A few weeks ago, I wrote about an Italian legal battle that might lead to the imminent death of Google. Don't worry too much, though; even taking into account this bothersome court case, my personal belief is that Google is here to stay. And it this post I'll tell you why: It's everywhere.
And soon it might get even bigger.
Picture this: You're in your living room watching the news when, during a report about a protest march, you see a full-screen shot of your friend's son, wearing a very large panda costume. With a click of the remote, you open your email on the bottom of the TV screen and then, with the miniature keyboard built into your remote, tap out a short message to your friend, including a link to this news segment. By the time you finish writing, a news anchor is talking about some recipe contest you don't care about, so with another click of the remote you open up your browser, Google Chrome, to surf the web.
According to a New York Times article, "Google and Partners Seek TV Foothold," Google, Intel, and Sony are joining forces to bring the Internet to your television set—Google providing the software (i.e., the web browser), Intel bringing the Atom computer chips that will give TV sets the power to run Web software, and Sony contributing the actual TV sets.*
Now, I didn't realize this, but apparently the technology is already available to run certain websites, such as Netflix, on your television. But what the Google-Intel-Sony consortium is planning is so much more than just a few websites—it's the whole Internet, right there on your TV, accessible with a click of the remote.
Folks, this is what's called "horizontal integration," when a corporation sinks its teeth into another industry. This is also "synergy," when those parts in different industries support each other (ex. Google using its Web browser in televisions). But it's also something else: It's the fusion of two different technologies.
We've been seeing this happen a lot lately. Look at cell phones, for example. In recent years, they've become "smart," integrating such technologies as Web browsers, widgets (little applications), and GPS and navigation systems. The line between a phones and computers is becoming seriously blurred. And the same thing is true of MP3 players, cameras, and a host of other gadgets. Basically, if it has a screen, it's being given as many different functions as it can handle.
At the rate we're going, will there come a day in the not-too-distant-future when, instead of owning a TV, computer, camera, video camera, MP3 player, and GPS all separately, we'll just have one device for them all? My guess? Yes. But I don't think that this will mean the end of any of these devices. For instance, photographers will still need cameras that are just cameras, with interchangeable lenses and whatnot. And portable computers like laptops and netbooks (miniature laptops) just aren't as powerful as desktops—not to mention that, the smaller and more portable you get, the smaller and more cramped screens and keyboards get—so I doubt that larger computers will be leaving us any time soon.
Still, I think we're going to be seeing a lot more integration of technologies in the near future. And that means integration of the media that go along with them: Entertainment news with viewers' comments in a scrolling bar along the bottom of the screen is just one of the concepts mentioned in another article, "Old and New Media Coexisting Nicely, Thank You," which discusses the emerging synergy between the Web and TV. (Apparently, although initial predictions had the Internet more or less replacing television, it's actually served to boost viewership by make TV a more interactive experience.)
Having said all that, I must say that I'm having this really weird feeling like time isn't working quite right. Is it just me, or does it seem like we're living in the future?
Peace,
blogdor
*Technically, this is all still speculative—there hasn't been an official announcement yet, and all of the article's quoted sources are anonymous because, they said, they aren't allowed to talk about this yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment