IoT Devices and Information Terminals

A personal digital assistant (PDA) 携帯情報端末 is the general term for a small device you carry around to view, enter and manage information.

The term first meant electronic organizers that handled schedules and address books, and today smartphones and tablets fill that role. In IoT, it is the window in your hand for checking information and operating devices. Because it runs on a built-in battery, battery capacity is given in mAh (milliampere-hours).

AnalogyThink of a notebook, a calculator and a map rolled into one tool that fits in your pocket.

How to rememberIts other name, PDA, stands for Personal Digital Assistant: picture a digital secretary you can carry.

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A mobile phone 携帯電話 is a phone that communicates with base stations 基地局 by radio, so you can make calls and use data while on the move.

Each base station covers a fixed area, and as you move, the station handling your connection switches from one to the next. Today the mainstream is the smartphone, which runs apps and accesses the internet as well as making calls. Inside is an embedded system 組込みシステム, a computer system built into the device to control specific functions.

AnalogyLike a relay baton, your call is handed to the nearest base station as you walk.

How to rememberThe cell in cellular phone is the area (cell) that one base station covers.

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Smart glasses スマートグラス are a kind of wearable device ウェアラブル端末 worn on the face like eyeglasses that show text or images within your field of view.

Because you can check information while still seeing the real world through the lenses, they are used for step-by-step work instructions when your hands are busy, for navigation and similar tasks. Models that can align displayed information with the positions of real objects are also called AR glasses or MR glasses.

AnalogyIt is as if a small sticky note sat at the edge of your lens, with text appearing only when you need it.

How to rememberGlasses here means eyewear, not drinking glasses.

AR glasses ARグラス are eyeglass-type devices that deliver AR (augmented reality) 拡張現実, overlaying digital information on the real scene in front of you.

In AR the real scene is the main element, with text, arrows or 3D images added on top. In a warehouse, for example, looking at a shelf can make a marker appear on the item to pick. Cameras and sensors track where you are looking and move the display to match.

AnalogyLike holding a clear sheet with a guide map drawn on it up against a sightseeing view.

How to rememberAugmented means increased: AR adds information to reality.

MR glasses MRグラス are head-mounted devices that deliver MR (mixed reality) 複合現実: they read the real space, then place virtual objects so they appear to interact with real things.

Because the device's sensors capture the shape and position of floors, desks and so on, a virtual object can sit on a desk or hide behind a real object. You can also grab and move virtual objects with hand gestures. Besides eyeglass types, there are headset products that fit over the whole head.

AnalogyIt feels like a 3D model on a real desk that seems to stop when you slide it to the desk's edge.

How to rememberMixed means blended: MR blends the real and the virtual in one space.

VR goggles VRゴーグル are head-mounted devices for experiencing VR (virtual reality) 仮想現実; they cover both eyes and show a virtual space created by a computer.

Sensors detect the direction and movement of your head and change the image accordingly, giving a sense of immersion, as if you were looking around inside the virtual space. Since the real view is blocked, they are used for games and also for situations you want to experience without going there, such as training for hazardous work or touring distant facilities.

AnalogyLike a windowless room with a different landscape projected across all four walls.

How to rememberGoggles wrap around your eyes, and because they cover them, the real view disappears.

A smart speaker スマートスピーカー is an internet-connected speaker that turns what you say into text data through speech recognition 音声認識, and its voice assistant 音声アシスタント answers by voice or operates devices.

The voice it receives is analyzed by an online service, and depending on the result it reads out the weather, plays music and so on. Linked with compatible lights or air conditioners, it lets you control appliances by voice alone. What sets it apart from other devices is that voice, not a screen or buttons, is the core of both input and output.

AnalogyLike a butler who answers when called and passes your requests on to the devices around the house.

How to rememberIt is also called an AI speaker. Smart refers to how it connects to the internet and gives clever responses.