The iPhone and its similarly-gifted sibling, the iPod Touch, combine wireless Internet access and an innovative, flexible user interface to perform a number of functions from a single device. As Apple works to own the mobile phone market - as it has done with trendy personal computers, laptops, and digital music devices - many may be wondering what the next innovation will be.
I think I've found something that could be the next big thing, and a very practical thing at that: UDO, or universal device operation.
Put simply, UDO (pronounced "you do") would be a technology that would allow you to operate any electronic device that used certain control protocols and that were subject to certain security standards. You could use UDO technology, in theory, to:
Lock and unlock objects (car doors, office buildings, etc.)
Activate machines (car starter, home appliances, etc.)
Command or use machines like a standard remote control
We have bits and pieces of this technology strewn about the world today, including: