Other Computers
Cell Phones
Cell phones are becoming increasingly complex and contain many features. Cell phones and "smart phones" (a term given to cell phones that incorporate features of personal digital assistants) can now do many tasks that previously only desktop and laptop computers could do: browse the World Wide Web, send e-mails, listen to music, and so on. For many of our youth, cell phones have taken the place of computers for many tasks completly.
There are some new devices that actually take the features of these newer cell phones and basically drop the phone portion to become a new breed of computers that are more compact than others. An example of one of these devices is the Nokia N800.
Watches
Although there have been earlier attempts, American watchmaker Fossil made the idea of a watch computer popular. In 2005, Fossil released their Wrist PDA. The Wrist PDA took the place of a watch and could do all of the functions of a standard PDA or a very basic computer, such as jot down notes, keep track of a calendar and to-do list, and so on. The Wrist PDA also ran a common operating system for PDAs, Palm OS. This meant that other software was able to run on the device, thus opening it up to thousands of packages already written.
Unfortunately, the Wrist PDA never sold very well. Possibe reasons include short battery life, non water-resistant, price, and that it was too small to be used easily.
Home Theaters
Many home theaters can now be controlled by standard PCs thanks to new software such as Microsoft's Windows Media Center as well as similar projects like MythTV.
Additionally, now popular TiVos and similar DVR systems are basic computers that allow for the recording of TV shows. TiVo actually runs a version of the Linux operating system that also is used in most supercomputers, some cell phones, and is increasingly used on desktop and laptop PCs.
Appliances
As household appliances become more complex, many are beginning to allow from increased programmability. Some household appliances could be considered computers. Furthermore, though the technology is not widespread, some appliances are able to be controlled by computers via a network. Technology is always advancing, and before long we may be able to start a meal remotely!