A program or application that will work on any peripheral devices within a certain protocol is considered device independent. Dialing a telephone number is a simple example of a device-independent action -- all telephones operate under the same protocol, so no matter what brand of telephone you use, you can always phone home. Device independence ensures that all Internet-enabled devices -- everything from a Sony Playstation to a Web-surfing clock radio -- will be able to communicate with each other in the future.