Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index The Knowledge Navigator is a concept described by former Apple Computer CEO John Sculley in his 1987 book, Odyssey. It describes a device which can access a large networked database of hypertext information, and use intelligent agents to assist searching for information. Apple produced several concept videos showcasing the idea, with a tablet style computer and an animated "butler" as the intelligent agent. In one a university professor returns home and turns on his computer, in the form of a tablet the size of a large-format book, which informs him that he has several calls waiting. He ignores most of these (from his mother) and instead uses the system to compile data for a talk on global warming. While he is doing this, the computer informs him that a colleague is calling, and they exchange data through their machines. In another such video, a young student gives a class presentation on volcanoes using a hand-held version of the system, eventually sending video from it to the "blackboard" to show a video of a volcano that is exploding. In a final installment a user scans in a newspaper by placing it on the screen of the device, and then has it help him learn to read by listening to him read the scanned results, and prompting when he pauses. The idea would be the foundation for work on Apple Newton handheld device. Newton was released before the technology was mature however, and proved to be a commercial failure. However, the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web would indeed fulfill the vision of the Knowledge Navigator. See also: Dynabook This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.