The Ultimate Mobile Device

Permalink: The Ultimate Mobile Device
by Brian Turner

The Age of Information is bringing about the convergence of a range of technologies.

The internet, digital media, home entertainment - and mobile devices - are all moving slowly but surely towards a single goal.

The result? The Ultimate Mobile Device.

At present we have separate devices for different functions: the computer for the internet, the TV for watching programmes, the stereo system for music, and the mobile phone for communicating.

The computer has already begun assimilating home entertainment, especially music. Companies such as Microsoft, Apple, and Creative, have pushed the home computing into becoming a multimedia device and home entertainment center.

With the emergent technology of IPTV, the computer and TV are about to become more and more closely related - to the point where the TV is nothing more than a screen, and the computer the engine behind entertainment.

When that happens, the home computer will become the central unit for all home entertainment viewing.

So how do mobile devices fit in?

Well, as we’ve already observed, companies are pushing for more and more features on mobile phones. We’ve already seen megapixel cameras and music players integrate with mobile devices, and as networks become faster we’re all set to see IPTV on our mobile devices, too. Video capture on mobile phones has become a general feature as well.

The end result is the mobile device as an overall communications center.

It won’t simply be something to talk to other people with, but instead be a portal through which to interact with the world: a universal communications center not simply between people, but also other devices.

The Ultimate Mobile Device (UMD) will be the home PC in miniature.

With that power comes a range of additional features we can expect to see.

Want to switch your bedroom light on? Use your UMD. Want to set your microwave? Use your UMD. Want to go shopping? Just select your standard shopping order and click send on your UMD, then wait for delivery.

The possibilities for the UMD are limited only by it’s size and purpose - we’re unlikely to see hundreds of people flocking around a UMD to watch a film, because they don’t need to - if they want a taster, it can be shared directly, and if they want the full show, the home PC entertainment center will blast you away.

There are plenty of benefits to be envisioned - but there are also hazards.

As with home PC’s at present, any UMD is likely to be so closely associated with the individual using it that companies - and governments - will be queuing up to grab that data and track everything you do.

The marketing companies will want this in order to bombard you with “better” advertising opportunities. Governments will want this simply for population surveillance. We’ve already seen the groundwork for both applied in spam, local-targeted internet services, and RFID for tracking.

In this regard, the UMD offers hazards and the potential for real problems.

The point is, mobile devices are going to become an inherent and required part of daily life not simply for those in the West, but across the world. The more closely associated they become with our daily lives, the more we’ll find ourselves relying on them.

With the range of opportunitities comes a range of challenges. The UMD is inevitable, but how those opportunities and challenges are dealt with remains to be seen.