Everyware: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing

Ubiquitous computing, or what the designer/information architect Adam Greenfield calls "Everyware," is an emerging trend just starting to gain attention. It refers to the integration of embedded computing, moving computing off the desktop and out of our conventional idea of "the computer" and into everyday aspects of our lives. We are only beginning to see the effects of this technology: in our cameraphones and PDAs, the EZPass that lets us cruise through the tollbooth without stopping, the ID chip that will help let someone return our lost pets, the iris scanner that admits us to high-security areas, our automobiles' GPS systems that keep us on course.

In this book, Greenfield explores the technologies, practices, innovations, and policies that combine to create this environment where nearly every object is enabled with surprising new properties, allowing people to move around and interact with computers more naturally than they currently do. He explains not only what things like RFID (radio-frequency ID) chips, Ipv6, ultra-wideband networking, and heads-up displays are, but where they've come from and how they fit into the everyware puzzle. He also touches on the cultural roots of ubiquitous computing, proposes design and ethical principles for those working in the field, and opens our eyes to the implications of exchanging privacy for convenience. For a thought-provoking discussion on how ubiquitous computing is already transforming the way we live, this is the place to turn.