The 5 Elements of Smart Connectivity

Lenovo Tech World in Beijing was a pivotal moment for us. It was a chance to tell our fans, media and customers about our newest concepts in technology, and our vision.

Ahead of Tech World, my senior team discussed how to best describe the future of technology. And we focused on the concept of ‘Smart Connectivity’ to encapsulate our vision, which our keynote speakers, including Baidu’s CEO Robin Li, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, all helped elaborate.  And every concept, prototype, and product, illustrated this vision. 

The first element of smart connectivity is about connecting humans to devices in a more natural fashion. Several generations of connectivity between people and devices have passed since the computer was invented. Keyboard was the first generation, mouse was second generation, and currently we have touch. The next generation will be an even more natural interaction mode based on natural language understanding. The result of this tightening relationship between user and device is that we can express ourselves, our needs and desires in a faster and more intuitive way.

Beyond the interface with the device, the absolutely essential second element is an intelligent and seamless connection between the device and the network, to ensure our customers can connect anywhere and anytime. With smart connectivity, users will enjoy more than 5G and WiFi. For example, users could benefit from a mobile virtual network operator based roaming feature, integrated into smart devices, to stay connected in an easy and affordable way while on the road.

The third element of smart connectivity is connection between devices – not only between smart devices like phones and PCs, but more importantly between traditional devices. This kind of connectivity will enable connection and interaction under similar protocols and language interfaces. There will be a lot of good use of this in our smart homes and beyond, where household appliances are all linked together and controlled by a smart hub like a mobile phone.

The fourth element is connectivity with personal data and big data. With the help of a personal cloud, your devices will understand you much better, and individuals can always reach the data they need, and manage it more effectively. 

Finally, smart connectivity should allow our customers to obtain the services they need in the most natural way, preferably in one stop. Perhaps you don’t need to open multiple apps anymore, because there might be a smarter entry point that grants you access to all kinds of services, which you can pay for via biometric identification. 

I firmly believe the world of smart connectivity is coming. Lenovo is a leading player in device innovation, but now also in delivering the infrastructure to support this vision. I’ll talk about the infrastructure push behind Big Data and Smart Connectivity in my next LinkedIn piece.

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