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Tech Spec: Electronic Ubiquity

A lot has changed since having to plug in to trade Pokémon, but have we perfected syncing technology? Photo by Courtland Jeffrey
A lot has changed since having to plug in to trade Pokémon, but have we perfected syncing technology? Photo by Courtland Jeffrey

Wednesday was a big day for gaming fans as information about the PlayStation 4 was announced. Sony unveiled a new Dualshock controller, a list of the console’s new specs and new, interesting features, including the future app and the ability to play a game from the console on a PSVita. Following this announcement on Wednesday, a realization hit me: the age of ubiquity with electronics is finally upon us.

A lot has changed since having to plug in to trade Pokémon, but have we perfected syncing technology? Photo by Courtland Jeffrey A lot has changed since having to plug in to trade Pokémon, but have we perfected syncing technology? Photo by Courtland Jeffrey

This era has been slowly creeping up on the consumer as new devices are released that have more and more ways to interconnect. From cloud-saved information, to wireless functions like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC (Near Field Communication), having your data throughout almost all of your devices is now a synch. It seems that the technology industry has reached the pinnacle of this interwoven setup now that all of the major gaming systems have followed suit in breaking down the communication walls with other devices. It used to be almost ten years ago that devices like your Gameboys could communicate, but it was only if you or your friend owned a link cable. Today, features like Sony’s remote play system make it so that it only takes a push of a button to make your task available across devices. While it seems that everyone has finally caught onto this revolution, it is not yet perfected.

There is only one hurdle that still causes many issues for users: brand separation. When I say brand separation, I mean the division of data that is only compatible within the company (an example of this is how you cannot directly access your Google Play Music library on an Apple device or how the Apple iCloud accounts cannot be connected to an Android phone). The technology industry could unify on this front and design some sort of meta-cloud that will hold all of your information and make it accessible from any device. While this would create an ideal situation for developers and consumers, the likelihood that many different companies (like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony and more) would come together to create an idea like this is highly unlikely. A guy can dream though, can’t he?

 

If you have any questions or comments, message me on Twitter @Court_Jeffrey or email me at cejeffre@asu.edu. Enjoy!


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