Upon2020 (archive)
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Future of the Cell Phone
The iPhone form factor is here to stay: it’s about the largest possible device that still fits into a pocket, and unless we all change our dressing habits in 10 years (unlikely), we’ll carry a device with that form factor. It will be improved, of course, with more memory, more sensors, more connectivity options, more…
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Prediction 2020: Screens On Every Wall; They’ll Watch Us
By 2020, large-format flat-panel screens will be so cheap and ubiquitous, they will have replaced most pictures on most walls in most houses. Many of those screens will have cameras that watch what we are doing, try to make sense of it, and react. Many of them will coordinate their actions as we move through…
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OpenID et al Security Economics
Steven J. Murdoch and Ross Anderson, in the very worthwhile “Verifi ed by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode: or, How Not to Design Authentication” assert: While other single sign-on schemes such as OpenID, InfoCard and Liberty came up with decent technology they got the economics wrong… To which I can only respond: “you wish. We don’t have…
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iPad: Under- or Overwhelming?
A lots of techies seem underwhelmed by yesterday’s iPad announcement. But Kevin Marks has a good pro-iPad point of view. I have another one to add: Yep, we have seen all the pieces that make up the iPad: unibody, touch screen, WiFi, 3G, flash, big button in front, dock, … So technologically, it’s indeed a…
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iPad and the End of Paper Books
Kindle started the trend, and with the iPad now it is clear that books are gradually going electronic, just like music before them. A few months ago, I banned all music CDs from our house, because all they did was collect dust. We had not touched a CD for years as iPods and iTunes took…