4 Technologies That Will Shape The Future of Mobility

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Ever since the introduction of the mobile phone, there has been a shift to add more and more functionalities to mobile devices. We have reached a point where there is plenty of functionality packed into a little device such as a Blackberry or an iPhone but we have also lost something in the shift to mobile computing. The quality of the interfaces has been always dependent on your thumb size.
Now that phones are handling more and more media, the display is being recognized as lacking, and even features such as Wi-Fi connectivity are still being fought over in courts. Soon enough those compromises shall not need to be made.

Here are some of the technological breakthroughs that will help take mobile computing and smart phones to the next level. This is not a promise of flying cars and personal robots – Roombas aside – but these are technologies that are currently available, and in the future will probably play a part in enhancing the mobile computing experience.

Virtual Keyboard:

Virtual Keyboard

One of the biggest qualms people have with their phones is the QWERTY interface that is often too small and restricts typing speeds. There is a perfect solution to the problem: a Bluetooth Laser Virtual keyboard which will project a keyboard on any flat surface. The keyboard promises to deliver the same experience as a regular keyboard even down to the keystroke sounds. If the laser can pick up a gesture as a keystroke, it might be made to evolve into something more picking up on gestures such as point and click and variety of other interface options. This device will now set you back $150.00.

Mobile-Phone projector:

Projector in a Phone

What’s cooler than setting a phone on top of a table to play the latest Box Office hit, while projecting it on the wall? The idea of a cell phone projector hybrid has been in the works ever since TI showcased their pico DLP chip which enables small devices such as cell phone to have the capability to project on a screen. There were several models on the floor of CES 2009 including phones from Samsung, LG and a small company called Logic Wireless which, in partnership with T-Mobile, seems to be the most likely candidate to beat them all to the US market and make the projector phone available for retail by mid-2010.

Cloud Computing & Processing

The concept of storing data and using applications on the Web, such as Google Docs, is already quite popular yet still in its early phases. People still feel that they are connected from a different location and are unable to see the environment they are familiar with, for instance their desktop background. With advancements in both cloud computing and Web operating systems this problem will be solved.

With only an internet connection, a person will be able to augment his or her processing power by depending on a back-end server pool to handle processing intensive tasks. The possibility of having access to “Your Computer” from any computer will be a reality. Also the computer systems will be cheaper and sleeker since they will require less internal storage, and less processing power than the computers we currently have. One of the most exciting pieces of news in the last half of 2009 has been the announcement of the much anticipated Google OS, which promises to be a corner stone in such a reality. The Google OS will be available to consumers in the second half of 2010.

Guaranteed High Speed Connections

It doesn’t require a pundit to tell us that we are growing and becoming more dependent on being connected. So it’s natural that an internet connection will stop being just a service and become a right. The right to be connected to the internet will be akin to the right to a proper education. Following this spirit, Finland has proved once again that its a leader in the Telecommunication field by guaranteeing its citizens the right to a broadband connection. While France was the first country to institute internet connection as a right; it failed to tie it down to an access speed which is a crucial point. Finland went even a bit further by promising an internet connection of 100Mbps for its citizens by 2015.

The Future Is Now?

The Future?

Just by looking at those technologies that are available to us now, and without even mentioning other exciting prospects such as E-paper, the possibilities seem endless. By just going a step further and combing the aforementioned four technologies you could possibly be carrying a device no bigger than your current phone, that will act not just as your phone but also your thin client computer. You will be able to place it anywhere, connect to the net and go along with your business as if you are at home.

Thoughts and promises of the future has always been a passion for humans, and prophesying has always been a fascination. With so many technologies and possibilities opening up ahead of us there is one thing that is for sure: it will be and exciting at least until it comes.

So what do you think? Is this too much of a Jetson’s dream? Or do you see that in your crystal ball? Would you be even interested in using such technology? Let us hear your thoughts.