Some companies now sell pervasive c

Some companies now sell pervasive computing products like a "smart" toaster .
It remembers your favorite kind of toast ;
light or dark .
Companies are designing a "smart" coffee maker and a "smart" clock .
the coffee maker can measure the water and coffee .
It can even put milk in your breakfast coffee and make black coffee in the afternoon .
the clock will check the time on other clock in your house ,
and give information about other appliances .
For example , it can tell you , " Your coffee maker needs more water ."




And that's only the begining . One company is now advertising " Save time ---- phone your washing machine !"
Engineers are making a "smart" house . In this house , the lights , heater , and air conditioner change automatically
when family members come home . This makes the home comfortable , and it saves a lot of energy . Pervasive
computing could change many parts of our dairy lives.


But do people really want pervasive computing ? Do they really need technology everywhere ? One company
asked people about their opinions on "smart' appliances . There were surprises . A "smart" refrigerator can buy
more food on the Internet , but people didn't want it , because it might make mistakes .


" Pervasive computing is as important as a telephone " , says Rebecca Blair , president of Inno Tech
Corporation . But some of these products are not useful , or even practical . Companies should learn more about the
technology that people really want .