Users can buy groceries using this handheld computer

Mark Bregman heads the pervasive computing division at Big Blue and described the future.

Cars already come equipped with navigation systems, but soon they will become smarter in other ways.

"(Computers) will diagnose problems with the car and send information about the car's performance back to the factory," he said.

And in the next 12 to 18 months, home appliance manufacturers will begin adding intelligence to washers, dryers and refrigerators.

"It will allow the user to call home and make sure that you've shut off the stove when you're on vacation," he said.

The future is now

IBM already has some systems in use.

Pulling out an IBM-branded Palm Pilot, Mr Bregman demonstrated how Safeway in the UK is using these handheld computers to allow users to shop for groceries from home.

Computers someday could be as fashionable as functional

They also developed a remote check-in system with SwissAir.

"If you're on your way to the Zurich airport, and you get stuck in traffic, you can actually check in, get your boarding pass, get your baggage tags, on your way to the airport. When you arrive, they hand them to you," he said.

The Smart Office

Pervasive computer experts say that this trend also has could radically change the way we work.

Vince Stanford manages the Smart Space project at the US government's National Institute of Standards and Technology.

He is working to build the office of the future.

He foresees a time when a small, pocket-sized pervasive computer will replace your briefcase.

When you walk into the room to make a presentation, the small computer will "introduce" itself to the room using wireless networking technology.

"It uploads your presentation and your personal voice statistics," which will allow you to control the computers in the room using voice-recognition technology, he said.

Presentations from other meeting participants automatically are downloaded to your pocket computer.

Computers in the room will compile minutes of the meeting and download them to the computers of the meeting participants, he said.

Lingua franca

But one of the things holding back this vision of a connected world is standards, Mr Albert said.

All of these devices need to be able to communicate with each other appropriately and be able to share information.

IBM has been working on standards including Bluetooth, a standard for short-range wireless communication, Mr Bregman said.

And NIST is working with hundreds of companies to bring together the pieces necessary to make pervasive computing a reality.

It will take a great amount of co-ordination and "require a lot of talent in the entire information technology industry," Mr Stanford said, but added, allowing all of these devices to inter-operate "makes the individual pieces more valuable."