2011: When mobile tech came home

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I have been a mobile gadget enthusiast for as long as I can remember, largely due to the potential I could envision it providing once properly evolved. I used a handheld PC for a year as my primary computer to prove it was possible. It wasn't optimal but it got the job done. This year has been a pivotal one in the mobile space, as the gadgets and apps have matured to the point that for many folks they can be the primary tool of choice. I recently realized with a bit of shock that whether out running around or at my home, a mobile device of some sort is now what I usually reach for first when I need to get something done. This year the smartphone and the tablet have both evolved to be full-blown computers that can do just about everything we need to do. The hardware inside these gadgets is more than powerful enough to handle whatever we throw at them, and the apps are good tools to leverage that power.

Since a lot of what we do is online, the mobile web browser plays a big role in mobile tech taking the center stage for lots of folks. Even on a lowly smartphone the web browsers are so good that we suffer no compromises by reaching for a gadget instead of sitting at a "real" computer. We can do anything we need to do, quickly, and then drop the phone back in the bag/pocket where it lives. Tablets have extended this utility even further than the smartphone, simply due to the larger screens. The apps are now good enough to tackle most any job, and the web browsers are as good as those on the desktop. Unless there is a special need, sitting at a computer is no longer required. It is as easy as grabbing the tablet, hitting a button, and doing what needs to be done. No compromises, no delays, just immediate utility. The evolution of mobile tech will continue for the foreseeable future, and at breakneck speed. We will soon be doing the unthinkable on our mobile gear, and spending even less time in front of a computer as a result. Never in history has so much power been in the hands of so many, and it will only get better as time marches on. It is a great time to be a participant in the mobile tech sector.