This area has implications on the design of the future devices, network architecture and above all the operating systems and user interfaces of tomorrow. In the future, there will be no desktop computers as we know them today. GMD in Darmstadt have been doing experiments with the future office. A case study with new types of devices that supports collaboration have been built. There are no personal desktop computers.
Information is viewed and manipulated on public displays.
It is possible to do several things concurrently on the large display on the wall. Different persons can be involved in a collaboration or private work. A room could be equipped with other types of public devices like cameras and loudspeakers. In an environment with public devices, it is very powerful to combine that with smaller mobile personal devices. Like palmtop computers and badges, even a slightly enhanced mobile phone could make the work in a information landscape more efficient.