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What is next?

For use in class use the printout version of this page.

Power and speed for PCs and the Internet

PCs have broken the barrier of 1 GHz, the DVD is included in most PCs, MP3 has become the standard to compress digital music on the Net; and CD-ROM players with MP3 music are available for the car.

New portals and free services are changing the face of the Internet. Thousands of webcams offer us live views of our planet, from fascinating landscapes and monuments to shopping centres and busy streets of big cities. Conventional modems are being replaced by ISDN, ADSL and satellite connections. ADSL is a form of Digital Subscriber Line that carries data, voice, and MPEG2 video. Its downstream data flow is between 1.5 and 9 megabits per second, so music and pictures will be downloaded in the blink of an eye.

New palmtops - the office in your pocket

Hand-held PCs come with Microsoft Pocket Office pre-installed, so you can write your project while taking the train or make calculations in the plane. They are also equipped with software to handle e-mail and surf the Web. You can hear popular MP3 music or record your ideas through its built-in voice recorder. Once at home you can synchronise data with your desktop PC.

Mobile phones - the future of mobile computing

Not long ago, mobile phones could just transmit voice and SMS messages. Now they can display Internet information thanks to the Wireless Application Protocol or WAP. On these Web-enabled phones you can read information such as stock prices, weather, business news and sports news.

Some hybrid models combine a phone with a PDA. They look like a regular phone with a dialpad and a small screen on its front. But if you flip up the front cover you find a larger screen that is touch-sensitive. Some include a virtual keyboard which pops up when you want to enter email text or a WAP address.

But the future is called "third-generation" (3G) mobiles. They will transmit a caller's picture and voice simultaneously. From 2001 UMTS mobile phones will deliver users information, e-commerce, games and videoconferencing via fixed, wireless and satellite networks.

Wearable computers, aren't they chic?

Wearable computer from Charmed Technology, Inc. Can you imagine wearing a PC on your belt and getting e-mail on your eyeglasses?

This may sound science-fiction, but the trend is very real. Charmed Technology and other companies are using fashion shows to exhibit their innovative products.

Wearable computers are battery-powered systems worn on the user’s body - on a belt, backpack or vest. They're designed for mobile or hands-free operations, often incorporating a microphone and a head-mounted display for viewing Internet sites.

Users of wearable technology consider themselves "cyborgs". This term comes from "cybernetic organism", referring to a being that is part robot, part human.

Wearable computer from Charmed Technology, Inc.

GLOSSARY

GHz Gigahertz, equivalent to one thousand megahertz
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network which provides speeds of roughly 128,000 bits-per-second.
ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. Typically the upstream data flow is between 16 and 640 kilobits per second while the downstream data flow is between 1.5 and 9 megabits per second .ADSL also provides a voice channel.
MPEG Moving Pictures Experts’ Group, a standard for compressing and decompressing images
PDA Personal Digital Assistant which includes an address book, a calendar, Internet access, etc.
SMS Short Message Service which allows you to send short text messages with maximum 160 characters to GSM mobile phones worldwide. GSM is the Global System for mobile Communication that allows transmission of voice and data on mobile phones.
UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, used by 3G mobile phones

A. Read the texts and select the right choice.

1. One GHz is equivalent to

	100 MHz
	1,000 MHz
2. ADSL lets you
	have quick, easy access to the Internet.
	compress digital music.
3. A "palmtop" is the same as
	a hand-held computer.
	a laptop.
4. According to the text, WAP is
	a hardware device that connects mobile phones to the Internet.
	a protocol that enables mobile phones to access Internet information.
5. 3G mobile phones
	will not support audio and video formats.
	will handle multiple data types including voice and video.
6. Charmed Technology, Inc.
	is trying to bring wearable computers into fashion.
	produces laptops.
7. A "cyborg"
	looks like being half machine, half human.
	rejects wireless technology.

B. Language work: Compound adjectives.

A compound adjective is made up of two parts and usually describes appearance. The second part is frequently a past participle.

e.g. blue-eyed girl = a girl who has got blue eyes.

voice-activated device = device which is activated by voice

sugar-free product = a product that uses no sugar

Find the following noun phrases in the text and explain their meaning as in the examples.