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May 31, 2007, 10:25 AM ET
Envisioning the Future of Handhelds
The next generation of handheld devices will come with plenty of nifty accouterments — GPS sensors, accelerometers, cameras that come paired with image-recognition software. And when those tools become popular, writes Terry Calhoun, “their first, most intensive use is going to be on or near college campuses.”
In fact, tech companies are already banking on college students’ eagerness to adopt new handheld technology, says Mr. Calhoun, the director of communications and publications for the Society for College and University Planning. In an article for Campus Technology, he highlights Google’s Build Your Campus in 3D Competition, which asks students to create their own computer models of their campuses. Entries to the contest are due tomorrow.
The competition could end up providing some of the data that would help turn handhelds with GPS or image-recognition tools into repositories of geographically relevant information, according to Mr. Calhoun.
“I’m sure this is making a lot of people uncomfortable,” he says, noting that cellphones and Blackberrys could soon spawn plenty of concerns about privacy and safety. “However, stopping someone from showing images from space of your backyard may be impossible.” —Brock Read
Categories: Gadgets
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