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The latest thing on this is the Ultra Mobile PC - which is not a specification so much as a set of parameters set by Microsoft, Intel and Samsung, although there is no reason for the UMPC to run Windows. These devices are characterised by a lot of connectivity options, miniaturised keyboards, possibly some form of hot corner or full touchscreen interface and low-voltage, small and battery-efficient processors - bigger than a PDA, and running a full version of the OS, but smaller than a subnotebook. This sort of thing is pretty well represented by the Samsung Q1 - picture here.
If you take a look at the spec options, you can see lots of ways to access the internet and other devices - ethernet, 802.11 wireless, bluetooth and 3G (phone network) data connections. Also a "dual camera' - that is, one camera on the back to take pictures, on on the front to make video calls and take photos of yourself. I imagine there will also be a microphone as standard, so with network access one could take pictures and video, upload them to the Internet, consult the Net or local information networks, make voice and video calls by VoiP... effectively, pretty much what you are talking about, I think.
The thing is, not many people actually seem to want a UMPC - the sub-notebook format has a better keyboard and OS setup for acting like a laptop, and much of the rest of the functionality can be replicated, albeit differently, with a smartphone. These have gone back to being as bulky as the old Nokia 5110s in some cases, but recent models offer a range of points along the PC/PDA/phone axis. For example, Toshiba has largely abandoned its Pocket PC format, and has put Windows Mobile 6 in a smartphone, with astylus touchscreen but also a slide-out miniature QWERTY keyboard. This is designed to be able to provide enterprise functions on the move - calls, fairly easy checking and sending of email, calendar management - when integrated into a corporate network back end. It's telling that this phone has the "Portege" branding - previously, this was used for business ultraportable laptops, which this is presumably supposed to replace. Having said which, it would look borderline humiliating to use as a phone.
A similar but less corporate product is the Nokia N95 - this is a "lifestyle" product, which does many of the things a UMPC might - it's a media player, a video camera, a phone, a camera, a web browser and an email monitor, much as you'd expect. Obviously, the form factor is much smaller, and you lose processing power, versatility and usability from that - it's a big phone, but a very small computer.
Personally, I actually rather miss the classic PDA model - I don't want the bulk of the interface device built into my phone, and I like the retro-futuristic feel of writing words on a screen with a pen rather than typing. To this end, I just bought a Palm TX - a museum piece, really, but with wireless, bluetooth and non-volatile memory - good enough to search for bits of information in wireless hotspots, for example, and to record information without having to get my laptop out or find a flat surface. However, it doesn't have the functions you'd expect from a next-generation phone - a camera, video recording, anything like that.
Note that with the exception of the UMPC all of these devices are really built to support a setup with a computer - although depending on what you want to do with it it needn't be _much_ of a computer. For mobile communication and "citizen journalism" of the kind Bruce Sterling may be talking about, or similar, the classic setup is possibly still the best - a slim and light notebook with a WLAN card for when there is 802.11 connectivity and a basic mobile phone with a camera and a bluetooth connection, to share files and act as a modem.
Mind you, I haven't used any of the latest generation of phones, or a UMPC. |
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