The Web Browser - The Future Of Portable Computing

I would like to introduce you to Cliff  Bumgardner of amazenyou.com,  who is a guest blogger here at The Blade. I think you will enjoy what Cliff has written. As always your comments are welcome.

Many years ago I imagine there was a business man sitting in front of his computer (with a monitor the size of texas, no doubt) typing all of his hand-written notes from the latest business conference when suddenly he thought “Why not have a computer that I can take with me to the conferences and take notes with?”

The notebook computer was born.

Though the above story is probably nothing like how the notebook was actually conceived, it does show how the computer or tech user thinks about his equipment. He is always pondering, “What else can be done with it?” and, of course, “What does the future hold for it?”

While many believe that the future of technology is in developing the thinnest, smallest, lightest computer or gadget while still maintaining power and speed and combining functionality with portability… I say that this has already been done. I think that the future of portable computing and gadgetry may rest in the web browser and browser accessible devices.

Lets consider something for a moment. Many people consider portable computing to be the literal act of transporting your computer with you and thus having all of the information you need by your side at all times. But let us consider this, could the future not be in taking your machine with you, but taking your files with you?
Today, there are TONS of browser based applications out there for use. Yahoo, Hotmail, or Gmail are all browser based e-mail services. Google Docs (which this is being written on) is a browser based document program. Meebo and other programs allow you to access any instant messenger account through your browser. Social sites such as facebook, friendfeed or myspace all run 100% in your browser. Nothing to download, completely free, and accessible from any computer or mobile internet device.

I use Yahoo! Mail for all of my e-mail. I was away on vacation this past weekend and pretty much in the middle of the woods. We cannot even get cable up there, much less Wi-Fi…
Bringing my laptop would have been a waste of time considering that i’d have to leave the house and drive 20 minutes away to find internet access. But because I use a browser based e-mail, I could check it from my phone (granted I had to walk down the road for cell service) and kept tabs on my e-mail all weekend.
My mother, who does not have a browser based e-mail, could not check hers and came home to goodness knows how many unread e-mails.

By simply using the free services out there today we can make computing truly portable. If you have an iPhone, iTouch, or nearly any mobile device that can browse the internet, you can access more than just e-mail. You can check your blog (another browser app), youtube, and social accounts with ease from your device from nearly anywhere (with wi-fi, of course). And now through google docs, you can even access your spreadsheets, documents, presentations, pdf files… all of this from a simple mobile device you may already have and by simply relying on browser based applications.

While the notebook computer will always have a huge place in technology I do believe it could have a smaller roll in portable computing. Browser apps will never replace the notebook, nor should it. But perhaps the future of convenient, portable computing is already on your computer and in your pocket.

So does the future lie in these applications? Maybe so, maybe not. But I do know that they are something all tech lovers like myself could benefit greatly in using today, or in that not-so-distant future.

Thanks for reading,
Cliff Bumgardner