The ultimate all-in-one

If you are interested in gadgets or technology in general, convergence is a word you might have seen or read somewhere. Despite being an ominous-sounding word, however, it can be explained by a simple example: that mobile phone you can’t live without.

The latest phones can play music, connect you to the internet and take photos, in addition to helping you plan your schedule and hold all of your contacts in one place. That phone represents convergence, the contemporary technological trend of concentrating several different functionalities in one piece of equipment.

Historical roots

In order to better understand what convergence actually means, we have to explore the origins of the word. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its earliest use can be traced to William Derham, an English scientist in the 17th and 18th centuries who is best known for his effort to measure the speed of sound by timing the interval between the flash and roar of a cannon.

In 1713, one of Derham's works referred to "convergences and divergences of the rays". In the ensuing centuries, the term was applied to wind currents, mathematical series and evolutionary biology – even Charles Darwin used the term in the 1866 edition of "On the Origin of Species", when explaining the structure of the eyes of vertebrates.

The development of computers and networks in the 1960s established the context for new meanings of the word. Government agencies and businesses began using computers to store and retrieve information. As time progressed, they began transferring this digital content over telecommunications systems.

Technology moving forward

In the mid-1970s, it became clear that once information could be stored digitally and communicated across a network, the technologies used by consumers to access information and entertainment could be transformed. Commercial enterprises began to experiment with online computer services and videotext delivered to TV screens. In the UK, the Post Office began rolling out its Prestel videotext service around 1978.

The late 70s and early 80s saw the term being largely used in connection with communications technologies, in particular to represent the ability to electronically deliver content and information. The expression ‘technological convergence’ became a popular phrase through the 1990s, when computers and portable telephones started to merge. Combined with miniaturization, this new brand of convergence found expression in the form of Palm Pilots and BlackBerry devices.

Today, the word convergence refers mainly to characterise how different information delivery systems – telephone, television, radio, internet, newspapers – may in the near future be replaced by a unified system based totally on digital technology.

“Technological convergence is where several different entertainment or communication companies use the same technology to communicate to you,” explains Professor Alexis Weedon, Director of the Research Institute for Media Art and Design at the University of Bedfordshire. “For example, you may listen to the radio or your downloaded music, receive pictures, streamed video and games though your mobile. All these are made by different companies in different ways, but computers and digital media have enabled them to 'converge' and be made compatible with one technology.”

Media convergence explained

For us, the most palpable effect of this movement is media convergence. This occurs when multiple products come together to form one gadget with the advantages of all of them – as illustrated by the mobile phone we mentioned before. Other examples include games consoles such as the PlayStation 3, which not only connects to the internet but plays games and works as a CD and DVD player.

This type of convergence is very popular. For the consumer it means more features in less space, while for the media conglomerates it means remaining competitive in the struggle for market dominance. A mobile phone that incorporates the ability to download MP3 music files directly from the iTunes store is yet another case of media convergence in consumer electronics. In fact, music downloads have become a mass-market phenomenon thanks to the success of hardware such as the iPod.

The greatest advantage of convergence, according to Professor Weedon, is efficiency. “We can be more efficient in communicating with each other; it is quicker to find things out, to get access to information and to people. It’s still a skill to use the technology efficiently, but it is quicker if you can,” she says.

The dark side of the converging force

Convergence can also have its downside, however. Converged devices – especially in their initial forms – are often less functional and reliable than their component parts: a DVD may perform better on a traditional DVD player than on a games console, for example. Furthermore, as people become more dependent on a single device to perform many functions, the more affected they are by a breakdown or problem. Gadgets that accumulate utilities also tend to be more complex and harder (not to mention more expensive) to repair or replace.

“I had a power cut last week in the home, which made me realise how reliant I was on all the technology in the house,” explains Professor Weedon. “And there was little backup - for the freezer, TV, radio, stove, internet - only my battery-charged mobile. If your hard disk fails... it is ‘heart in your boots’ time! And we still need to know more about the health effects of wireless communication.”

With the marked evolution of media technologies in the past ten years or so, companies are beginning to purposefully combine functionalities to create demand for new products. Mobile manufacturers have been integrating 3G on their phones to facilitate the delivery of video streaming and file downloads, for instance. And although television itself has been around for a long time, the technology is now being converged with the mobile phone industry.

Phone calls are also being made with the use of personal computers, and new mobiles have started to integrate voice over IP (VoIP) technology to take advantage of the increasing wireless connectivity available in major cities to provide cheaper calls. And even though a multipurpose device doesn’t usually perform as well as the specialised equipments it combines, convergence seems to be squashing many types of demanded technologies into one. Who wants a mobile phone that doesn’t take pictures, play music and is able to access multimedia of all types these days, after all?

All-in-one gadget

Ultimately, the goal is an all-in-one device for voice communication, downloading DVD-quality movies, playback of MP3s, swapping email, staying current on the latest stock prices and storing gigabytes of information—anything from homework to books and from corporate spreadsheets to government reports. If the latest gadgets are any indication, it doesn’t seem that this type of convergence is too far way…

"[Convergence] is going to change the way we address each other: face to face meetings, interviews and appointments have been the formal and polite way of addressing people."

Professor Alexis Weedon

And what about the future? Professor Weedon has a very clear view of where convergence will take us in the next five to ten years: “In that time frame, we have the switch off of analogue TV - so we'll all be cables, ‘freeviewed’ or wireless. Miniaturisation and portability are a current trend and I can see that continuing. If you can get your 100 CD collection on a XGB MP3 player, then surely we'll want our films and books like it too. Maybe that would clear our shelves and space in the living room for the material objects we really want to keep.”

The changes brought about by convergence will be even more profound, Professor Weedon believes. “It’s going to change the way we address each other: face to face meetings, interviews and appointments have been the formal and polite way of addressing people. With new media technologies the distant person is prioritised - the person on the end of the phone, the conference call, the buzzing BlackBerry… We have yet to work out the social etiquette applying to these.”

What do you think? Is the way forward a gadget that does everything we need, or is it better to have specialised devices? Discuss the subject here.

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