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New cell phone technologies represent a change in our mobile lifestyle and how we perceive mobile technology. As it stands today, we cannot live without our cell phones, and with new cell phone technology invented left and right, it seems that we will be with our phone for a tad longer.
Touch Screen Mobile Phone Technology
The year 2007 was the year of the smartphones, while the year 2008 was the year of touch screen interfaces, thanks to the marketing prowess of Apple. 2009 will try to push touchscreen technology even further with new keyboard and finger gestures, interface upgrades, and applications that will encourage the use of touchscreens for other functions.
The idea that Apple has invented this new cell phone technology is a huge misconception, but it is accurate to say that they were the one company who was able to tap into the potential of touchscreen displays and change the way people look at phones. Suddenly, touchscreen technology made the old way of handling phones so obtuse and obsolete that people think old cell phones with keypads are as good as bricks.
Touchscreen technology will be a standard feature in 2009. However, not all touchscreens will be created equal. New touchscreen cell phones will be more sensitive, which will improve the interface and the user experience of phones. Apple is planning to patent a slew of keyboard touchscreen gestures for their 2009 update, and we are seeing new touchscreen units and touchscreen technologies from Nokia and RIM.
Browser Wars: A New Frontier In Mobile Phone Technology
With increasing mobile connectivity, more people are looking for the same Internet experience that they get from their desktop or laptops in their cell phones. Although the limited screen size in mobile phones will severely limit mobile Internet experience, it is not stopping many desktop browsers from porting their code to a mobile platform. Thus, the browser wars that are raging in desktops are beginning to catch fire in smart phones.
In the next couple of years, Opera, Firefox, Windows Mobile, Safari, Symbian, and a platoon of other mobile browsers will position themselves as the best mobile browsers. Each will have its own distinct advantages and disadvantages. Mozilla Firefox' open source approach will likely allow third party extensions using their XUL technology for rich web applications. At the same time, Opera may push for speed, accessibility, and user-friendliness with enhanced panning and zooming, support for flash lite, AJAX, and widgets.
Mobile Safari is the default mobile browser for the iPhone, and its integration with other iPhone application is its greatest strength. In addition, Safari will probably be the browser that will advance the use of touchscreens to browse the web.
The direction of mobile browser technology is up in the air. Ultimately, it will be the people who will decide what browser is best for them. Like the Internet landscape, how we approach mobile connectivity in the next couple of years remains to be seen.
Operating Systems: The Mother Of All New Cell Phone Technologies
In the next couple of years, we will slowly push away from the phone's hardware specification and capabilities and focus more on the software that is inside it. With all the hardware becoming standard and relatively cheap, the selling point in mobile phones will depend on how companies use the potential of their hardware to enhance the usability and interface of their phone. For this question, we turn to the potential of software to change how we use phones.
Apple's iPhone stepped up to the plate when they delivered their desktop OSX in mobile form. However, open source initiatives from Google and the Symbian Foundation should be the key drivers in making mobile phones into the computers that they are. Mobile operating systems will be another front of new mobile phone technology in 2009 and beyond.
The first system that really shifted the view of phones as merely hosts of operating systems is the Google Android. Here, we have an operating system that can run on any phone and is not tied to one cellphone manufacturer. There are people who are already installing Google Android to phones, much like installing an operating system onto a desktop.
This is significant because it gives users the ability to choose what operating system to install in their phones. In the next couple of years, and if the market allows it, we will be able to buy a phone, and then buy separate software of our choice. Of course, it will be a great achievement if that happens considering how Windows dominated the desktop and the fact that you have to buy Mac hardware to be able to run OSX, but we can always hope for the best.
3G Mobile Phone Technology: What To Expect
When we talk about 3G technology, we instantly ask the question, how fast is it?
Obviously, broadband technology has matured enough to accommodate mobile phones, and with people expecting desktop broadband speeds in smartphones in the near future, we can just imagine the possibilities of 3G enabled phones.
In the next couple of years, 3G will be antique now that we are talking about 3.5G. Imagine if you have a phone that can talk to your computer, your car, and your appliances at broadband speeds. How about tethering your phone to your laptop as a mobile broadband modem? There are even technologies today that allow phones as vehicles for VOIP calls, something that mobile phone services frown upon.
The only barrier for 3G services today that will be most likely shattered in 2009 is the price point. As we speak, 3G is still a bit pricey for regular use. If we can realize a lower price point, and if cities continue to build infrastructure to support 3G coverage, we will see the technology lift off.
There are also other advances in network technologies that can stimulate WiFi connections wherever you are. This means that you can have true desktop Internet speeds with just a click of a button. When this happens, we are looking at a new business model where we do not have to be tied with cellphone service providers. How is that for choice?
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