The Power of Mobile Devices

Th first computer was big enough to hog an entire building for itself. Since then computers have become small enough to fit in the palm of our hands. We have surely come a long way in mobile computing but how useful can it really be? Well for one, if it weren't for mobile computing I wouldn't be writing this post right now. You see currently I am in the middle of a gymnasium at a HighSchool. I recently just finished a final exam and am left with over an hour and a half to just sit here. As I look around me I see people using there I-Pods and there Smart-Phones yet none of them are using these wonderful creations for anything more than throwing Angry Birds at Pigs. The calculator I will use in my next exam will have more computing power than all of NASA did when we landed a man on the Moon.

In order to post this article I am currently using a laptop, smart-phone, and a data connection. But what if I weren't posting to a blog. What else could I be doing? I could be web-conferencing people from around the world. I could be controlling my entire house. I could even be running an entire country. The possibilities with mobile computing are expanding every second and they are infinite.

There is always a downside no matter how good something seems. The downside to mobile computing can be found in both battery life and price. Battery technology has unfortunately not advanced quite as quickly as the electronic side of technology. So while our devices continue to require more and more power we are finding out that we can simple not supply enough to meet the demand. While using mobile devices for general use tends to allow for a full days battery life. The moment you begin to use it for power hungry tasks you can be sure to see the life quickly trickle away. Cost is almost as serious an issue as poor battery life. While costs for devices themselves tend to drop over time, the cost of the data necessary to make use of many of their features is quickly rising. Many countries such as Japan are able to enjoy relatively cheap and fast internet access but in countries like the USA the costs of mobile data are causing it to be considered a luxury for the rich and data caps are adding to the problem with most of the major carriers turning to tiered data pricing.

While things may look grim for mobile computing right now there are also bright points such as graphene powered batteries and electronic components which allow for much a more efficient use of power. Also the FCC is attempting to gain regulation over mobile data plans which could soon help to keep them affordable for everyone.

Mobile computing is quickly becoming a necessity in every day life from businesses who require word processing applications to reporters who are using mobile devices to update news and to bloggers who require there devices to post stories. Let us hope that the prospects for this wonderful creation only continue to grow in a positive direction.