We are at the beach today. But realistically how much time can one spend walking uncrowded beaches, swimming, chillin’ and such? So… what mobile computing devices did I bring with me to stay connected:

• Portable PC,
• iPad,
• Kindle, or
• Smartphone?

All of the above, of course! Any serious work – even a blog post like this one which I am typing on my Lenova – is maddeningly slow on the iPad. The iPad is great for quick viewing of social media or videos, but serious reading is way better on the Kindle. The white screen is easy to read, even in bright sun and white sand – and it doesn’t hurt if it falls on my face! And of course the smartphone is always with me and nearly always connected…but the screen is not big enough for my eyes.

My wife brought three of the four as well, but substituted 6 paperbacks for a Kindle. When we arrived in the cottage the two of us needed to sign seven devices into the WiFi provided!

To some extent it seems illogical to carry so many devices to read and connect to the internet. But what are the alternatives?

One change I would make if I had some influence over the evil wireless phone oligopoly would be to free cell phones to act as hot spots to connect other devices for those occasions when we are away from wifi range (connections are weak at the pool…).

Smartphones, especially the new larger models, may be infringing on the tablet market already. An interesting article in Ad Age argues that “Apple’s Tablet, the iPad, Is Becoming the High-End Niche Within a Niche That Big-Screen Smartphones Are Cannibalizing.” (I believe cannibalizing is the wrong word to use but it was Ad Age’s choice.) The article notes that tablet sales, even iPad sales which include the new minis, are down from a year ago.

Will the mobile world of the future comprise portable PCs and smartphones, occasionally augmented with specialized niche products?

What do you think??