Intelligent Web-based programs use distributed applications or other services and communicate independently with one another to automatically combine the various functions. Central authentication processes and encryption systems have been deployed in first attempts to ensure secure Internet transactions. Bluetooth has proven to be an attractive alternative, enabling hardware to communicate and finally putting an end to the confused tangle of wires on the desktop. Processes such as MPEG-4 have now made the integration of video applications possible for narrowband networks and mobile terminal equipment. Voice control and voice output are becoming increasingly popular to simplify the operation of mobile terminal equipment, which is growing ever smaller.
Modern projectors are now comparable to laptop computers in terms of size and weight.
The manufacturers have considerably reduced noise emission as well as prices, thus making this equipment an interesting alternative to the television set for home cinema systems. The projectors are now network-compatible as well, which means they can be used to show presentations directly from the network or even via the Internet. Digital cameras with an integrated Bluetooth module are able to send the photographs directly from the camera to the printer.