What I would consider the 'ultimate' digital device

[wolfwings]

And one that could actually be feasably made today from components by an end-user.

Take a 'buffet style' data-only plan with a cell-phone provider with decent, but minimal, bandwidth. These usually include a PCMCIA card for laptops.

Plug said card into a PDA-ish device, likely a WinCE device, preferably one with a mic and speaker built in, that's of a decent size.

Subscribe to a 'broadband VoIP' service that's software-only and able to tolerate high latency from the cell-phone data service of 500-600ms. These aren't hard to find, but it does take a little looking.

You now have a fully portable internet connection with free long distance over a significant portion of the united states (if not the world, depending on your VoIP service you picked) that fits in your pocket.

The service would cost around $900/year, so it would be a 'razor blades/MMORPG' arrangement where it costs more to have the service than to buy the device, but we've officially reached the point where such a thing is possible.

Welcome to TL8. Shouldn't be much longer until someone discovers Jump Drives. =^.^=

Comments

[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

I hear that people are working on Warp Drives somewhere... although why they are working on that when we still have yet to have an active norm-space drive yet is beyond me.

[sardonicus.livejournal.com]

Ah, a fellow GURPS fan!

Seriously, it sounds like you have most of the theory worked out. Are the practical details within your grasp as well?

After all, Microsoft and Apple had their own severely humble beginnings.

Actually, TL predates GURPS by quite a few years.

[wolfwings.livejournal.com]

I'm speaking in Traveller-lingo actually. *laughs* The RPG where half the fun was trying to get away from people wielding Star Trek-level tech, and being shafted with biplanes, only to have the tables reverse at the next planet. =^.^=

And the physical implementation of this, I could built in less than a week given the funds to do so. It's all here, it's all possible using off-the-shelf tech. With something built just for this, it would be possible to build into something not much larger than a normal cell-phone, and much of the latency could likely be removed then.

Re: Actually, TL predates GURPS by quite a few years.

[sardonicus.livejournal.com]

Gods, but I had forgotten that game. I haven't played it since the early 80's though I understand there have been several iterations since then.

[dravalen.livejournal.com]

Sounds alot like my Kyocera 7135 (http://www.kyocerawireless.com/7100_phone/7100_phone_series.htm). :)

[meowse.livejournal.com]

Jump drives? No, but we do have a nice solid design for warp drives: the Alcubierre warp drive (http://www.npl.washington.edu/AV/altvw81.html).

Just as soon as we learn to create and manipulate planetary-mass black holes, and create regions of negative mass-energy, we're all set.