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The future of cell phone technology lies in making existing devices smaller without sacrificing data and communications capabilities. Mobile phone technology will advance greatly over the next ten years, just as bulky cell phones evolved into PDAs and smart phones in the past ten years.
Near-Field Communications
New cell phone technology will invariably follow existing technologies that make consumer lives easier. Every driver who has stopped for gas at a national or international chain station knows about rewards programs. These programs are tied to cards and tags with bar codes that store information about past purchases, allowing stations to offer free items and discounts when applicable. Mobile phone companies are taking this concept to the next level with near-field communications technology.
A mobile phone with near-field communications capabilities has a chip next to the SIM card. This chip is activated when the phone is placed near a scanning interface in dozens of different retail settings. Phone users can have their purchases automatically deducted from checking accounts and credit cards with a simple flick of the wrist. This future cell phone technology will address concerns about identity theft by locking the phone into a two-way interface, allowing the scanning device to block out other data streams.
This technology is already used in Japan, though mobile phone companies throughout the world are developing similar products. Near-field communications is likely to be used for small-scale purchases like food, gasoline, and movie tickets. It is not difficult to see, however, a future where near-field communications could be used to set up travel arrangements and allow for text recognition during business conferences.
Accessing TV And DVR Programming On Cell Phones
According to IMS Research (http://www.imsresearch.com/), there will be 30 million mobile TV subscribers in the United States by the year 2011. This massive market for remote TV viewing has mobile communications firms scrambling to accommodate tech-savvy consumers. If IMS Research’s figures are true, broadcasters and mobile phone companies will need to work closely in order to bring this new cell phone technology to market.
While the iPhone allows downloads of certain television shows, the future of remote TV viewing lies in seeing the full spectrum of programs available through cable services. Sprint Nextel is working with major cable operators like Time Warner and Comcast to develop live program streams for mobile TV subscribers. These companies have already developed mobile phone technology that allows remote viewing of programs saved to digital video records (DVRs).
The first major experiment with live mobile programming was the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. This experiment was not nearly as earthshaking as some experts had hoped because of time differences, technical issues, and tight control by media outlets. While the image resolution and technical capabilities are available for the end user, mobile phone companies will need to develop better networks to handle denser data streams in the future.
Voice Over Internet Protocol Accessibility
Every traveler has experienced mobile phone issues when walking through an airport or driving through a remote area. The lack of reception may seem like a minor and short-term inconvenience to a mobile phone user until the bill arrives. Mobile phone companies hit their users with exorbitant roaming charges and other fees to discourage phone use outside their networks. The problem of roaming charges may be outdated soon with the marriage of Wi-Fi hotspots and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology (http://www.voip.com/).
New cell phone technology will feature dual Wi-Fi capability to help users access hot spots in coffee shops, bookstores, and libraries around the world. A phone equipped with dual Wi-Fi technology can lock into a hot spot and leverage broadband speed to create a VoIP connection. This connection would circumvent roaming charges, ensure a solid connection, and leverage a phone’s sound quality for a clear conversation. This cell phone technology could also be used to pick up online radio stations and other streaming websites that may not be supported through a mobile phone network.
Soft Phone Design
Designer Jiang Qian has created a prototype for a “soft phone” that changes the future of cell phone technology. The designer premiered the “soft phone” for the Tancher Design Award (http://www.tancher.com/designaward.html) committee in 2008 and created curiosity for this innovative technology. Qian’s “soft phone” uses fabric digital display technology that allows a user to bend, squeeze, and fold the device for easy storage.
A “soft phone” user can make calls and take pictures by rotating the device and applying the right amount of pressure on the interface. The phone is designed to make calls when held horizontally and take photos when rotated to a vertical plane. Qian’s design requires users to squeeze the phone lightly to initiate a call, squeeze tightly to hang up the phone, and follow a similar pressure to snap photos.
Qian’s “soft phone” is Bluetooth® compatible and features a tiny microphone on the base of the phone that saves space without sacrificing clarity. The “soft phone” may seem out of the ordinary, but it solves the problem of where to put your phone when wearing dresses, suits, and warm weather attire. Users could fold the phone into a wallet, sling it over a belt, or tuck the device away into a sleeve with little difficulty.
Femto Cell Towers And Routers
Whether you are driving in a rural area or sitting in a basement, mobile phone reception can be difficult to maintain. Most cell phone users know the angst of trying to get enough “bars” on their phones to receive important calls. A new cell phone technology called a femto cell router may solve this problem for good.
A femto cell router is a small device that boosts mobile phone reception in areas with poor connectivity. The router is connected to a home or office broadband connection and uses Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to make calls. While the femto cell router may sound like a way around onerous mobile phone networks, the tightly regulated spectrum of broadband signals would require routers to be programmed for specific phones.
Ericsson and 3Way Networks
(http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/Feb2007/4221.htm) have already developed femto cell towers for distribution in Europe. North American mobile phone companies have not followed suit, though it seems likely that these routers would become popular in the future. Femto cell routers would allow users to make emergency calls and hold business meetings in areas where cell phone reception is nearly non-existent.
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