UIA: a user information architecture for personal devices

We are heading for a device information disaster. Many people already store information on dozens of devices, but are unable to organize and find their scattered information effectively. A given picture might be on a digital camera, a home PC, a laptop, an iPod Photo, or a cell phone. Even knowing a file's location is often not enough, because the relevant device may be on the far side of a firewall or not currently plugged into a PC's USB port. Sharing pictures, documents, or multimedia with family, friends, and colleagues today requires one to upload the information from a portable device to a personal computer and then E-mail it, or copy files via a physical medium such as a USB key.