Miniature Footprint Computing

Almost no space at all Computing ThinkingOutLoud.DonaldNoyes.20110113.20121010

We are approaching computing capabilities of the nature shown in StarTrek, if not already surpassing them. With MiniatureFootprintComputing, the threshold of the DisappearingComputer is almost with us. Who among us has not seen a person walking along, seeming to be conversing with someone, in fact at times one almost replies when that person has said something that could have been directed their way.

The cellular phone has been in a constant state of becoming smaller. My first one was called a "bag phone", because it was the size of a medium handbag. It weighed about 5 pounds and had an antenna with a magnetic mount which you could put on the top of your car. It wasn't what you might call a personal phone, since it was more designed to be used in an automobile than to be carried about. My present phone, although several years old is small enough to be easily misplaced or lost. (Which has happened on multiple occasions, though each time recovered). I use it primarily for phone calls, although it has IM capabilities, the method of using multiple key presses to encode a character has made its use in that respect very difficult. It is time for a change and with that change, I will be moving into MiniatureFootprintComputing.

There are many choices and presently no clearly predominant platform for this paradigm. With this page, a specification will be made of what this may mean in size, price and capabilities.

What will I want this ComputingDevice? to do for me?

Since it will be mobile and shirt pocket size or smaller, I will want to be able to use it as a MobilePhone, with that mobility coming in the form of Internet Connectivity.
I will want to be able to browse the Internet with Desktop capabilities, using any of the available Video and Audio Schemes for images, sounds and videos, including live video conferencing with multiple parties.
I will want to be able to use via RemoteEvaluationAlgorithms the power and presentation creation capabilities of far more capable remote (and networked) computers and computing devices, using them as if they were part of my computing platform. In this respect the miniature device would be the initiator and receiver of content, while the model of computing and accessing of data might be accomplished at the remote computer. This is not "CloudComputing" as I understand it, since the remote computer is not a "DistributionAgent?", but rather can be thought of as any computing device one can connect to, send commands to, and receive commanded results from. This would include Peer to Peer and ChildMaster to ParentSlave.
I will want the power consumption be low enough to allow up to 24 hours of operation without recharge of batteries.
- This will require the highest possible communication speeds, since transmission of signal comes at the highest battery usage. The utilization of the RemoteEvaluationAlgorithm in processing data will relieve the MiniatureFootprintComputing device of a great deal of localized processing and longer battery life.
I will want the device to recognize my voice and accept commands issued audibly. I would be nice if it would also employ visual and motion clues as commands. (How this would be done is challenging but possible)
I will want the device to cost less than 300 dollars and require monthly use charges of less than 50 dollars for unlimited use per month.
I will be willing to wait for the future developments and use the larger footprints I have now, until the desired capabilities and pricing makes this footprint possible for me.

Aside from some of "RemoteEvaluationAlgorithm" (which I'm not sure I grasp) and visual/motion clues (though there's gesture recognition in some apps) that's all available today on any garden-variety Android smartphone. My HTC Desire Z was free on an a £30 per month plan, and you've described it fairly accurately.

Recent Development and Future Possibilities

All of the above as well as RemoteProcessingOfLocalInformation? have been made possible using current devices. With WiFi HotSpots available in many public as well as private places, one is able to communicate with the operational (monthly) costs having dwindled to not much more than the cost of keeping the battery charged. With GPS and facing camera enabled to transmit to a cloud as well as to the called party, both will be able to discern where the device is as well as see who is permitting his/her/its appearance to be shown. Inertial and positional sensors in the device as well as voice and visual recognition have now allowed not only bar and tag codes to be read, but also vocal commands and visual identification of cataloged locations and establishments.

The size of the device is now governed more by how large a display one requires, which has now become 3x5 card size and not much thicker. A notion of mine is that on the reverse side of the device could be a solar cell which would use available light to keep the device charged and available. The device would not need to have a thickness of much more than 1/4 to 3/8 inches. A sensor with the solar cell might also serve as a receiver and the display include a transmitting source to allow light-wave communication in addition to its radio-wave communication. In NotSoFarOutComputing, brain-wave reception and processing will make it possible for those having visual, audible and physical challenges to utilize features of MiniatureFootprintComputing. ThinkingOutLoud.DonaldNoyes.20121010

CategoryFuture