Ubicomp

Ubiquitous computing is everywhere... in my school at least. Around every corners, you can see palmtop on the walls, aiming to display some sort of information. At its core, Ubicomp aims to make computer 'disappear' from the 'box' that I am using to type my blog right now.

A more important question is, what is the role of ubicomp in our society? First, ubicomp technologies, such as those that help you cook breakfast, and 'scrap pieces' of touchscreens, have unforeseeable purposes. Second, you never really know if they will become cheap enough to replace what we have now. Third, you don't really know if they will ever be technologically viable.

Despite these difficulties, I appreciate ubicomp. First and foremost, they help to push technological envelope, and we do not really need a stage gate to passe every ideas. Ideas are cheaper when the team do not need to employ a 3 months study to evaluate its use. Except of course when the implementation will affect a lot of people. Furthermore, when an idea cannot be proven wrong, we might as well give it a shot.

Nonetheless, the reality is most ubicomp applications will fail. PCs are great because they have something ubicomp applications do not have -- flexibility. They are hard to use, as ubicomp would argue. Yes, but users are free to download new application and modify their 'boxes.' At some point though, there will be tasks that we repeat so many times that its time for them to fade into the background.

Such are the functions we wanted to become invisible, and to me, its where ubicomp enters the picture. For example, my friends who come to my place would like to see our wedding album. My media center in the living room fits into this purpose. However, I do not really want to see my World of Warcraft becomes an XBox application. If that happens, I would not be able to update or experiment with new mods.

Therefore, ubicomp is essentially our supplementary computers. They represent tasks that crystallized in our lives, and that becomes sufficiently understood and stable. And ubicomp applications will always work hand-in-hand with computers in a box.