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. No matter what brand of telephone you use, you can always phone home. Device independence ensures that all internet-enabled devices -- everything from your games console to a Web-surfing clock radio -- will be able to communicate with each other in the future.
