Popular Science Predicts Handhelds, Laptops Will Merge

Popular Science has published a description of the handheld of the future, which it calls a smart communicator. It's a wireless device that will perform the duties of PDA, videophone, and laptop.

At the heart of this portable computer is its flexible OLED display. When closed, the smart communicator will be able to fit in a pocket and have a small secondary screen to handle PDA functions. But when more display space is needed, the device unfolds until the OLED screen is the size of one found on a desktop computer today.

It will use both a Touchscreen and a projected keyboard for input.

The smart communicator will make extensive use of wireless technologies. It will have very high-speed cellular-wireless capabilities for voice and data, enabling video conferencing with its built-in camera. It will be able to function as a hard drive for nearby computers or simply wirelessly connect to nearby keyboards and monitors.

Built in sensors will allow the device to tailor itself to its environment. For example, switching the screen between portrait and landscape modes will be as simple as turning it on its side. It will know it's in a pocket and that it should turn up the volume on its phone ringer.

Don't expect to be able to buy this device any time soon. Something like the smart communicator probably won't be available until the end of this decade.

More information about Popular Science's ideas of the future of mobile computing can be found on this magazine's web site.

Thanks to PDAGeek for the tip.

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