The Smartphone revolution has completely shifted the way we communicate with one another, as well as how we relate with technology. As of 2011, there are Smartphones so impressive they actually rival laptops from a few years ago, in terms of processing power.
As such, we cannot help but wonder: Just how smart can we expect our phones to get, in the next few decades? Where will this road take us? Quite likely, closer to an ultra-portable laptop that fits in your pocket. Let’s take some moments to try and imagine…
5 Features we’d Like to See Included in Future Smartphones
#1: Vastly Improved Battery Life.
Even though battery life on current Smartphones is reasonably impressive, we cannot help but dream about a future where cell phones will seldom need to be recharged at all. Maybe they’ll get energy from built in solar panels, maybe they’ll draw power from kinetic energy, or maybe someone will figure out a way to transmit electricity wirelessly. Whatever the means to it, you have to admit it would be great not having to depend on power outlets to keep your phone juiced up!
#2: Ability to compound processing speed.
Modern phones are already built using dual-core processors these days, but it’s still a far cry from the processing power offered by a desktop computer or even a good laptop. What if there was a way to make several Smartphones work together and compound their processing speed? When the need for demanding computing would arise, you could ask for friends and colleagues to allow your cell phone to connect with theirs for extra processing power. Then we’d be a step closer to being able to let go of conventional computers in favor of computer phones.
#3: Flawless voice recognition.
Maybe you haven’t quite noticed so far, but our vision for a future Smartphone is very much along the lines of a computer replacement that could be easily carried around in a shirt pocket. Well, to make such a thing possible, our phones would have to be even simpler to communicate with. There are voice recognition utilities already available, but they’re not as responsive as we’d like. Give us flawless voice recognition, and then we’ll be more comfortable talking to our phones!
#4: Holographic keyboards.
If we’re hoping to use our phones as a full blown computer in the future, flawless recognition will be necessary but not sufficient. For those times when you’ll want to sit down quietly and write some documents and e-mails, having an actual keyboard will be a must…. not a tiny keyboard that you have to poke around in using your thumbs, but a full sized keyboard that lends itself to speed typing. And how would they be able to fit such a thing in a device with less than 5 inches in diameter? Simple, they can just use one of those holographic keyboard prototypes.
#5: Built in projector
At this point we’ve covered the means of data input, but we also have to dream about better ways to output visual information from our phones. You’re not going to use your Smartphone as a laptop replacement if you’re stuck to a tiny 4 inch touchscreen display, that’s for sure! But… what if those devices would start featuring HDMI-out and a built-in video projector? That’s when you would seriously consider start using your Computerphone for all kinds of applications, right?
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Do you think our vision of the Smartphone of the future is more fiction that science? Let us know your opinion via comments, and make sure to mention any other features you’re hoping to see included in cell phones in the future!