Miniature Tech Part 1

As technology moves ahead, through the recession and into new frontiers, size is becoming an issue (as it always has been, no pun intended) and manufacturers and consumers are trying to push the boundaries of how accessible they wan to be and how much information and data they want to store. As data storage increases and people are more adept to mobile computing, the size of such devices is becoming smaller every year.

This is the first of a multi-part blog post that will check out the current standards and make way for what we could expect in the not too distant future. Intel's line of Atom processors, that were discussed in my post about Netbooks are paving the way for smaller computers that can do more with less space. I will not be surprised if Atom processors soon find their way into cell phones, although that industry is currently dominated by the likes of QuallComm, Texas Instruments, Motorola, and others.

Sony recently unveiled their Vaio P, a miniature version of a Netbook; basically making a mini out of a mini. I fail to see how that is possible but technology is supposed to get twice as fast and twice as small every two years. This little marvel comes with a beautiful 1600 x 786 pixel 8 inch screen, 1.33Ghz processor, 2GB DDR2 ram, a 60GB harddrive and even Wireless N. Damn. Even though it is priced at around $900, the reality of miniature laptops such as the Sony Vaio P or the Macbook Air is that innovation is neverending.

Now if you thought that was cool, then check out the rumors about the new Amazon Kindle 3, expected to be more powerful, with a complete touch screen, and probably even the ability to enter data ... meaning that people will create and view data wherever and whenever. Add a sim card to that mix and you have broadband access for truly being connected 24/7.

Mobile computing is the way of the future regardless of how much people might choose to disagree with it. A perfect exammple would be these blog posts. I tend to write these on my Windows Mobile phone while on the metro or in some mindless speech and then simply upload it to Blogger. The host of possibilities for the future is incredible, with better battery packs, to more power friendly Organic LED screens and better processors that can run faster and still use less juice than ever before. These opportunities open up the possibilties for open source software among other things.

My next post will explore the possibilities of smaller computing and even lifestyle changing functional prototypes.