K
Kathleen Martin
Guest
A couple of ice ages ago, when I started writing about technology, personal computing was shorthand for computers used by enthusiasts. Such machines were eons away from becoming the personal computers that now sit on our desks and in our backpacks. In the post-PC age, personal computing means tablets and smartphones. After all, these always-on mobile devices are our constant companions. We are now glued to their screens, and more importantly, they are personalized to serve our every need.
Going forward, however, personal computing will become something else thanks to the growing number of connected devices — what readers of this newsletter affectionately call the Internet of Things. Indeed, in looking around my apartment recently I realized just how many of these devices had entered the most personal of my spaces: my home.
The list is long. Philips Hue for mood lighting. An Aura digital frame to display pictures of my family and friends. Samsung’s Frame TV to show off my landscape photographs. Plus a HomePod in my office, SyngSpace speakers in my bedroom, a connected streaming amplifier, and a few other bits and bobs. It’s not quite the Sharper Image showroom, but you get the drift.
And whenever I visit the standalone homes of my friends, I see a proliferation of security cameras, doorbells, nanny cams, and baby monitors, among other devices. That’s in addition to the photo frames, speakers, and of course, cleaning robots. This wave of connected devices is clearly not ending anytime soon. The recently concluded CES even had companies showing up with connected personal robot assistants, such as the Retriever from Labrador Systems. Most of these devices are packed with sensors — cameras, microphones, and motion sensors, to name just a few.
Continue reading: https://staceyoniot.com/were-entering-the-age-of-very-personal-computing/
Going forward, however, personal computing will become something else thanks to the growing number of connected devices — what readers of this newsletter affectionately call the Internet of Things. Indeed, in looking around my apartment recently I realized just how many of these devices had entered the most personal of my spaces: my home.
The list is long. Philips Hue for mood lighting. An Aura digital frame to display pictures of my family and friends. Samsung’s Frame TV to show off my landscape photographs. Plus a HomePod in my office, SyngSpace speakers in my bedroom, a connected streaming amplifier, and a few other bits and bobs. It’s not quite the Sharper Image showroom, but you get the drift.
And whenever I visit the standalone homes of my friends, I see a proliferation of security cameras, doorbells, nanny cams, and baby monitors, among other devices. That’s in addition to the photo frames, speakers, and of course, cleaning robots. This wave of connected devices is clearly not ending anytime soon. The recently concluded CES even had companies showing up with connected personal robot assistants, such as the Retriever from Labrador Systems. Most of these devices are packed with sensors — cameras, microphones, and motion sensors, to name just a few.
Continue reading: https://staceyoniot.com/were-entering-the-age-of-very-personal-computing/
