Welcome to our Multimedia issue. But first, what is "multimedia?" To answer that, I went to every editor's best
friend: Wikipedia. Wikipedia defines "multimedia" as "media and content that uses a combination of different content
forms. The term can be used as a noun (a medium with multiple content forms) or as an adjective describing a medium as
having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which only use traditional forms of printed or
hand-produced material. Multimedia includes a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video, and
interactivity content forms."
Wikipedia goes on to say that "multimedia is usually recorded and played, displayed or accessed by information
content-processing devices, such as computerized and electronic devices, but can also be part of a live performance.
Multimedia, as an adjective, also describes electronic media devices used to store and experience multimedia content.
Multimedia is distinguished from mixed media in fine art by including audio, for example. The term 'rich media'
is synonymous for interactive multimedia."
Okay, you've probably had enough of definitions for one month. Which is why, as soon as you turn this page, we'll
stop defining and start presenting. Presenting multimedia in all its convergent glory, that is.
For starters, we put on Pole Position two new 15.6-inch Acer notebooks that are consummate multimedia machines.
But that's not all. We also pit no less than six 10-inch netbooks against each other in Showdown to see which is
the true standout. Needless to say, we've got a bevy of multimedia devices in our Grid section.
But those are just the appetizer. To cap o_ this month's theme, we've got a cover story that takes you deep into
multimedia territory to show just how it impacts our daily lives- for better or for worse (but mostly for the better).
All these and much, much more await you in this March issue.
So what are you waiting for? Flip the page and immerse yourself in the fascinating world of multimedia.
Happy SPEED reading!
Manny N. de los Reyes
Editor-in-chief
mdlr@speed-mag.com
