[zacharypinter]

Yes! Thanks for the post.

I really enjoy scifi books that focus on how technology can integrate and augment the human body. Though these books often talk of brain implants and genetic modification, the path to that destination (if we do achieve it) will almost certainly start with non-invasive versions.

I think that smartphones with ubiquitous internet and gps were the first big step in this direction. Some of the next steps will be discrete/invisible headphones that we can always be wearing, glasses/contact lenses with a display, and (hopefully) some sort of easy input method that doesn't require talking out loud or looking at a screen. Combine this with the ability to record and search our entire lives (if we so choose) in addition to the internet and we're 90% there with easily foreseeable technology.

[chrmaury]

Thank you! This is the point I was trying to make in the article. I don't think I articulated it all that well. The technology exists, it's just branded incorrectly.

I regret that I only have one upvote to give.

[sliverstorm]

There's one big problem with continuing to make headphones smaller- until we can connect directly to the nervous system, the smaller the 'phone, the harder it will be to maintain audio quality. (At least using traditional audio reproduction methods)

The only thing that crops to mind other than nerve stimulation would be mounting a driver on your eardrum. Think of how a piezoelectric transducer works, and replace the discs with your eardrum.

[Yaggo]

> Some of the next steps will be discrete/invisible headphones that we can always be wearing

I just ordered Sony Ericsson WM600 bluetooth receiver (35 EUR with shipping) for my miniature Klipsch X10 in-ear headphones (they are amazing, btw). Will make an ideal discrete set, I think.