Believe the hype
The next generation of mobile phones will be as powerful as the high-end PCs of a couple of years ago. They’ll function as e-book readers, personal navigation devices and music and movie players. Heck, they’ll even make phone calls.
Is that a phone in your pocket? Are you sure? The next generation of mobile phones will be more like PCs, able to handle just about any computing task you throw at them. One has only to look at the latest smartphones to get an idea of where we’re going.
Apple’s iPhone has been the most talked-about product in years. Though the phone lacks key features, such as a high-speed 3G radio, its software design and its high-resolution, 320×480-pixel LCD screen provide clues about the future of mobile handsets.
Like PCs before them, mobile phones are primarily going to become devices through which we access the Web. The ability to make calls will obviously still be important — they are technically still phones after all — but increasingly they’ll do much, much more.
Here are some of the developments that will propel mobile phones to the next level and change the way we interact with the world:
* High-speed connections will make it possible to stream high-definition video over the air to mobile handsets. People will think nothing of shooting high-quality video footage and sending it to another mobile user or uploading it to the Web. In the short term, a technology called high-speed packet access will make it possible to download data at speeds of up to 14,4Mbit/s (almost four times faster than the fastest broadband product now available from Telkom). Within a few years, a fourth-generation cellular technology standard will bring about download speeds of up to 100Mbit/s. That’s fast enough to download an entire album of compressed music in about four seconds.
* Screen quality will improve dramatically. The iPhone is one of the first devices whose screen clarity is good enough for reading for extended periods. With up to 8GB of on-board memory, it’s not uncommon for users to download e-books to their iPhones. Who needs Amazon.com’s Kindle e-book reader anyway? It’s ugly.
* Cheap mobile calls will become a reality with software tools such as Fring, Truphone and Yeigo, which allow users to make cheap or even free voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls using their phones’ wireless local-area network connection or the cellular operator’s 3G network. Operators may try to block this type of traffic from their networks for fear of it undermining their lucrative voice businesses, but they’ll eventually have no choice but to allow it. They’ll even introduce VoIP services of their own.
* Many new handsets will incorporate satellite navigation technology. With your cellphone in your pocket, you’ll never get lost again. Looking for the nearest supermarket? Your phone will tell you where it is and how to get there. Satnav features also make it possible to introduce interesting new location-based services. With your permission, your network operator will be able to provide you with relevant services based on where you are. Unfortunately, this is likely to include advertising, though if it’s properly targeted and relevant, users may not balk at commercial messages. Location-based services such as TheGRID, a new service from Vodacom, will make it possible to find out where your friends are, provided they’ve opted in.
All these technologies have huge potential and there’s no doubt we’re still in the early stages of the mobile revolution. If one considers that it’s been less than 14 years since cellular technology was introduced in SA, it’s thrilling to think about what the technology might be capable of 14 years from now.
So, if you were hoping to get off the upgrade treadmill, forget about it. The ride’s just started.
Loading ...