I’m reading the Gartner Top Industry Predicts 2011 report and find this prediction very thought-provoking:
By 2014, automobiles will be among the top three fastest growing connected-device platforms for Internet-based content.
What implications does this have for libraries? What kinds of applications should we be building now to address this future state? How about a voice activated catalog search and download capability? Picture this – you’re driving along and hear about a new book on the radio and decide you want to read it tonight. Using your car’s voice activated internet connection, you hook up to the library catalog, search the title and choose to download the ebook wirelessly to your iPad. Bing. It’s there when you get home.
Or maybe you’re on a trip and decide you want to listen to an audio book. Through the same process, you connect to your library, select a recorded book and have it downloaded to your car and read over the radio.
How else could car connectivity be applied?
Patty
