Jamais Cascio is a researcher at the Institute for the Future. His vision of the future doesn't have converged devices that do it all.
But in a few years, all these devices will be far more specialized. You might have a special pocket-size electronic map that's just for grabbing maps off the web and displaying them in a simple format. At the same time, every device you own will become computer-network-ready. Instead of having a 50-inch plasma-screen TV and a computer monitor, you will just have a big flat-screen monitor that you can use to tune into Torchwood or read your favorite blogs. Why have two monitors when TV and the web are both streamed over the Internet, anyway?
Annalee Newitz at
Metroactive