Creating an internet cloud

Creating an internet cloud

This year will see the internet become a more mobile and personalised user experience as it becomes accessible across a wider range of devices, notably mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs).

In Europe, around a third of internet access comes via mobile telephone. This internet access differs from computer access, featuring alerts, weather data, e-mail, search engines, instant messages, and game and music downloading. Yet a number of factors may change the proportion and quality of internet access made from mobile devices.

Hardware
Processors will become smaller, quicker and more energy efficient, and flash memory -- already seen in devices such as the iPod Nano and ASUS Eee PC -- will become an increasingly common feature. No power is needed to maintain the information stored in a flash chip, which explains its popularity for battery-powered devices.
Eventually, the internet will allow information to be sent to computers embedded in objects such as appliances, vehicles and machines.

Communications infrastructure
Technological upgrades will allow high-speed broadband to be delivered over mobile telecommunications networks. In particular, the 3G Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is being upgraded to a 4G internet-based network, which will be able to deliver a wider range of data to mobile devices. At the same time, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) technology, which is conceptually similar to WiFi but delivers data over greater distances, is already developing a commercial lead over equivalent mobile telecommunications technologies, thanks to advantages such as cost efficiency.

User interface
Significant innovation is underway in creating new user interfaces, which are able to capture the breadth and interactivity of the internet on a portable device. Google this year is set to launch its open source Android mobile platform, which will facilitate delivery of a range of web-based applications such as browsers and digital media services. Companies such as Apple will continue to lead the way in innovations such as touch-screens and voice commands, which enable user to interact more efficiently with mobile internet applications.

While ubiquitous connectivity remains a relatively distant prospect, and obstacles remain, such as the cost of deploying new infrastructure, the mobile internet will continue to grow in speed and geographical reach fundamentally reshaping internet access through the creations of an extensive, high-speed ‘cloud’ of information, which will have a major effect on patterns of work and leisure. This will facilitate development of ‘augmented reality’ –- thanks to internet connectivity, mobile devices and embedded chips will be able intelligently to acquire, filter and present live data that is relevant to a user’s surroundings.