A commentary article in the New York Times last Saturday (April 12) surveyed the landscape of technology devices and software, including phones, personal computers and global positioning units. Check it out at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/12/technology/12shortcuts.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin

It was a pretty light article, but it made a striking argument. As the title ("At a Certain Age, Simplicity Sells in High-Tech Gadgets") suggests, it argued that older people prefer simplicity even at the expense of having less functionality on their technology devices. One gadget mentioned in the article was the Samsung Jitterbug, which has only three buttons: one which you can program to call only one number (perhaps a friend, work or home); another to call a live operator; and a third to call 911.

It seems like perfect simplicity. But, I wonder if perhaps too many other functions have been excluded. Suppose it allowed ten numbers to be stored and dialed instead of just one. Would that ruin the elegant simplicity of the Jitterbug? Where then, does one draw the line between simplicity and robust functionality?