As the name indicates, smartphones today have begun to show their dominance in terms of features and usability over mobile phones by providing efficient web browsing, gaming, and multimedia benefits. Even though smartphones are potentially equipped with HD camera lenses, useful mobile apps, social media networking, etc., but the question arises: what else can we expect to see in the already tech-advancing gadgets in the future. It’s time to observe the current trends and guess the features we can witness in upcoming smartphones within 5 to 10 years.
Augmented Reality (AR)
The term “augmented reality” explains the phenomenon we perceive and see created by using computer-generated sensory inputs like graphics, video, and sound. In short, AR enables the data to compile itself in present in a way to what we see in reality. For instance, pointing the mobile camera randomly at a direction in a street will give you information about the nearest restaurants or parks. Smartphones tend to become the perfect platform to get the best use of AR.
Many AR apps today acquire GPS usage for location tracking, and the trend to strengthen the feature is likely to continue in the upcoming years. A major question, though: why is it not fully implemented in all the smartphones yet?
The major restraint is the limited recognition for ‘live’ views when pointing the phone in a specific direction or at buildings, roads, restaurants. For the feature to perform seamlessly, the recognition factor of locating various places and people should be called at a set standard.
Flexible Screens
It is highly probable sure that soon, we will watch our favorite movies and shows on a large screen without needing to put the same screen size in our pockets. Mobile screens will come with folding/unfolding ability all due to the Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) technology. The technology may even have the power to put both sides of the screen into the display. It will enable the person standing in front of you to view the screen show from their side as well. The research is further progressing to turn the handset into a wearable where the user will be able to fold the phone on his/her wrist and unfold it whenever needed to use it as a regular handset.
In-Built Projector
If flexible screens would find it difficult to tempt users with small screen sizes, then why not cater a projector in the device? The Samsung Galaxy Beam, which featured an in-built Digital Light Projection (DLP) back in 2010, magnified the screen contents up to 50 inches at 15 lumens. Further advancement for seamless functionality can come as a potential substitute for TVs, where gamers can have the experience of a console right from their smartphone. Your body movements and sounds won’t be asking for a physical controller to play the game.
But let’s not forget the amount of battery life the feature is going to consume; also the smaller the projector size, the less the amount of light it will release. However, with thorough technological research in the smartphone industry, such issues will never go unnoticed, and we will experience much better alternates to the projection features.
Seamless Voice Control
Voice control has been in many talks since the emergence of Siri. Although the feature has existed in various phones for quite some time now, the advancement is nothing short of a mighty task in hand. Siri has successfully laid the foundations on which voice control and recognition can be enhanced.
The curiosity with voice recognition on computers and smartphones has always been active since the foremost MIT research, “Put That There,” published in 1980. Today, Siri has become the platform developers can use to present much better performance and reliability of voice control in upcoming smartphones. The thought of blending the voice control with body gestures recognition will raise the bar for interactivity to a whole new level of engagement.
Holograms and 3D Screens
Apple’s “Retina Display” has already presented a screen resolution that is actually sharper than the tendency to perceive the human eye. Even then, we tempt for more! Today smartphone makers have begun directing their effort from 2D screen features to 3D content. We have a few candidates to claim the 3D induced technology, such as LG Optimus 3D, Motorola MT810, and Samsung AMOLED 3D, but let’s think about what comes next?
Could the next generation of smartphones carry the 3D technology into creating holographic projections? In short, the new feature will combine the 3D aspects and projections from the phone to present the output in front of us. The 3D contents can be merged with the movements when using a smartphone. The concept of an ‘Avatar’ movie can become a reality, for instance, using our hands to pull, resize, or contract holographic images appearing right in front of us, or even displacing them from place to place.
Conclusion
The above features are still in the works to achieve birth or acquire perfection and leave us nothing short of excitement at the prospect of their applications and uses. It’s all on the smartphone industry how they plan to take the gadgets to the next level of engagement and interaction and its impact on the corporate world and our personal lives.
