| There is a great deal of active research and | | | | libraries and players similar to the iPod. |
| development into mobile phone technology that | | | | |
| is currently underway. Some of the | | | | Developments in podcast software enables |
| improvements that are being worked on are: | | | | mobile phones to become podcast playback |
| | | | devices through existing channels like MMS |
| Now that operators are upgrading their | | | | Podcast, J2ME Podcast and AMR-NB Podcast. |
| networks to advanced wireless and other | | | | |
| third-generation (3G) services, many new | | | | The emergence of integration capabilities |
| entertainment and communications services are | | | | with other unlicensed access technologies |
| becoming available, including new | | | | such as a WiMAX and WLAN, as well as allowing |
| broadcast-type operations on spectrum | | | | handover between traditional operator |
| formerly occupied by Television Channels | | | | networks supporting GSM, CDMA and UMTS to |
| 52-69. With downlink speeds comparable to | | | | unlicensed mobile networks. The new standard |
| that of wireline DSL, mobile service can now | | | | (UMA) has been developed for this to move |
| offer capabilities such as streaming video | | | | towards fixed mobile convergence. |
| sharing and music downloads. Services such as | | | | |
| MobiTV, Digital Mobile TV or Juice Caster are | | | | Further improvements in battery life will be |
| just some examples of applications that | | | | required. Colour screens and additional |
| leverage these new networks. | | | | functions put increasing demands on the |
| | | | device's power source, and battery |
| One difficulty in adapting mobile phones to | | | | developments may not proceed sufficiently |
| new uses is form factor. For example, ebook | | | | fast to compensate. However, different |
| readers may well become a distinct device, | | | | display technologies, such as OLED displays, |
| because of conflicting form-factor | | | | e-paper, or retinal displays, and smarter |
| requirements — ebook readers require | | | | communication hardware (directional antennae, |
| large screens, while phones need to be | | | | multi-mode, and peer-to-peer phones) may |
| smaller. However, this may be solved using | | | | reduce power requirements, while new power |
| folding e-paper or built-in projectors. | | | | technologies such as fuel cells may provide |
| | | | better energy capacity. |
| One function that would be useful in phones | | | | |
| is a translation function. Currently it is | | | | New technology in Japan has combined the RFID |
| only available in stand-alone devices, such | | | | chip principle into the handset and hooked it |
| as Ectaco translators. | | | | up to a network of readers and interfaces. |
| | | | The system, pioneered by NTT DoCoMo and |
| An important area of evolution relates to the | | | | SonyEricsson, is called FeliCa and there are |
| Man Machine Interface. New solutions are | | | | around 10,000 convenience stores where one |
| being developed to create new MMI more easily | | | | can now use a phone to pay for goods just by |
| and let manufacturers and operators | | | | 'swiping' it over a flat reader. By charging |
| experiment new concepts. Examples of | | | | up a phone with pre-paid cash credits, it can |
| companies that are currently developing this | | | | act as a sophisticated mobile-phone wallet. |
| technology are Digital Airways with the | | | | The technology is proving popular and there |
| Kaleido product, e-sim, mobile arsenal, and | | | | are now even vending machines that accept |
| Qualcomm with uiOne for the BREW environment. | | | | this form of payment. |
| | | | |
| Mobile phones will include various speech | | | | The delivery of multimedia and broadcast |
| technologies as they are being developed. | | | | content including video to mobiles is |
| Many phones already have rudimentary speech | | | | beginning to become a reality with the |
| recognition in a form of voice dialing. | | | | rollout of Qualcomm's MediaFLO. In addition, |
| However, to support more natural speech | | | | there are two main competing standards DMB - |
| recognition and translation, a drastic | | | | Digital Multimedia Broadcasting - and DVB-H - |
| improvement in the state of technology in | | | | a handset version of the Digital Video |
| these devices is required. | | | | Broadcasting standard. These methods avoid |
| | | | swamping the network by using traditional |
| New technologies are being explored that will | | | | broadcasting. |
| utilize the Extended Internet and enable | | | | |
| mobile phones to treat a barcode as a URL | | | | Image scanning, as seen in existing research. |
| tag. Phones equipped with barcode | | | | With time, this may develop into full 3D |
| reader-enabled cameras will be able to snap | | | | texturing and modeling. It is unlikely that |
| photos of barcodes and direct the user to | | | | cell phones will have the processing power to |
| corresponding sites on the Internet. This | | | | construct models and textures. But it is |
| technology can be extended to RFID tags, or | | | | likely that the bandwidth to communicate the |
| even snapped pictures of company logos. | | | | video, and receive a processed model will |
| Searches can also be personalized to local | | | | exist. |
| areas using a GPS system built in to cell | | | | |
| phones. Examples of companies that are | | | | There are several cell phones that can |
| currently developing this technology are | | | | perform GPS positioning. In the future, GPS |
| Nextcode, OP3, Neomedia Technologies, and | | | | positioning may be coupled with accelerometer |
| Scanbuy, the latter of which is currently | | | | positioning, for covering underground or |
| being sued by Neomedia for patent | | | | indoor positioning. This would likely lead to |
| infringement. Another approach (used by | | | | maps and help finding where one is going. It |
| jumptag.com) is to map URLs to short text | | | | also would support social efforts, such as |
| tags tailored for easy user entry on phone | | | | locating friends or group members nearby, and |
| keypads. | | | | identifying some strangers. The GPS |
| | | | technology already available in some phones, |
| Developments in miniaturized hard disks and | | | | while coupled with the camera phone, may also |
| flash drives to solve the storage space issue | | | | allow users in the future to not only take a |
| are already surfacing, therefore opening a | | | | picture, but snap the exact location and |
| window for phones to become portable music | | | | angle at which the picture was taken. |