It’s an exciting time to be interested in computers. The formulaic trend that was followed during the first decades of widespread computer usage have all but disappeared. Large, unsightly white or beige boxes that stood motionless, resembling furniture and gathering dust as they sat upon the desk, are fast becoming obsolete. In their place have arrived portable, hand held computers with as much or more memory and storage space, as well as computing power and speed. The most popular of the newest generation of computers are called smartphones, which is a misnomer. While the iPhone and the Android both handle voice communications – technically making them phones that are smart, they are both more computer than simple phone.

With applications that span the conceivable gamut, ranging from a level meter, to FTP software like File Zilla, to mapping software for locating anything from a store to a post office branch, handheld devices offer a freedom that is unprecedented. And they bring convenience into the picture as well, offering new, previously unthought-of services by the day. For example, it’s no longer necessary to print out one’s flight ticket to board an airplane. Simply pulling up the bar code on the screen of an easily palmed iPhone, and placing the unit beneath an airport ticket scanner, will register the individual for a flight.

While the internet seeks to, and does, provide an information extravaganza at one’s fingertips, it is the portability of the present, and next generations of computers that will bring the full capabilities of the net into every aspect of people’s waking moments. And while some would argue that a “big brother” scenario may therefore unfold, in which the government is able to keep tabs on each of its citizens in a totalitarian style, the truth can be a bit more innocuous. Computers will help people to live more productive, simpler lives, often without the cumbersome or irritating methods of the past. Portability is the keyword of the future.