Personal Communication (2370-Present)

Created by Captain Tobias Naros on Sat Apr 7th, 2012 @ 3:53am

Personal Communication Devices Used Between 2370 and the Present
Uniform Insignia & Combadge (2370-2390)	Uniform Insignia & Combadge (2386-Present)
The combadge was a combination insignia and communicator which replaced standalone Starfleet communcators in the early twenty-fourth century. They are used for on board ship communication with other Starfleet personnel when using the internal communication system is not possible or impractical, for accessing the onboard ship computer when not in an area that the computer is monitoring, for ship-to-shore communications, and for direct communication with another combadge. Combadges are also configured to act as universal translators. Starfleet combadges in particular are worn on the left breast of an individual's uniform and are activated by tapping them once. In a slightly differing design from earlier Starfleet combadges, the insignia introduced around 2385 was comprised a delta shield outline backed by two vertical gold quadrangles. The Starfleet combadge was a crystalline composite of gold, microfilament, silicon, beryllium and carbon-70. Due to the size of the combadge, its working range was limited to five hundred kilometers, although a starship could boost the signal to bridge larger distances. The combadge can be opened for maintenance purposes or to be used as a beacon. -- Memory Alpha
Federation Starfleet PADD (2364-Present)
PADD is an acronym for Personal Access Display Device, a hand-held computer interface used as early as the twenty-second century and well into the twenty-fourth century. While the common function of Federation PADDs was most often straight forward data entry or data retrieval, some PADDs were capable of more artistic tasks. Some PADDs, often larger in size than most of their counterparts, were used to draw up schematics or to create composite images or artwork. PADDs were also capable of predictive text functions, allowing users to enter a small amount of data to achieve full words or even sentences. In addition, a stylus could be used for text entry. PADDs could also order a site-to-site transport. By 2364, PADDs had taken on a smaller profile and, while some models would include one, the stylus was replaced by simple, touch-sensitive controls generaly located neneath a small, square-shaped display screen. Generally small and light-weight, the PADDs of the 2360s and 2370s were basically rectangular in shape, but varied in size, proportion, and even color - ranging form gray and muted blue colors to red. Some PADDs were even translucent. When struck with enough force, the screen of a PADD could be shattered resulting in shards sharp enough to cut human skin. -- Memory Alpha
Federation Desktop Monitor (2378-Present)	Federation Desktop Monitor (2390-Present)
A desktop monitor is a personal computer console used as early as the twenty-second century aboard starships, space stations, and planetary facilities. These devices were often used for personal library computer retrieval, to display sensor data, and for visual communications. By 2379, most previous desktop monitors had been replaced by a single, flat-panel viewer that existed as part of the desktop and rose up when activated from a small control panel embedded in the desk. Also in use during this time was yet another style of flat-panel monitor, this one free-standing and silver in color. Starfleet installations such as starbases, colonies, and Starfleet Headquarters began making use of desktop monitors which had a clear glass back and a much thicker base sometime around the mid-2380s. -- Memory Alpha