資訊設備
维基百科，自由的百科全书
資訊設備(Information Appliance，簡稱IA)泛指所有能夠處理資訊、訊號、繪圖、圖象、動畫、錄像及聲音的器材。現時資訊設備有兩個不同的定義：
- 根據香港教育統籌局對“資訊設備”的定義，任何符合上述定義的儀器，已屬於資訊設備[1]；
- 另一個更嚴謹的定義指，這些設備除了要能夠處理上述資訊的能力以外，並且必需能夠與其他同類器材交換信息的能力。根據這個定義，常見的資訊設備有智能電話、智能卡、個人數碼助手等。然而，數碼相機、手提電話、電視解碼器及LCD電視並不屬於資訊設備的範圍，除非這些器材具有與其他資訊設備溝通的能力。
兩個不同的定義，可能與受眾有關。根據香港教統局的定義，即使一個一年級的小學生，亦有能力指出哪些設備屬於資訊設備；但對於專業的使用者來說，這個定義則流於空泛。
目录 |
[编辑] 來源及早期例子
最早期的資訊設備於1980年代中期出現，是一種配合了電子屏幕及簡單的存儲裝置的電子打字機，當時這些機器被稱為“文書處理機”。這些機器由於具有存儲及與其他文書處理機交換檔案的功能，已符合今日對資訊設備的嚴格定義。這些早期的文書處理機當中，比較知名的是由Jef Raskin設計的“Canon Cat”。而Jef Raskin亦是第一位使用“資訊設備”(Information appliance”的人。對於“資訊設備”的具體定義，他在他的著作《The Humane Interface》裡有詳細論述。
“資訊設備”這個概念後期在Donald Norman的著作《The Invisible Computer》裡得到發揮。而當時甲骨文的首席執行官劳伦斯·埃里森亦根據這本書的推論，斷言網絡電腦有朝一日會取代桌面電腦。
[编辑] Features
Information appliances tend to be consumer devices that perform only a few targeted tasks and are controlled by a simple Touchscreen interface or push buttons on the device's enclosure.
[编辑] Walled gardens versus open standards
In an ideal world, any true information appliance would be able to communicate with any other information appliance using open standard protocols and technologies, regardless of the maker of the software or the hardware. The communications aspects and all user interface elements would be designed together so that a user could switch seamlessly from one information appliance to another.
Some vendors are attempting to create "walled gardens" of closed proprietary content for information appliances, leveraging existing proprietary technologies. However, with the exception of NTT DoCoMo's i-mode, these efforts have been less successful than predicted, due to the willingness of most vendors to work together within open standards frameworks, and the pre-existing widespread adoption of open standards such as GSM, IP, SMS and SMTP.
[编辑] Related concepts
The idea of ubiquitous computing is related to the notion of information appliance because both take into account the need to design dedicated, interconnected devices from the ground up, by taking human factors as well as software and hardware issues into account. They differ on other matters such as the importance accorded to social aspects of computing.
[编辑] 參看
[编辑] 例子
[编辑] 備注
[编辑] 參考
- Norman, Donald. The Invisible Computer: Why Good Products Can Fail, the Personal Computer Is So Complex, and Information Appliances Are the Solution. Boston: MIT Press, 1999. ISBN 0262640414
