Doc Searls begins a post with this title by linking to Michelle Thorne's post, Public Broadcasters Opt for CC (as in Creative Commons) in iCommons.org, itself a worthy reading excursion. But he goes on to make this interesting observation:
... We’re one good UI away from the cell phone becoming a radio. (Thanks to the iPhone, it already serves as a TV.) And we’re one smart cell company away from radio- and TV-as-we-know-it from being replaced entirely — or from moving up the next step of the evolutionary ladder. ¶ Public broadcasters know that. That’s one reason they now call themselves “public media”, a move that separates the category from its transport methods. It’s also why they’re thinking hard and long about the role their online transmissions and archives play in a world without physical borders. ...
Link: The Doc Searls Weblog.
I'd add that it's not just cell phones, but other portable devices as well that blur the lines among computers, phones, PDAs, etc. I just got a Nokia N810, a Linux computer the size of a PDA with a spectacular screen and the first decent speakers I've seen in a portable device. Oh, and its browser supports Flash. Oh again, it comes with Skype, so it's a WiFi phone. My intent was for it to replace my HP PDA and a Sprint smartphone with pretty good media software but pathetic speakers. It lacks PIM software but the media portion is great. The development community should have a PIM up and running in no time. I'm using it mostly for radio, email and RSS. --Dennis
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