Internet, Internet everywhere, nor any drop to drink

It’s been everywhere for a long time, but in places other than the desktop the Web has been an elusive medium. The main reasons behind this are the varying support of the myriad devices used to access it (e.g. mobile phones, hand-held devices such as palmtops) and the lack of availability of a suitable connection.

As we sit on the cusp of 2007 we can look forward to the Web being more readily accessible on our old friend the television (see also “battle for the living room“). With Microsoft’s Xbox 360 already capable of Internet access and bundled with an Ethernet port ready for high speed web access, Nintendo’s Wii gaining a variant of the Opera browser and Sony’s forthcoming Playstation 3 also being web enabled, we can look forward to more people using their entertainment console and their TV to access the Web.

While most of this access will be for game, video, film and on-demand TV content initially, the capability and bandwidth is now in place to make using the TV a viable mechanism to access the Web. Add to this the growing number of Portable Media Players (PMPs) which are becoming web-enabled with built-in browser software (such as Archos) and we have a wider array of devices capable of connecting to the Internet. The growing ubiquity of wireless access also allows these new devices more freedom to roam and encourages people to make use of the Web wherever they are and on whichever device they choose.

Fortunately the technological barriers that many of what used to be called “edge” devices (because they were on the “edge” of the network or the “bleeding edge” of technology) are also being removed making it easier to get access without needing a PhD to figure out how to configure the settings. Mobile networks such as 3 (three.co.uk) have also introduced flat-fee Internet access meaning you don’t pay extortionate charges for surfing the web with your mobile.

The end result: ease of use and practical access from anywhere.

But does it mean we will?

We will see a growing trend in access from devices other than the desktop, with wireless and mobile access from a laptop leading the field (as it has been) for true Web access. New portable devices such as Nokia’s E61, Archos and Sony’s PSP will start to feature as Internet devices, although the latter 2 will be more media surfing machines rather than devices people might use to go shopping, check the next train home or check the latest news. Home entertainment consoles will lead the foray into making the home a networked environment with access to the Web, but again it will be media led rather than general surfing.

However, with the ability to contextually link content within media streamed to the home entertainment system to content on the Web, it won’t be long before we are buying the products we see placed in our favourite TV programmes with just the touch of a (red) button in much the same way that we can access additional content via the (red) button on our remote today.

The technological tipping point is already here, but the cultural one is some way behind – people will need to have (or be influenced to have) the desire to surf the web using devices other than the desktop before they actually do. The networked future portrayed in films such as The Truman Show, Demolition Man, and Minority Report is not far ahead of us and we should look to steer our Web presence towards the inevitable future.

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