Smartphone
A student wrote to me: “We had a discussion in class about technology and I cited your blog about smartphone will replaced personal computer. Most of students in class did not believe it. They said the phone is a communication device and cannot replace a computer. I did not know what to say. Please help.”
Answer: Today more people are using smartphones to access the web and smartphones are now accounted for 48% of web browsing instead of personal computer. As the number of smartphones users increases, the need for more mobile application is also increasing fast with more sophisticated and complex applications. Currently over 3 billion people around the world are using smartphones and it has rapidly evolved into powerful devices similar to a simple laptop but soon it will be as good as a fully functional personal computer.
Some people do not think smartphone could replace the personal computer as it is too small for typing. What they do not know is keyboard is becoming obsolete as technology already changes to the next technology: Voice recognition. A mobile phone researcher explains: “Why bother typing when you can talk to smartphone? With voice technology the smartphone will convert what you say into a full written text. You can review it; make correction by your voice before send it as text message or email to somebody. Of course, if you still prefer to type, there are keyboard with wireless technology that connect to your smartphone and turn whatever you type into a full written text.
Some people do not think smartphone could replace the personal computer as it has a small screen which is difficult to see. What they do not know is screen will be getting smaller to be displayed directly in the eyeglass using head-up displays (HUDs) like Google Glass and similar devices.
Some people do not think smartphone could replace the personal computer as it has limited memory and cannot store documents, photos, games, apps, emails, music, video etc. What they do not know is with cloud computing, everything in the future will be stored in a cloud and can be accessed by smartphone so storage is no longer a problem.
In the near future smartphone will replace many things not just personal computer. For example, you do not need to use credit cards, write check or bring money as you can pay directly by transfer money from your bank to the merchant’s account using your smartphone. The smartphone will be your “Doctor in the pocket” as it will measure your heart rate, your pulse, your body temperature, your blood glucose (In case of diabetes), your calories consumption, and other activities and let you know about the status of your health and whether you need to go to see a doctor (Warning sign for a heart attack or stroke etc.)
I believe desktop and laptop computers will still have a place in offices but smartphone will be the dominant force in the future. As students, you need to learn about developing mobile application and be familiar with Android, IOS, and Window 8 because most software jobs will be focusing on these platforms.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
