phablet

[Victor Steinbok]

Is this going to be 2012 WOTY? [emphasis added throughout]

http://goo.gl/wViJq
> It seems *phablets* are all the rage, with their larger screens and
> combined smartphone-tablet capabilities. With Mobile World Congress
> kicking off in Barcelona next week, we could see quite a few such
> devices taking the scene. Picking up on a trend made popular by
> Samsung’s 5-inch Galaxy Note, both LG and Panasonic are expected to
> reveal a *phablet* at MWC this year. While other device makers are
> playing catch up in the *phablet* race, Samsung is skipping ahead to
> launch more *connected devices*, including an oven you can control
> with your Android smartphone.

It's bigger (usually) than a phone but smaller than a tablet. It has the
functionality of both, but so do most larger smartphones. Currently, the
largest Android phones have a 4.3-inch (diagonal) screen (although I've
seen PR for 4.5-inch screens). Tablets now range from about 7 to 10
inches diagonally. So it's tight squeeze for the phablets.

To make things more interesting, we now have a new addition to "smart"
devices--a smart oven.

> The ideals of a connected home came one step closer to reality at the
> Consumer Electronics Show last month, and Samsung’s ready to really
> make this dream come true. The Zipel MC368GAAW5A is a *smart oven* you
> can control with your Android smartphone, letting you cook 160
> different preset dishes. You’ll need a Wi-Fi connection to remotely
> control your oven, which can also tell you the weight and caloric
> content of your food. There’s still some questions to be answered when
> it comes to the Zipel, like whether or not you’ll be able to use your
> smartphone to turn on the oven when you’re connected to a separate
> Wi-Fi network (that could be dangerous). Samsung’s *smart oven* has
> only been released in Korea so far, and we’re sure to see plenty more
> *connected home devices* from this manufacturer in the coming months.

Will there be a smart toilet that you can flush by picking up your phone?

The OED still doesn't have "connected" in this sense, although I'm sure
Jesse is working on it. "Connected device" also deserves a listing. It's
a variant on connected 1.--"Conjoined; fastened or linked together"--but
the nature of the link is quite distinct. In fact, in order to be
"connected", a device almost has to be "disconnected". The idea of a
"connected device" is that it has no direct physical link to its
controller. Related concepts are "mobile device" and "mobile computing",
which have appropriate components in the OED, but not the conjoined
versions.

There is another sense of "connected" that needs to be addressed in the
update:

> 4. Of persons: Related by ties of family, intimacy, common aims, etc.
> well connected: related to persons of good position.

That's a bit of an understatement. The definition is vague enough now
that the nuance may be included, but "connected" often means more than
just "related"--protected by people in powerful positions or,
alternatively, protected by or doing business with the mob. I don't
think "related" quite covers it, but, as Wilson says, YMMV.

VS-)

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