Rationale for buying latest PDA phone

Vishnu K. Mahmud, Contributor/vmahmud@yahoo.com

Apple Computers recently launched a new device called Airport Express, a portable Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) base station that has a unique feature.

Apart from providing facilities to access broadband Internet to other WiFi-ready PCs, as well as sharing computer accessories, such as scanners or printers, this handheld unit can also stream music to stereo systems or speakers within a household.

Users simply plug in their audio equipment to the sound out jack of Airport Express and power up the free iTunes software, available for both Mac and Windows operating systems, on their computer.

So instead of swapping CDs, your entire music collection can be played non-stop from your hard drive, or any other WiFi device on the market.

This US$129 product is ideal for small homes or businesses eager to experience the wireless revolution, thanks to Apple's famous user-friendly interface.

Trends seem to be moving toward a time when every piece of equipment will be "networked" to work as one, providing maximum efficiency for users. Your massive music library can be taken and used anywhere -- without having to bring cables along -- as shown by the popular Apple iPod and other MP3 music players.

Strategically placed WiFi speakers can turn an entire house into a concert hall. Movies can be played from a central location and "beamed" to different rooms. Users can share Internet connections and peripherals with WiFi-enabled accessories.

And, the WiFi universal remote control lets you have total command in the palm of your hand.

Thanks to this, regular people can create an integrated home entertainment system that was considered state-of-the-art a few years ago. In fact, practically everything that was in Bill Gate's enviable high-tech home in the U.S. can now be emulated, at a fraction of the cost.

This latest gadget represents yet another example of the ubiquitous nature of information technology. No longer do individual pieces of equipment have only one function. In fact, users today expect them to be part of a "media hub".

People no longer take pictures with their cameras and have them developed by professionals; instead, they go home and download their digital pictures onto computers or printers for viewing.

Television programs are no longer recorded on analog videotapes, but computer hard drives or DVD media -- ideally connected to the Internet to access daily television schedules for easy planning.

This movement toward consumer information technology seems to empower regular people as well. Those who can adapt to the new technology can go further then ever before. Armed with the interconnected media hub, regular people can explore horizons that were once jealously guarded by a select few.

Who would have thought that using a simple digital movie camera and a computer could result in professional-looking (and in some cases award-winning) "amateur" feature productions? Check out iFilm.com and other websites for examples.

Sony recently announced the withdrawal of its Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) Clie brand from the U.S. market, citing increasing competition from an untraditional source: cellular phones.

Thanks to their portable nature and low cost, cellular phones are slowing capturing a bigger market share then personal computers.

As such, cell phone makers are slowly bulking up their products to offer computer facilities, such as, Internet access and picture viewing, as well as on-the-go video recording. Of course, once the user is at home, he can download and shift his day's worth of data to his home computer to be saved and managed.

With the falling price of computers and computer accessories, it seems certain that people will soon gather, not in front of their TV, but their TV/computer. This will provide not just one- way communication (such as the news) but a two-way multimedia channel (sharing movies, E-mail, and others).

In this era, content is no longer king. Now, not only can we create our own programs but distribute them as well.

With these considerations, people should carefully plan their next major purchases.

Do you want a product that does only one thing, or would you prefer an item that can connect with others to offer many more features? When deciding upon your next camera, cell phone, computer, audio/video equipment or other product, bear in mind its potential as one component of a network. You'll definitely get more bang for your buck.