In http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/30/gates-proposes-cellphones-as-alternative-to-olpc/ there is a story about Bill Gates proposing that people plug their cell phones (running quality Windows XP Mobile, of course) into a keyboard and TV and, voila, instant home computer. Sounds as though Microsoft may be gradually coming around to http://philip.greenspun.com/business/mobile-phone-as-home-computer
6 thoughts on “Bill Gates proposes mobile phone as home computer”
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From a global development point of view, there should really be no question than that ubiquitous voice communication is more essential than a PC.
I remember being in some of the mountain regions in Nepal in ’96 and seeing some of the locals talking on cell phones. You may not have running water, lousy power service and no land line but you could have affordable cell phone service.
Last week, i saw a homeless man in Oakland holding up a cardboard sign on the side of the road while talking on his cell phone. That was equally revealing.
Now the real question, to my mind, is how to bring other modes of communication to the people that might not otherwise have had it. How do you provide email? How do you provide access to all the worlds information (i.e. google)?
In my opionion, it doesn’t really matter which piece of plastic and silicon provides those capabilities unless you are far enough up the food chain to have an issue about the number of computing devices you carry around.
Samsung D600 has some sort of TV output support but like many markets Microsoft has succeeded to penetrate into because of its massive audience maybe will give them a lead? like instant messenger for example, instant messaging was available since 97 and some say the idea already from the early 80s (not sure for that), but only after MS integrated it with their OS then everyone suddenly became an instant messenger user, at least in Europe…and it seems even more interesting that when at the same time many messengers supported voice, there was space for skype, that did the same thing, maybe better?..is there space for a new type of search engine?
Philip — in your prior article on the mobile phone comuter you extolled the virtues of the Palm OS. As a Zire (Palm Pilot) user, I heartily agree. But Palm has now switched to Windows for its newest Treo phones! It is clear to me as a user of PalmOS that they stopped refining it long ago — for example, there is no way to have an event run 11 pm to 1 am, there is no way to preload national holidays, the text notes are ridiculously limited in size, etc.
While it’s great Microsoft is taking your advice it’s just sad to see Palm is not innovating in this space or on the OS you praised in your orig article.
Philip, did you hear about the DualCor? (http://www.dualcor.com/) It’s a combination cell phone and tiny but powerful Windows XP tablet, coming out in a few months (they were at CES). I’ve been drooling ever since I heard of it, even though I love my Toshiba tablet. (And, as a photographer, I have to say that the built-in CF slot and the ability to communicate live with my camera via USB is a big reason I’m likely going to get this instead of an iPod Photo.)
Congratulations for your cellphone-as-computer idea. Of all the pieces that make personal computing possible today the one that’s bound to disappear isn’t the beige/black/grey box, or the monitor or the keyboard: It’ll be the software. The computer is going to return to the data center where its software will be maintained by professionals and then people will no longer be burdened with such tasks as installations, reinstallations, virus protection, updates, upgrades and backups. If the box shrinks and allows you to make phone calls too or toast your bread in the morning, it’ll be irrelevant. But people will be better off when they spend time working with the computer as opposed to working on it, as it’s often the case these days.
hello Philip.. i just mentioned the samsung d600 for the record..
the model appeared around in december 2005…long after your article.