I think the best place to start looking at cultures of convergence has to be the iPhone.
It merges the three main ways of modern communication - texting, phone calls and emails, plus it can take photos, play videos and connect wirelessly via wi-fi, EDGE and Bluetooth. There is NOTHING it can't do! Apparently.
The only criticisms seem to be that it can't record videos, and only has a 2.0 megapixel camera. Shocking...
The general consensus seems to be that the iPhone is pretty good. It's not perfect, but the amount of times things are upgraded these days it can't be long before Apple decides to add/ improve things. But what is agreed upon is that the iPhone has reshaped our expectations of mobile technology.
The iPhone is considered a true handheld computer, rather than just a phone. It offers email access through POP3 servers and internet access on-the-move. Things like Google Map take on new forms when you can actually access them on the street, rather than pre-printing them to make them portable.
Speaking of which, printing has also taken on a new form. Zink (Zero Ink) Imaging, have created a printer which can be attached to mobile phones and digital cameras via Bluetooth. The technology is all in the paper: During printing, the paper passes through a thermal print head, which contains a thin row of tiny heater elements - 118 spanning 1 centimetre. The applied heat causes the dye molecules to change from crystals to amorphous glasses, a process that also releases colour. To bring out the correct colour at each pixel, the temperature and exposure to the heater element is precisely controlled.
A more detailed insight into the technology can be found here:
http://www.zink.com/technology/how_ZINK_works/
If you would prefer to upload your photos rather than print them, the Nikon Coolpix S51c has built-in wi-fi, so you can upload to a social networking site or e-mail snaps right from the camera.
Great technology if, like me, you've ever run out of space on a memory card whilst on holiday or otherwise unable to take new photos without first deleting old ones.
Back to the iPhone: this video is from the Apple website; a kind of advertisement for the iPhone. The cynic in me says its credibility is open to question (any good costume stockist has pilot outfits!) but it remains a prime example of the daily experience of an iPhone user. Basically, an airline pilot uses his iPhone to check out weather systems delaying his flight. He notifies the control tower who re-check the forecast, and he is on his way. Hours of delays and passenger inconvenience disappear, and thanks to the iPhone, "everyone was happy, and life was good".
View the video:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/ads/ad13/
So I suppose we're forever indebted to Apple almighty for bestowing the iPhone upon us, for no longer will we have to sit in 3 hour airport delays because we can't afford an iPhone: the pilot can! I just hope the phone didn't interfere with any of the plane's systems.
Chumby - Think of it as a cross between an alarm clock and a Furby.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/aug/31/guardianweeklytechnologysection1
The Chumby is a wireless, portable device that basically displays information that is on the internet. It is fully customisable; from the information displayed to the physical appearance of the machine. Widgets are used to show news and weather updates, stock and share prices, even countdowns to eBay auctions. Each individual user can use their Chumby in any way they want, and because it is fully portable, can use it any place they want.
This would probably appeal to a heck of a lot of people, with technological convergence mainly occurring in response to the desire of users to be both enabled and liberated. The Chumby's designers are aware that many people now have "two incompatible lives" - a net life and a real life - and that "these two lives are somewhat hard to reconcile", according to the Chumby blog. The Chumby enables people to live their lives in the real world without missing anything happening in the real world: we can only exist locally, but thanks to technology we are connected globally because they are able to access any aspect of the real world via portable cyberspace. The global is being made local.
The Chumby is fully customisable and even allows for the creation of a new skin; the pattern is flat, and the plastic is soft enough to be stitched. The Chumby can be decorated to suit the décor of the room it is in, or just down to personal preference. People today, probably more than ever, want to feel different, and owning an advanced technology like the Chumby which can be modified to their hearts' content, allows a huge amount of self-expression. We are no longer controlled by the limitations of technology; we now control and manipulate it.
Examples of user modification:
Scale of a Chumby:
We can now use the internet for other things than using the internet. Channel 4 has set up a free On Demand service, which does exactly what it says on the tin: allows access to its shows On Demand. You can download or stream any show from the last 30 days or television shows from Channel 4 through the years. Technological convergence is not just bringing us the future; it now brings us the past!
Back to the future now, and maybe other broadcasters will follow in Channel 4's footsteps? After all, the requirements to view Channel 4 OD aren't that high, I reckon I am an 'average' computer user and I didn't even have to double check to see if I met them. The way technology is progressing, we could end up being able to watch television on something like an iPhone, or a portable television (which I've never seen a decent reception on). However, this is the 21st Century, and it would doubtlessly be perfectly received, definitely wireless and probably have the same options to watch anything you wanted to at any time, including films. I really don't want to sound negative about convergence, I'm really not: it's just I could see a world glued to portable televisions if something like this came along. I know I wouldn't be able to resist watching The Simpsons if I knew I could access it 24/7.
As well as being able to watch free television via the internet, websites such as Skype offer free telephone calls. All you need is a headset, or a microphone and earphones. Convergence is leading to the gradual disappearance of analogue technologies such as television and telecommunications. Old technologies are being modernised and updated as we enter the digital age.
As much as I am interested in and impressed by technological convergence, there are some things I find a bit ridiculous. I am all for progress and invention of the human species, but there are things which don't just blur, but completely erase the line between convenience and laziness.
http://www.wildcharge.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/category.display/category_ID/255/How_It_Works.htm
The WildCharge pad charges mobiles, MP3 players etc through magnetic transferring of energy. A device which attaches to the device then converts this magnetic energy into charging the battery. I just think that if you still need to have the charging pad plugged into the mains, there is little-to-no difference in plugging a mains charger directly into your phone. Apparently the equipment is available for between $25 and $50, and is on sale now. I personally just can't see the point in buying the mat. You buy any rechargeable technology with a charger included, and yes, it charges multiple devices at once, an all-in-one charger if you like, but surely it will take up more surface area than just a phone or MP3 player, and is therefore the antithesis of convergence.
The technology behind the WildCharge:
The Microsoft Surface computer is another example. This is a better example of convergence, due to its transformation of a non-technological thing into something that really stretches the imagination of what we are on the cusp of achieving. Although I can see why having a PC built into the coffee table in your living room would be pretty cool, it'll set you back about £5,000. I really feel like there is a thin line between technological convergence for the benefit of society, such as being able to conduct business on the move, and convergence to perpetuate the lethargic attitude shown by an increasing area of society, particularly amongst the younger generation, which I suppose I am a part of. Not having to get out of your seat to use a computer - I would be surprised if some people could be bothered to sit up enough to use it. I hope you spill your coffee on it.
I think the culture of convergence that we live in certainly has both positive and negative features, but as an active participant of the society I feel that the good far outweighs the bad. My life has certainly been made easier being able to call and text people whilst going about my daily business, and things like social networking sites such as Facebook make keeping in touch with friends and family really simple too. I enjoy being able to listen to my iPod anywhere I choose, and this all contributes to a sense of enablement. Technology fuels cultural dependence on technology, and the cultural demand for progression perpetuates the growth of convergence. Technology such as the iPhone is going to change what we see as the limits of modern technology, and the nature of convergence culture will demand more technology like this.
