By Nick True

We are all carrying around micro computers in our pockets every day, and check them many times an hour.  These computers are many times the first thing we look at in the morning, and the last thing we look at before we go to sleep.  It is not a desktop or even a workhorse computer; they are our personal cell phones.  Mini technology pervades our lives and we use it on such frequent intervals that it can easily be forgotten how technologically advanced these little pieces of tech actually are. 

Examples of Micro Technology

Micro projectors – There are new multimedia projectors that are not only cramming more processing and computational power into a smaller space, but also slipping in advanced optics and audio.  This newest era of projectors are so small, they fit into front pockets easily.  New projectors are giving multimedia experiences on up to 60 inch screens and impressive audio; all emanating from a very small source.  3M

Netbooks – These are ultra-light (usually weighing in at a paltry 3 lbs) laptops that focus on usability, convenience, and internet access rather than brute computational power.  They are very small with around 9 inch screens and allow for easy internet access and related applications.  These computer’s small, compact, and efficient nature allow for incredibly long battery life, and a more rugged durability that can easily be carried where even laptops were once awkward.  I actually can (and have) carry my netbook under the small back seat of my sports motorcycle.  One example of a company at the forefront of ultra-light laptops is Asus and their EEEPCs.

Personal Media Players and Cell Phones – IPods and other personal media devices like the Ipod Nano are so small they fit in front pockets effortlessly as a pack of gum.  The new IPod Nano even takes full motion video at high quality.   Plus, these devices are much more than just music players, cameras, or phones, they are all one micro computers.

A Movement towards Smaller, more Portable Technology

When ‘ENIAC’ the first computer with modern computational capabilities was built by the University of Pennsylvania in 1946 it took up an entire building (see pictured).  All of this physical space was for a computer that computed artillery fire for the United States Army and later made computational models for the first hydrogen bomb.  These types of calculations could now easily be made by an 8-year-old simple cell phone.  With better transistor production technology the processors as of late are able to pack much more computational power on much smaller chips that require much less energy to run.  This means that true computer computational power can now fit in our tiny Iphone’s and media players.

Smaller Technology Goes Hand in Hand with Convergence

One big thing about the shrinking of technology coupled with an increase in computational power is convergence:  more and more diverse technology and different functionalities are being crammed into a single device.  The technology around us is converging to one unit, with one or very few devices servicing much of our personal technological needs.  Take the IPhone for example; (I must admit, I talk about the IPhone way too much in this article series, but it is at the forefront of so much technological progress) this is a “phone” that is a contact book, e-mail access, internet access, access to maps, weather, radio, video and so much more.  It is not so much a phone with these other functionalities as it is a micro personal computer that happens to be able to make calls.  Some of us are carrying better micro-computers in our pockets than others; but most of us are carrying some sort of these micro computational powerhouses whether it is a standard flip phone, or a state of the art IPod 3Gs.

Last Links / Resources

Moye, William T (January 1996). “ENIAC: The Army-Sponsored Revolution“. US Army Research Laboratory. http://ftp.arl.mil/~mike/comphist/96summary/index.html.

Accessed via Wikipedia

3M micro projector

Asus – A leader in Netbooks.