Not a monocorder...
When the Motorola StarTAC came out toward the middle of the 1990s, my first gleeful thought was that we had progressed to an level of technological brilliance that let us each have devices only bravely hinted at in contemporary fiction. The communicator from Star Trek was available for sale from most any cellular provider, and although it carried a hefty price tag of more than five hundred dollars, its place in society was quickly established.
This memory was brought strongly back to me this past year as I used the descendant of that device: the Motorola RAZR. 10 years on, the basic functionality had progressed in evolutionarily predictable ways, with battery life improved and coverage expanded. Data features have started to show, as have enhancements to the user interface. At it's heart, however, it sweetly remains the old standby communicator. I have greatly enjoyed living in yesterday's fanciful future.
Wikipedia is occasionally likened to another real-world instance of a fictional device: the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The main difference between them is simply that the guide featured a proprietary (and portable) hardware interface. Access was through an "electronic book".
As I sit here typing this on Apple's iPhone, I can't help but think that this is the first of another line of devices that will see science fiction become just a bit more historical fiction; what I am holding is a Guide to what we know of our Galaxy, a communicator, and the best parts of at least two other devices that people have dreamed up during their inspired moments. There are existing devices that do most of what this magnificent device provides, but none that do it in a way that leaves it feeling so pedestrian, so normal. It stays out of the way while letting things flow as never before. After two days with this little glowing pad, I'm surprised to report that it is my favorite electronic device to date.
It is, in one literal word, marvelous.
This memory was brought strongly back to me this past year as I used the descendant of that device: the Motorola RAZR. 10 years on, the basic functionality had progressed in evolutionarily predictable ways, with battery life improved and coverage expanded. Data features have started to show, as have enhancements to the user interface. At it's heart, however, it sweetly remains the old standby communicator. I have greatly enjoyed living in yesterday's fanciful future.
Wikipedia is occasionally likened to another real-world instance of a fictional device: the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The main difference between them is simply that the guide featured a proprietary (and portable) hardware interface. Access was through an "electronic book".
As I sit here typing this on Apple's iPhone, I can't help but think that this is the first of another line of devices that will see science fiction become just a bit more historical fiction; what I am holding is a Guide to what we know of our Galaxy, a communicator, and the best parts of at least two other devices that people have dreamed up during their inspired moments. There are existing devices that do most of what this magnificent device provides, but none that do it in a way that leaves it feeling so pedestrian, so normal. It stays out of the way while letting things flow as never before. After two days with this little glowing pad, I'm surprised to report that it is my favorite electronic device to date.
It is, in one literal word, marvelous.