The next
big thing for mobile devices, even not-so-mobile desktops, will be liquid
computing, said a report in InfoWorld. The
technology in liquid computing will enable people to access and work on files
from any of their devices, automatically.
“When you
no longer have to worry about where a file is or where you left off on a task,
you’ll work very differently than you do today,” the article claimed. Such
freedom to switch seamlessly from a dorm-room laptop to a classroom tablet to a
smartphone at the coffeehouse, all while maintaining immediate access to
documents and communications, should hold great appeal for on-the-go college
students.
Liquid
computing differs from cloud computing. The cloud provides central storage for
files, which users can access from any device that has a web connection. On the
other hand, liquid computing essentially moves documents from device to device,
bypassing any network.
The article
points to the Handoff feature in Apple’s new releases of iOS and OSX operating
systems as a type of liquid computing. The feature allows users to “hand off”
files to another device, ostensibly even those that aren’t Apple devices.
Google and Microsoft are reported to be working on similar apps.
The open
nature of liquid computing is likely to make IT departments a little nervous.
“After all, most are still struggling to make peace with BYOD (bring your own
device), which filled enterprise environments with consumer smartphones and
tablets,” InfoWorld said.
