Q for Dissertation 6-will converged devices usurp functions?

[Guest Saif]

Will the current and future converged devices lead to more functions being usurped from 'traditional' technologies like the laptop, desktop, standard PDA and standard phone?

And in which circumstances do you see this happeneing?

Many thanks for taking the time to look in. Any other comments are much appreciated.

Saif.

[Guest vijay555]

That Press release from the Symbian guy saying that phones will overtake computers? Nah. Not yet.

But imagine, why not?

think of usb storage devices. We love to be able to whack one into pretty much any pc and have access to our favourite music, files, important docs, medical history etc… The most exciting device I’ve heard of recently was the bluetooth enabled storage watch – theroetically you would walk into any bluetooth field and have instant access to the data stored on your 128mb watch, no wires, just transparent access. I would love to see that happen.

But what would be great: a few years from now, CPU mhz are ubiquitous, fuel cells rule and gb storage cards/holographic storage (or whatever) are the norm. Then, we carry around a convergence device: basically a phone. You get to work, dock it in a cradle, and the cradle is like a laptop cradle/port repliactor, attached to a nice full-on 19 inch TFT, keyboard and mouse. Your files are with you and you’re with your files always. Go home, dock with cradle, continue where you left off.

Full colour screen can emulate tactile keyboard using piezo electronic layer beneath touch sensitive layer.

Tilt scrolling (already exits) will make it a pleasure to use.

3D lcd (already exits).

GPS (already exits).

Persistent image/OLED/electronic ink screen will use no power to update. Battery life, days/weeks. (already exists).

Voice dialing as required, voice synthesis as required.

Watch films, music, radio. We’ve already got iPods holding 10,000 songs. I listen to about 100!

Video playback/recording PDAs now exist: couple that with efficient compression and your Video ipod/phone becomes your personal Tivo: video out on phone/dock will allow it to replace your VCR.

Gaming – DSPs in the phone should make it as powerful as any other personal computer, although heat output will of course be limiting concern.

Data: phone is always transparently backing up data to Storage Area Network using encrypted Wi-Fi, like Orange Backup, but bigger.

Lose your phone? pick up a new one, all data on your tea leafed phone being nicely corrupted by the Network as a security measure, and your new phone transparently downloading from the Network: nothing lost, all secure.

Smartphone 2002 already does a fine job showing me my email and keeping me in touch with friends. Of course video conferencing exists now, and network prices on 3g already look attractive. When CPU and Network bandwidth reaches the masses, we will change the way we communicate, instead of using a 127 year old technology: the phone!

I think all of this technology exists today. It just needs to be put together into a mass market device.

I would pay £1500 pounds for it if I could throw out my PC.

That’s got to get someone moving… come on Sony, give us the convergence device we want.

I think Treo 600 is a nice idea, but we want more device, less complication. Apple needs to design this thing NOW!

Sigh: I think a convergence device just needs converging:

I would use one, and I would rather have an overkill device that gets massmarketed to 3 billion people at £50, rather than 60,000 at £150. Do the math…

Love,

V

[Guest Saif]

come on people... some more votes would be really appreciated here!!!!

many thanks again :)