Major Trends in Information and Communication Technologies

Abstract

Networked computers are ubiquitous. They come in different shapes and forms (desktop, laptop, mobile phones, tablets, ebook readers, etc.) or are embedded in devices, objects, and systems such as, for example, cameras, washing machines, televisions, cars, heating systems, robots, traffic control systems. Software is usually available in multiple human languages. Global standardisation efforts such as Unicode solved the problem of representing and displaying different alphabets and special characters. Mobile devices and social media are reshaping how and when we communicate with one another using the tools and devices we use both in business and private life. The way we interact with computers is no longer restricted to graphical interfaces and keyboards, but it is being extended through touch screens, voice interfaces and dialogue systems, and mobile devices with accelerometers that tell the device how it is held by the user.