Information
Appliances: Reshaping the Computing Landscape
Presented
by Steve Leibson, MDR's
chief analyst for embedded technologies, editor in chief of Microprocessor
Report, and program director for Microprocessor Forum.
Many different information
appliances are now emerging to enable access to digital media without
the complexity of a PC. Information appliances have the potential to
further improve the user experience by providing devices optimized for
specific functions, and which can be located where they are most naturally
used. This seminar will explore the motivations behind information appliances
and the reasons why they may succeed—or fail—in competition
with PCs. Examples of emerging information appliances include TV set-top
boxes, Web terminals, screen phones, handheld computers, digital cameras,
image viewers, and digital music players. These examples will be presented,
with block diagrams and evaluations of their technical and market challenges.
The seminar will also survey key enabling technologies for information
appliances, including microprocessors, system logic, memory, mass storage,
displays, batteries, peripheral interfaces, and wireless communications.
What are information
appliances?
Digital appliances
for audio, video, and photos
True information
appliances: Web and email access devices
Appliances vs.
personal computers
Multifunction
vs. dedicated function tradeoffs
Driving forces
behind pervasive computing
Disruptive innovations
Technology adoption
curves and market segments
Incremental vs.
disruptive innovations
High-tech vs.
mass consumer markets
Historical examples:
disk drives, personal computers, the Web
Appliance examples
Stand-alone portable
devices
Cell phones,
organizers, pagers, digital cameras, MP3 players,Web pads
Tabletop devices
Screen phones,
Web appliances, email appliances, digital picture frames
Set-top devices
Game consoles,
digital TV recorders, Internet access devices, DVD players
Underlying technologies
and trends
Microprocessors
and system logic
Displays
Solid-state memory
and rotating storage
Peripheral interfaces,
including wireless and IR
User input devices
Speech recognition
Local-area networks,
wired and wireless
Wide-area networks,
wired and wireless
Operating systems
and software infrastructure
Java, Jini, Havi,
UPnP, and more
System architectures
Home of the future:
gateways, servers, networks, and clients
Storage in the
cloud
Integrating devices
and services
Challenges and
opportunities
User interface
design
Achieving simplicity
Resistance to
new product categories
Overcoming momentum
of PC-based solutions
Changing the
consumer electronics industry
