Abstract
The presentation reviews, and raises questions about, the way in which personal computer and mobile communications technologies will be used in the near and medium-term future. The evolutionary paths of the relevant technologies are reviewed and it is argued that they are converging rapidly. Inasmuch as mobile communications have a clearer forward plan and a larger sales base, they appear set to become a dominant paradigm. However, the lack of vision regarding the way in which they might be used, and the slow rate of development of appropriate content, suggest that the industry needs to consider the wider implications and to think very radically and creatively about future applications. Work to develop new applications and the media content to display on phone-type screens will be reviewed.