The earliest version of the mobile phone was first implemented in 1946. The first handheld mobile phone placed its first call in 1973. Six years later, NTT launched the very first 1G network in Japan. IBM premiered the very first smartphone, the IBM Simon, in 1992. Apple Inc. made smartphones the purview of the public in 2007 with the first iPhone and from there things have only started moving faster. Mobile is where information technology is going, not just for high-end luxury gadgets but for everyday personal and business computing. It's only a matter of time before the desktop and laptop disappear from our lives, replaced by 100% mobile tech that, for our purposes, I'm calling the PID (the Personal Information Device). Here's how such a pocket computer might look.
The two biggest hurdles we have between current desktop computing and a true PID are data management and hardware interface. Neither are especially insurmountable, though they both present some challenges. When it comes to data management, i.e. memory and processing power, we're already well on our way to solving the problem. Fairly large amounts of data can be stored in tiny spaces. It's no big deal to have tens of gigabytes of information stored in a palm-sized device, or in just a few flash drives. Of course, this alone can't keep up with the increasing sizes of programs. For this, we need only turn to cloud computing and virtual storage. There's little reason in keeping personal copies of entirely digital programs in one's possession when an Internet connection provides identical functionality. The PID will be a powerful processor but it won't need to store very much information to be as functional as a memory-loaded desktop.
Hardware is a more significant issue vis. interface. The big speedbumps are input devices (mouse, keyboard, stylus, etc) and output devices (monitors, speakers, etc). Currently, we have rudimentary versions of the response to these issues, but the technology is going to have to get a lot more elegant and reliable before it can hope to replace our clunky, peripheral-heavy desktops.
First, let's consider the monitor. Even our best mobile devices today have tiny displays compared to even a middle-of-the-road desktop or laptop, but that's only because the display is limited to a physical screen. The easiest answer is simple projection. Fitting a mobile device with a built-in projector complete with size and resolution adjustment options could eliminate the need for monitors altogether. This would require a surface to catch the projection, which is only slightly inconvenient, but it's at best a stepping stone to something a little more sci-fi like holographic projection that would render the need for surfaces moot. As for audio, I'd say peripheral speakers or earpieces are the most reasonable answer. No need to get fancy, especially when an increasingly mobile device implies increased public usage where built-in speakers would be a problem.
Input is a little more difficult to overcome. Modern mobile devices have already embraced the touch screen and made it easy to use, but that won't fly for typing or other more nuanced actions. For this issue, we'll need to turn to motion capture technology. Currently experiencing growing pains, motion capture is far from functional for daily, nuanced use. We need a capture cam that is both smaller and more accurate than anything used in today's console gaming technology, but that's just a matter of time and research. A motion capture element in a PID would allow for full-sized, virtual keyboards, touch screens and other interactive graphics that would render our desktop and laptop input hardware obsolete.
A PID wouldn't just be a nifty gadget. Like the cell phone became the modern standard for communication, the PID would become the modern standard for all data transfer. We're already heading in that direction with the increasing functionality of smartphones and tablets, so it's less a question of if and more a matter of when the Personal Information Device becomes the way we live, work and connect with others.