may be a little more tied in to the ecosystem. It wasn't hard for me to leave Android to give iOS a shot because I had invested maybe $5 in apps. Not sure the same will be said at the end of this 1yr iOS experiment.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I am fragmented all over the place:

Computers:
Quad core hackintosh desktop
Macbook (white Core 2 Duo)
Windows 7 ION netbook
Ubuntu regular netbook
Two Unraid media servers
Three dedicated Linux XBMC boxes

Phones:
iPhone Original and 3GS
AT&T SGS2

Tablets:
Wife's iPad 2 (that I take care of)
Nook Color

Consoles:
Hacked Xbox 360 with Kinect
Hacked Wii with Wiiflow
40GB PS3

I am fragmented pretty much on purpose. I like to keep up on all the different platforms and products, and by being fragmented it keeps my general tech knowledge high. What makes it worse/better is how much hacked stuff I have (consoles, hackintosh, Nook) which takes extra work to play well with others.

There was a time there (06) when I went all Apple because I thought that I hated the fragmentation. It was easier, but it was boring, and in a year I realized my skills were no longer on the cutting edge- Apple made me complacent. So I then starting working towards greater fragmentation.

For this reason I generally avoid anything that REQUIRES synergy or is greatly enhanced by it. I don't subscribe to Xbox Live, i don't mess with the iCloud, and I would NEVER buy something like an AppleTV that is basically worthless without the synergy.

Maybe one day if I get a job that consumes a lot of my free time I will want to move back towards less fragmentation because I will get tired of breakage without the time to fix. But for now it keeps me on my toes, and does everything I REALLY want.

 

[disports]

htc dinc2
13" mba (like OSX but the idea of transformer prime + kb dock intrigues me because it would replace nook color and mba; but i got nook color as bday gift from gf so I don't know how she'd feel if I sold it haha :X)
nook color (reading)
2 external hard drives for storage/backup attached to mba (annoying as heck)

trying to figure out what I want to do in the future for storage/backup/streaming with a few devices as possible (maybe either build all purpose computer [have i3-2100t, asrock mITX, and 4GB already] or get a NAS)

 

[Zaap]

I don't get the use of 'fragmentation' here.

Having a variety of devices and systems is a major advantage- there's no application, file format, video format, printer, camera, media player, peripheral, networked device, mobile platform, etc. etc. etc. that I'm unable to use when the need arises. Greater chance of success with any task that needs to get done.

Being overly invested in one so called 'ecosystem' just means cutting myself out of swaths of the above categories.

On top of it, most of my different systems and devices all do play pretty nicely with each other.

Fragmentation? I call it 'choice' or 'variety'.

 

[Ns1]

text

You lose out on any potential synergy by being in 1 ecosystem

On a somewhat related note, it's a pain in the ass to manage multiple devices

Finally, an OSX user can bootcamp into Windows and be in both ecosystems to get the variety/compatibility that you reference above

#NotTryingToStartAFlameWarHere

 

[Nebor]

You lose out on any potential synergy by being in 1 ecosystem

I don't think you understand the word synergy as it applies to this discussion.

 

[Zaap]

Finally, an OSX user can bootcamp into Windows and be in both ecosystems to get the variety/compatibility that you reference above

Not if limited by hardware that an actual PC can leverage. For example: a common, inexpensive PCIe internal tuner card for NTSC.

Bootcamp is awesome though- it's existence in a way proves the point, even Apple understands and accommodates the need for also being part of the Windows 'ecosystem' as it relates to surviving in the modern tech world, and that the different ecosystems aren't really so far removed that they don't work well together. (Clearly with bootcamp, a Mac and a PC become the same physical device.)

 

[Ns1]

/edit

f- it n/m

 

[hans007]

i've got an android phone (thunderbolt) and a lenovo T420 running windows 7.

i've tried going all linux before and it just wasn't quite up to par. but i'm debating going xubuntu, but i know some things might not work quite right (such as my docking station, or smart battery charging etc...)

 

[Blueychan]

Dell Venue Pro
iPhone 3GS
Zune 80
iPad 2
Toshiba (Windows 7)
Macbook Pro
Desktop (Windows Vista)
PS3
iCloud

Mine is mostly 50/50 between Apple and Microsoft. Don't have a problem sharing files between them.

 

[senseamp]

I got Zune HD, Nook Color, and Touchpad. I just enjoy each device on its own merits.
I think fragmentation is more of an issue for app developers who have to pick which platform to write for. I don't use apps that much, so it's not a major issue for me.

 

[Aikouka]

I get annoyed at the fact that my iPhone and iPad can't even synchronize game saves. :| A few games allow it now in iOS 5 (such as DoodleJump), but most don't.

 

[AkumaX]

Windows 7 Laptop (11.6" Sandy Bridge)
Windows 7 Desktop (i5-2500k Custom)
Windows 7 HTPC (Core 2 Quad Custom)
Windows 7 File Server (X2-260 Custom)
HP TouchPad (Tablet)
Apple iPad 1st Gen (Tablet)
Apple iPod Touch 4th Gen (Media)
Android Phone (Marquee)
WP7 Phone (Arrive)
PS3
Wii

Use HTPC to watch content
A Tablet for quick browsing (whichever's closest at the time)
Laptop when Desktop in use
iPod for quick listening/simple browsing (but I'm transitioning away from it since I just got the Marquee)
Lol, can't remember last time I turned on Wii..

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Windows 7 desktop
Windows 7 ultraportable (Thinkpad x220)
Windows 7 netbook
Android tablet (Nook Color)
Android smartphone (Samsung Captivate)

Windows and Android work quite well together so I don't see any fragmentation issues.

 

[notposting]

Windows 7 desktop for me
Windows 7 desktop for wife
Windows 7 laptop
Windows 7 HTPC
Media Center Extender (Linksys DMA2200) x2
Xbox 360 x2
Windows Home Server v1
Windows Phone 7 (HTC Trophy on VZW)

OG Droid which is now my bedside clock....
Nook Color which will probably get sent off to my mom...

Actively trying to not fragment here...neither Amazon or Android have the entire range of computing covered, and I can't afford to replace all that with Apple products.