In the 1984 cyberpunk novel, Neuromancer, author William Gibson describes a future in which people can acquire knowledge by buying special chips called "microsofts" that plug into a surgically installed jack behind the ear. Once you plug in the chip, your brain can access its database and - voila! Knowledge!
It's an interesting and creepy idea, but one that we're going to have to face eventually. No, not painful implants, we're going to have to face the problem of education in a world in which nearly all knowledge is available to everyone, instantly all the time.
A mere 20 years ago, almost no one had heard of the Internet, had ever used a mobile phone or even knew what "GPS" stands for.
Today, most people I know over the age of 12 use the Internet every day, access data all day on their mobile phones and use GPS gadgets to get from one place to another. Mobile broadband is rapidly getting faster. Mobile devices are getting radically better screens and user interfaces. And the whole world of access data on mobile devices is quickly bringing us to the point where we can find out just about anything from anywhere.
Where will we be 20 years from now in terms of our ability to access any information from anywhere? The mind boggles. Let's look at a few trends.
Trend No. 1: The rise of Internet-connected smart phones. Smart phone shipments are up 29 per cent, according to market research firm Gartner, and now represent 11 per cent of the worldwide mobile phone market. In many countries they represent the majority of sales. As handset prices drop, and data plans and online services become more compelling, smart phones will largely replace "dumb" phones for just about everybody and become totally mainstream .
Trend No. 2: The increasing speed of data connections. Both the number of people upgrading to mobile broadband, and the speed of those connections, are rising very fast. Mobile-phone maker Ericsson predicts that mobile broadband subscribers could reach 2.2 billion within five years. As of January, there were 204 HSDPA (3.5G) networks in 89 countries either fully operational or well on their way. This level of performance will quickly go mainstream, and users will start looking forward to 4G, or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) performance on their phones, which will be capable of downloads as fast as 280Mbit/sec., two orders of magnitude faster than DSL on a desktop PC!
Trend No. 3: Improvements in user interfaces. The Apple iPhone, and its ginormous, high-quality screen and intuitive user interface re-set the bar for how easy and appealing grabbing online data over a phone should be. Imitators abound, and all are scrambling to produce ever better experiences for mobile data.
Trend No. 4: Advancements in voice recognition and artificial intelligence. Voice command is slowly creeping into our phones. Little by little, our phones' GPS functionality, applications, and Web browsing will be controllable with the spoken word. Increasingly, our commands will be processed on remote servers that can "learn" and figure out what we're looking for, and present it in a way that's most usable. As services like GOOG-41 become more popular, people will increasingly use voice-command systems to get information anytime, anywhere.
Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Zones provide focussed content from Computerworld and leading technology partners.
D-Link Australia & New Zealand
D-Link is the global leader in connectivity for small, medium and large enterprise business networking. The company is an award-winning designer, developer and manufacturer of networking, broadband, digital electronics, voice and video communication.
To Find out more about D-Link solutions visit www.dlink.com.au
D-Link Australia & New Zealand
Featured Products
-
IP BASED PHONE SYSTEM
D-Link VoiceCenter
D-Link VoiceCenter is an IP based phone system designed to meet the needs of small businesses. D-Link have solely partnered with Microsoft to package Microsoft’s Response Point software to bring you VoiceCenter. For more info on VoiceCenter's products and events please visit: http://voicecenter.dlink.com.au -
AWARD WINNING STORAGE
DNS-343 4-Bay NAS Enclosure
D-Links new 4-bay network attached storage enclosure has just received ZDNet's Editor's Choice award and a rating of 9 out of 10 by Craig Simms from CNET See the review here. The DNS-343 release followed the great success of its smaller sibling the 2-bay DNS-323. Targeted at both the home IT enthusiast and commercial users needing a flexible storage solution the DNS-343 is showing good market performance. -
EVERY BUSINESS NEEDS ONE
DSA-3600 Multi-Service Gateway
Any business that’s serious about networking must consider installing this gateway. Feature rich the DSA-3600 multi-service business gateway is a complete network solution that delivers reliable and cost-effective services to SMB and enterprise branch offices. Perfect for setting up a commercial grade wireless connection for the office the unit is simple and easy to manage. -
WI-FI FOR MOBILE WORK SITES
DIR-451 Mobile 3G Router
Perfect for mobile and temporary work-sites the mobile 3G router quickly and easily can connect your site back to the office. Recently the United States Air Force has used D-Link Mobile 3G routers on its remote base camps to connect soldiers with other Air Force departments, local agencies, friends and families. To see the complete case study click here.
New Products
-
XTREME
N DUO ROUTER -
DIR-855
The highly anticipated simultaneous broadcasting dual band wireless N router has arrived. The DIR-855 is set to make massive waves and take home/SOHO wireless networking to a new generation. Unlike other networking manufacturers who promote dual band the new DIR-855 will provide users simultaneous dual band wireless networks, opening up another range of opportunities for wireless networking. - DUAL BAND USB ADAPTER
DWA-160 Xtreme N USB Wi-Fi
The new dual band wireless N USB adapter is ideal for simultaneous dual band environments. For example in apartment buildings where there are heavily congested 2.4GHz Wi-Fi or at the home stream HD video over the network and making VoIP calls at the same time.
Coming Soon
-
WI-FI ACCESS POINT/BRIDGE
DAP-1522 Xtreme N Duo
A new addition to the Xtreme N family this wireless N access point/bridge effectively doubles available wireless bandwidth. Designed for users looking to get a true wireless connection that can handle multiple High-Definition video streaming throughout the house it can take the home network to a new level. - GOT NAKED DSL
DVA-G3670B ADSL2+ Wireless G VoIP Modem Router
Naked DSL customers now have the perfect feature rich product solution the DVA-G3670B to take advantage of naked DSL features. This ADSL2+ (naked DSL compatible) modem Wireless G router comes with 2 VoIP phone connections and is ideal for the growing market who don't want to pay the unnecessary line rental fee. Ultimately this unit is an ideal all-in-one home network solution and even SOHO small business solution.
Download
- Product Selection Guide Issue 3, 08 (3.2MB PDF)
- D-Lifestyle Magazine Issue 12 (2MB PDF)
- D-Link Power Up Your Business Poster (1.7MB PDF)
Case Studies
- DIR-451 Mobile 3G Router - United States Air Force Case Study (104K PDF)
- IP Based Surveillance - Minneapolis Airport Hangar Case Study (180K PDF)
- Commercial Grade Wireless - Four Points Sheraton Hotel Case Study (300K PDF)
- Business Class Switching - Microsoft Campus Case Study (800K PDF)
- High Bandwidth Networking Solution - Team Emirates New Zealand Case Study (751K PDF)
Whitepapers
D-Link TV
Watch videos about D-Link products and much morehttp://www.dlinktv.com
D-Link Training
Find out more about D-Link products trainings and certification programhttp://training.dlink.com.au
Buying Guides
Latest Products
Comments
Correct
The number of people that I interview that do not have any idea how to work things out is astounding - I do a simulated server failure lab test for last stage interviews - one of the faults is that the network cable is not plugged in - gets em every time - the "always on world" assumption :-)
Without access to their precious Google or Wiki they are totally stuffed.
They won't event try and diagnose the problem. They have no idea where to start. They wont even pick up the user manual (carefully positioned on the table so they see it)
What ever happened to root cause analysis and logical probelm solving - DOH! -
I pity them if they get caught outside the 99% 3G coverage zone with a dead car battery.