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Techno-files
‘Convergence’ a new word to add to your technological lexicon

By Riley Gay

You’ve heard the old saw, “There’s nothing new under the Sun”.

While no doubt intended as a comment on society, it could also be applied to an emerging trend in consumer products hitting the market.

When it comes to electronic gadgets, at least, the tendency lately has been to combine existing technologies rather than to develop anything truly original. It’s called “convergence” and it’s all about bringing together very different technologies to create something completely new.

For consumers, as well as business professionals, this may be a good thing.

Take the cellular phone, for example. Most people carry one nowadays, and many of these same people also tote along a handheld organizer (or PDA) to keep appointments, addresses and to jot down notes and reminders.

Wouldn’t it be nice, you may be thinking, if both could be combined into a single device?

Wouldn’t it be convenient, too, if music lovers could use their PDAs or cell phones to listen to MP3s or other music files? How about using your handheld computer to replace the various remote control devices in your home? Or what about a computer mouse with a built-in memory card reader to transfer files to and from a digital camera, MP3 player or PDA?

Thanks to convergence, multi-function products such as these already exist. And new device combinations are being dreamed up on an almost daily basis, it seems.

With all of the digital gadgets that the average consumer uses, both inside and outside of the home, finding ways to reduce the number of devices they need to have on hand can make a lot of sense.

And buying one device to do the work of two can be a money saving proposition, as well. Why pay for two products when one will do?

The line between home electronics and your computer is beginning to blur, too. Thanks to convergence, computer technology is making its way into your home entertainment system, and vice versa.

As an example, Microsoft’s UltimateTV lets you surf the Internet and send email while watching television. In addition, both Compaq and Hewlett-Packard have begun marketing home entertainment products that will enable you to store and play digital music files, such as MP3s, as well as listen to Internet radio broadcasts in your living room, without the need for a personal computer.

There are also a number of products that will let you broadcast music files stored on your computer’s hard drive to an existing stereo system anywhere in your house.

Conversely, both ATI and Matrox are marketing graphics cards that will not only let you watch TV on your computer, but can also allow you to record shows onto your hard drive, much like a standalone ReplayTV or TiVo digital video recorder (DVR) does. In fact, Sony just recently began offering a computer with this capability already built in.

This trend will no doubt continue, at least for the near future, as more and more home electronic components, even appliances, become Internet-enabled and networked with one another.

If Microsoft has its way, your next computer will be able to communicate with, and control, a host of devices in your home. The folks in Redmond are promoting two technologies that should help to facilitate this: Wireless home networking and the tablet PC, which promises to make device connectivity both easier and more mobile.

Just imagine using your tablet PC to wirelessly control all of your home electronics, lighting and temperature from anywhere in the house, while surfing the Internet or reading your favorite e-book. With the current trend in convergence, that time may not be so far off.

In the meantime, if you’re looking to upgrade your computer or entertainment systems, make it a point to check out some of the latest multi-purpose products, or one that will allow you to integrate the two.

Perhaps you could use an Internet-enabled digital camera to let you instantly e-mail a photo to someone, or an MP3 jukebox or Internet radio that plays through your home or car stereo system. Convergence products such as these may help to both simplify and enrich your life. If they’re not already available, it’s a pretty safe bet they will be soon.

It just goes to show how good it can be when things come together. And when it comes to computers and other electronic gadgets, things are starting to come together in a big way.

Riley Gay is Wrangler News’ director of technical services.

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