Peer to Peer Magazine

by Dean Leung, IT Infrastructure & Communications Director at Holland & Knight portable gaming console with the ability to play different games by purchasing and inserting game cartages. Video games continue to lead the drive for faster processors and better graphics on both the PC and portable spaces. Portable Media Players (PMPs): PMPs started with the Sony Walkman in 1979 and evolved to the Discman and then into MP3-type players. But it wasn't until Apple launched the iPod in 2001 that a person could travel with his entire music collection. The Kitchen Sink: Above and beyond core features, other useful and emerging functionalities include GPS and compass for navigation, the ability to aggregate information from various social media sites, accelerometer for gaming, FM radio and near field communications (NFCs) used for electronic payments and personal area information-sharing. COMPETITION TO CONVERGE These features didn't converge at once; it happened rather organically and through one-upmanship among competitors. For example, RIM added PDA functionality followed by the phone; Palm added the phone and then wireless email messaging; and Nokia, with their Communicator 9000, added a PDA to their phone. "Kitchen sink" features were included as chip manufacturers added the functionalities while competing in their own space. This trend continued as improvements were made to each component. innovators, we can see how different technologies have made an impact on the devices and tools we use today — all converged into a single device. W 42 www.iltanet.org Peer to Peer WHERE IT ALL STARTED While the roots of technologies such as computers, mobile phones and pagers go back to before the 1960s, availability to the average consumer began in the '80s. Each technology is still available independently; however, all have reached a miniaturization limit, and the converged platform has taken their elements to a new level of success. ith the rapid pace of advancement in smartphones and tablets, it's easy to forget how far we've come in terms of features and performance. Looking back at the advancements made by technology Let's review some of the highlights of technology innovation, as described by Wikipedia and various vendor websites. The Internet: The first form of the Internet was ARPANET, which was launched in 1969, connecting various university computers. Email messaging soon followed in 1972, but the official World Wide Web didn't come about until 1991. Microsoft provided a well- integrated browser with the release of Windows 98, and access to the Internet has reached all corners of the world since then. Gone are the days of being connected via a telephone line — wireless and 4G options have exponentially improved data transfer speeds. EVOLVING PARTS Improvements to modern smartphones have been less about innovation and more about incremental improvements in the existing design. For example: • Battery Life: A major frustration with users has been the need to have a charger in every place of rest in order to ensure sufficient power for the smartphone to last all day. Only recently, with the current generation of smartphones, has the battery been able to last a full day (not just a business day) with typical use. Numbering and Styles in Word 2010 — Could it be that easy? LegalBar simplifies both the use and administration of Microsoft Word 2010 providing a central legal styles library, an easy 'all-in-one' legal numbering tool and centralized firm templates. BEC Legal for a demonstration. 800.948.4810 | www.beclegal.com

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