1. Term 2, 2011 Week 1

2. CONTENTS Sending and receiving devices Mobile devices connected to networks – Smart phones – Personal digital assistants – Hand-held computers – Netbook – Portable media players – Navigation systems – Digital cameras Questions

3. Initiate or accept the transmission of data, instructions and information. Notebook and desktop computers, TabletPCs, midrange servers and mainframe computers can all serve as sending and receiving devices. Can communicate directly with another computer, with hundreds of computers on a company network or with millions of computers on the internet. A web-enabled hand-held device also serves as a sending and receiving device. Provides access to the internet and email from any location.

4. Usually small enough to fit in a pocket. Devices store programs and data permanently on memory inside the unit or on a flash memory card. Usually able to be connected to a personal computer. A number of mobile devices can be connected to the internet wirelessly allowing users to chat, send messages, email and access websites.

5. Smart phones Allows users to send emails and access the Web. Replacing Notebook computers for many business people due to them being lightweight and convenient. Communicate wirelessly with other devices or computers. Can function as a portable media player and a digital camera. Often include applications software (i.e. Spreadsheets, word processors). Design of smart phones vary.

6. Have some limitations: small screens decrease amount of information which can be displayed at once, small keyboard affects ability to correctly enter data. These limitations can be overcome to a degree. Most websites offer a simplified version of the page so it can be viewed on a smart phone, and smart phones often use auto-correct applications. Most can directly connect to Bluetooth-enabled devices. The increasing popularity of these devices cause an increase of traffic on networks.

7. Personal digital assistants Personal digital assistant (PDA) originally featured personal management tools (i.e. Calendar, appointment diary, calculator, address book). Now include application software. Usually use a stylus but can also contain mini keyboard. Limitations include: small screen size, limited battery life, limited memory to run applications. Becoming difficult to distinguish between PDAs and smart phones due to both being used for similar functions.

8. Hand-held computers Small enough to fit in the hand. Communicate wirelessly with other computers and devices. Many have mini/specialised keyboards. Often used by people who need to record data as they travel (i.e. Electricity and water meter readers).

9. Netbook Does not have all the features of a notebook computer. Weighs about 1.4 kg, 25cm screen and a QWERTY keyboard which is 80-90% the size of a standard keyboard. Some have hard-disk drive, others use a solid-state flash memory drive. Flash memory is robust and less likely to suffer mechanical breakdown. However, more expensive and can slow computer. Do not include an optical drive which ensures they remain small. Lack a graphics card, therefore video performance can be poor. Processor commonly has a speed of 1.66 GHz, compared to Notebook speed of 2.4 GHz.

10. Portable media players Stores, organises and plays digital media. Usually connects to a computer from which the media is downloaded. Can include music, video, movies and photos. Can be touch screen, and some media players are web-enabled.

11. Navigation systems The global positioning system (GPS) is a navigation system made up of at least 24 satellites that communicate with a device (fixed or portable) in a car or other vehicle. Able to pinpoint the cars location to within 50 metres, receives 3D data (latitude, longitude, altitude), and precise time. The cars position is then overlaid with digital mapping. The device then provides directions as well as locations of petrol stations etc. Many phones now include GPS.

12. Digital cameras Photos are taken and stored digitally on a memory card. Can view photos, delete or upload to computer (usually via a cable or memory card reader on computer). Many smart phones and PDAs come with digital cameras.

13. Questions What does web-enabled mean? What devices come with this capability? What functions are available on a smart phone? Briefly compare a Notebook to a Netbook. What the pros and cons of each? Research and explain (in your own words) what the term technological convergence refers to. Provide an example of a sending and receiving device that technological convergence applies to. What are the advantages of this? Are there disadvantages?