The Touch, The Cr-48, And The Way

How Touching

The iPod Touch is one our most used and loved mobile devices to date. Because it has so many capabilities as a mobile computer, it's a wonder why it's not as popular or more so than the iPhone and iPad. Sure, its weaknesses are connectivity and screen size compared to its Apple created siblings, but ironically those also happen to be a couple of the iPod Touch's greatest strengths.

Having the option to chose the way one connects the iPod Touch to the web is the very reason I decided that the iPhone wasn't right for NET9. I'm free from a monthly carrier bill, and I can use apps like Skype, Google Voice, Textfree, etc. to make/receive calls and sms messages for cheap or free over wifi. As for the screen size, my eyes are very good and I have no problem reading text on the smaller screen. I can take the iPod Touch with me anywhere at this size, which makes it 100% mobile.

There's almost no limit to what the iPod Touch can do for my mobile computing experience, and I'm sure Apple will continue to improve this under-hyped consumer device over time. It's currently my main mobile computer at the moment, and shall remain so until something better for my needs comes along.

On Cloud 9
As you may have seen from my excited tweets, I finally received a Cr-48 notebook from Google recently, and have been wrapping my brain around finally seeing my dream of web-based computing. I won't go into a detailed review of the Cr-48 or Chrome OS, because there are so many already out there, and I would rather just integrate my ongoing experience with these sort of devices.

In terms of hardware, the Cr-48 is a solid machine incorporating simplicity and elegance that some see as “cheap” while others see it as “Zen-like”. I love the hardware personally, and it does the job while not getting in the way of what’s important, which brings us to the Chrome OS itself.
Basically, the browser is the operating system and there’s not much left to add to that fact. I see this as the future of cloud computing, and Google has a great head start with Chrome OS.

I plan on pushing this devices capabilities powered by Chrome OS and will continue to report on my progress going forward. The best thing I like about the Cr-48 and Google’s new OS is that it sparks so many ideas for me to put to the test. I am truly thankful for this great new opportunity, and can’t thank Google enough for making this possible.

Uncharted Territories
I believe we are once again transitioning into new and interesting places with respect to mobile technology and all technology as a whole. Devices like Microsoft’s Kinect for the Xbox 360 prove that slightly advanced camera tech combined with a microphone can provide an amazing gaming experience and possibly a great new computing interface paradigm.

Our mobile devices such as smart phones, media players, tablets, etc. have become our new PCs, and offer many more capabilities at the same time. Features like cameras, microphones, GPS sensors, accelerometers, and touch screens have been incorporated in mobile devices for some time now, but are just beginning to become useful in very creative ways. Meanwhile, technology such as NFC, gyroscopes, compasses, and various new sensors and wireless connectivity options are starting to change the mobile space once again. They are getting smarter.

Between more powerful and faster mobile processors, the growing additions in hardware features, and the smart new ways in which software utilizes the hardware, the future of mobile is becoming a very powerful force indeed. Mobile is starting to learn, to become like our pets, if you will. It is our new keys and wallet/purse. It connects us in more ways than just telephony. It records and outputs our location as well as our textual, audible, and visual memories. It is becoming closer to us than our best best friends. Soon, we will be putting it on like clothes, but eventually it will become part of us like our eyes, ears, nose, etc. We are more than half-way there, and there’s no reason for us to turn back now.