But power-management IC development nevertheless marches on. With the wireless market's return expected by the end of the year, the major players in power management proceed unwaveringly in addressing the energy efficiency of next-generation devices. And there's a lot to do, much of it not so straightforward. Perhaps that's because power management and its reach have yet to be crisply defined.

However, the major driver is known, and that's expanded functionality. In short, wireless and portable demands appear headed toward systems that are more and more hybrid in nature.

Cell phones with PDAs, and PDAs with MP3 players or digital cameras, and vice versa, are fast changing the power-management landscape. Such designs cry out for superior batteries, and higher-current, shared- and multiple-output dc/dc converter chips with much-superior transient response. Larger and better readouts and displays, backlit with white LEDs and such other lamps requiring more efficient inverters, are yet another important area that has taken on a life of its own, especially with respect to color displays.

What's more, the expected emergence of the Universal Serial Bus as a source of power for portable devices is generating its own set of power-management control issues.

While most still disregard the arrival of such systems as the always-on pager for monitoring the Internet for e-mail and so on, the fact is that user demand is evolving toward the all-in-one system. That in turn directly affects the size of the system and, thus, the packaging for power-management devices, especially with respect to a low profile.

So package profiles could conceivably drop below 1 mm before long. When it comes right down to it, I'll never be a believer in using a portable or wireless device while driving a car, or even support bringing one to the movies or the golf course. Then again, I like to watch the best movies on a black-and-white TV.

The fact is that self-contained communications centers for use in the field are surely coming, only awaiting more innovative systems for managing power.