Mobile technologies are everywhere. Never have so many batteries been carried around by so many people. The centrepiece of the battery carrying revolution is certainly the smartphone and tablet computers.
These amazing devices bring more computing power to the average person than was available in the entire world only 40 years ago. Consider that your device is connected to most of the computers on the earth by our worldwide communications network, the internet. There are literally billions of devices connected to the internet, most of which are accessible to your device via its software.
The implications of this are astounding.
Marilyn Hacker says “I’m addicted to email, but other than that, there are practical things – being able to buy a book on the internet that you can’t find in your local bookshop. This could be a lifeline if you live further from the sources.”
It’s not just books now. Connected devices give access to almost the entire sum of human knowledge in a fraction of a second. Doug Coupland says that “With Google I’m starting to burn out on knowing the answer to everything. People in the year 2020 are going to be nostalgic for the sensation of being clueless.”
Your device is more than an unlimited information source. It can interact with your environment via video, voice, gps and other sensors. This means that you can communicate with your device, information sources and other people in new and interesting ways.
How long have we had these powerful devices? Not long.
There is no "status quo". The pace of technological change continues to advance.
There is a sense that current mobile technologies, although amazing, are only an interim step to something greater.
So what’s the end game? Noone knows, but it’s certainly something that builds upon mobile computing and takes it to a new level.
This blog will act as a commentary on these changes and what these will mean to the individuals and organisations that use mobile technology.
See you there!
To mobility and beyond 