With a new milenium, many people interested in computers are assessing what changes took place and what direction will changes take in the future.
For example, they predict an accelerated move towards high-tech housing. Soon, they say, the computer will be as common to the home as the television or washing machine. While research shows that most people use their home computer primarily for entertainment, in the future it will likely become a central part of the home's structure.
How? Software systems could be connected to external utilities like the telephone and electricity and could be used to monitor usage and billing. This technology, already used in large commercial buildings, promises to make real the automated home which science fiction writers have predicted for more than a century.
In a futuristic view, they envision home decor matching favorite desktop themes because our PCs will be everywhere, "including the bathroom." They envision choice of towels to match the right color of our PC's, and even special towels that would be compatible with computer-run dryers!
On the other hand, many new houses are already being built wired for high-speed data access.
Demand for handheld computing devices is predicted to continue growing rapidly. According to Dataquest, a market research firm, more than 30 million people will use handheld computers by 2003. Dominance in the handheld market is potentially lucrative because demand for small devices is growing.
A company named "Palm" is considered to be currently one of the top manufacturing companies in this development. Palm devices are popular because they are simple to use, synchronize easily with users' desktops, and offer a growing range of applications. Current users seem to prefer smaller devices.
Palm Computing and Sony plan to jointly develop a new version that will include audiovisual functionality and support for Sony's small, portable Memory Stick storage technology.
In another agreement, Nokia plans to incorporate the Palm user interface and Palm applications into its smart phones and other devices, Nokia plans a phone that combines wireless voice and data access with information management capabilities. Other likely features will include calendar applications, and an expansion slot will let users add hardware and software capabilities via snap-in modules.
Science fiction made popular the idea that our most useful tools could be both portable and intelligent. In reality, it did happen. Computers have shrunk from multi-ton mainframe computers to ten-pound desktops and are moving towards two-ounce handhelds.
How long can this trend continue? Here is one forecast by Texas Instruments:
"Miniturization breakthroughs -combined with the scaling benefits of the quantum transistor, the utility of voice recognition, and novel human/machine interface technologies- will make the concept of a computer the size of a lapel pin a reality in the early decades of the 21st century."
This is not from the realm of speculative fiction. It is from Texas Instruments's Web site.
Computers are expected to impact fashion as well At MIT, there are fashion experiments taking place. Wearable computers are installed in glasses. These glasses house a tiny color video display that is generated in the glasses' temple piece and projected to a small mirror embedded in the lens. This mirror reflects the image directly into the eye. Unlike the first generation of bulky screens that completely covered one eye, this miniature display is not obtrusive. Eyewear stores might in the near future stock video-ready frames.
Wearable computers will continue a trend to become more commonplace. For example, in November 1999, Hewlet-Packard's CEO announced to an enthusiastic audience that HP would be collaborating with Swatch to manufacture watches with wireless Internet connectivity.
Science fiction made popular the idea that our most useful tools could be both portable and intelligent. This trend is likely to continue.
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