Participatory Media: January 2006 Archives
According to the NYTimes, Microsoft is proposing a computer disguised as a mobile phone. The phone would be connected to a television and keyboard for functionality. I like the direction, as cell-phones growing increasingly prevelant. However, I think the problems faced are the same. These cell-phones would not be the sexy Nokias that people lust over. I'm sure these would be remeniscent of the Zach Morris (of Saved By the Bell fame) phones of the early 90s.
The article mentioned mesh-networks as a means of sharing internet connections. MIT's N. Negroponte proposed this as a reasonable alternative to dedicated connections. I'm not sure how extensively they tested this, but with cell-phone technology, this could be a great acheivement if figured in to the Microsoft push for mobile computers. I do see a problem in cell technology in developing nations, something that must be fairly evident: where are the towers?
Clear Channel and other broadcast names have begun broadcasting HD radio. With this technology, radio quality is significantly improved, FM channels reaching near-CD sound. This is quite different from Satellite Radio, and provides for the broadcast option without subscriber-based services. I feel that radio is old news, HD or otherwise. Give us more mobile internet broadcasts and streams!
Convergence 2.0 is bringing back an old-school broadcast concept, revitalized by Google, Spot Runner, among others.
