The title isn’t so much a thought-provoking conundrum as it is the query of a confused mind. Where is mobile going? Laptops are now thinner than my wallet (which is pretty thin), netbooks are cheaper than ever, and smartphones can do everything short of fly me to the moon. But do I need all three? What’s the future of mobile?

As I sit here, typing on my now-oversized laptop, I realize that notebook computers are a lot more mobile than they were just a few years ago. As yesterday’s laptops became more and more powerful, they were advertised as “desktop replacements” because they could do everything that your desktop computer could do. Now, desktops are found less and less frequently on the tops of desks. The notebook is the machine of choice. There is something comforting about having your entire office in your hands as you exit the office for the weekend, but it is still not as mobile as the up-and-comers in the tech world.

The most up-and-comer of them all is the netbook. It’s a notebook for the ‘Net. In other words, you don’t buy it to watch DVDs or do high-power video editing. The only video editing you’ll do is to turn up the volume on a YouTube clip. That’s because the netbook’s primary purpose is to surf the Internet—affordably and portably. Recession means less spending, and with the netbook average price dropping to a projected $399 this year, less spending is easy to do on a netbook. Admittedly, you compromise some of a traditional laptop’s power, but you gain more mobility, flexibility, and even connectivity. Beta versions of netbooks are now rolling out, where users can get online via the 3G network, for example, rather than the local WiFi signal.

Most mobile of all are smartphones. These powerful little devices are highly concentrated packets of power. For a device that plays videos, maintains our audio library, finds the closest Chinese restaurant, manages our finances, regulates our schedules, keeps us in touch with friends, and everything in between, it comes in a very convenient size. When was the last time you tried to stuff your laptop into your pocket?

But how many devices do we really need? Is a day coming when all three devices can be replaced by a single piece of technology? What is the future of mobile?

This entry was posted on Monday, May 18th, 2009 at 10:10 am and is filed under Computers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.