Digital Convergence came about with the Internet Age of the early to mid 1990's, when people wanted faster-easier and single devices to use (such as cellphones). Over the last twenty years more industries have been meeting this niche ("Long Tail") for e'commerce such as: telephone companies; Electronic manufactures (televisions, "xBox," computers, and handheld devices...); music and movie studios; software engineering industries like "EA Sports," for gaming, applications for personal computers and; social-networking sites. In the past year everyone in the United states had to go to digital television mandated by the FCCC, and this either led the consumer to upgrade their old television sets (analog), to buying a digital flat screen television or to purchase a digital converter box for the old analog television's to work. The FCCC stated this would free up more space because of the demand for more cable TV channels coming online (CNN-Money). Digital Convergence has enabled the world to be able to use single digital devices to take pictures, talk to someone on the phone, download APPS, scanning, and recieving faxes right off their cell phones, PC's, and PDA's...(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_convergence). As a consumer I can use a computerized mobile reading pad to either read the newspapers or an online textbook for my college courses. Apple has recently came out this past month with the "Apple iPad," which will have a huge impact on the newspaper industry and their advertisers' too, because people can use the "Apple iPad," to reach newspapers in a larger handheld device around 10" (
http://www.guardian.couk/media/pda/2010/jan/28/can-apple-ipad-save-newspapers-print).
The consumer can also use the "Apple iPad" to have several articles on the tablet to review at one time (
http://media/pda/2010/jan/28/can-apple-ipad-save-newspapers-print). Another device that came out before the "Apple iPad" is the "Microsoft's Courier Digital Journal" that opens up like a small book which is the picture above this blog; and you have two viewing windows left-to-right to have better visual abilities than a single window device (http;//www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-courier-digital-journal-exclusive-pictures...).
Corporations can use the internet with Digital Convergence to have board or sales meetings from NYC to Tokyo, without ever having to leave their corporate locations with the use of video conferencing software. This saves organizations' tons of money because of the costs of travel around the Earth in our global economy.
I think that Microsoft's Courier Digital Journal is pretty cool! I think I want the new Apple iPad though. One thing I am looking forward to is not having a frozen newspapaer blown from the wind all across my lawn and the lawns of my neighbors. I can read the Observer and other papers I like the iPad. It's thin, light and I think will be comfortable to use and of course I can many other things when I finish the paper.
ReplyDeleteScanning things with a phone, receiving faxes, using cell phone email to communicate with my History professor about assignments and tests, online courses with mass amounts of media available, where will our future go if we are advancing so quickly in technology right now? People will keep upgrading to newer products, they will keep spending money and technology will be so advanced when I'm older it's kind of scary. I guess it helps the Long Tail Distribution because there is less shelf space needed, but then everyone will be stuck with their gadgets all day.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the video conferencing software to host meetings. I saw a reality show on MTV where two people had a meeting with their boss via webcam. Two people sat in their living room while their boss was in his office. I won't be surprised if in a few years, there will be holographic meetings and shopping going on. Or 3D shopping. Okay, I'll stop my rant lol.
Shanaz,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the future will be an endless amount of technogadjets in every home, on individuals', and be will probably see newborn babies placed with some high-tech gadjet-podlike device inserted into their brains or under their skins in the next fifty years. That is scary, but unfortunately when I was younger the Sci-Fi movies were having genres about what is happening now; so why wouldn't they place some computer device into babies bodies too? If you haven't read the book by George Orwell's "1984", you should read it and you will understand what i am saying about Big Brother and the technology that exists today. I like the video-conferencing software that my husband uses when he talks to one of his Microsoft partners' out west; its really cool.
Kathy,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Apples iPad is really cool; but like you stated in your blog post, I want to wait until the quirks are worked out and also wait until the price comes down in about a year. My husband usually gets these gadjets as prototypes to investigate and make resolutions too; but unfortunately he isn't working with Apple yet as a partner; but with all the rest he does and reviews really cool software and hardware gadjets. I can never understand him when he talks about his findings because he is Mr. Spock of computers since the 1970's and a cradle robber of me (42) and he is 55!