The future is in your hands

The future could see mobile phones that change their shape, clean themselves and tell the temperature. Sounds too far-fetched? Technology, it seems, is limited only by our imagination.

Innovative concept phones such as the ‘Morph' are proof of that. The 'Morph,' a joint nanotechnology concept developed by Nokia Research Center (NRC) and the University of Cambridge (UK), is an example of how nanotechnology could be integrated into devices within the next seven to 15 years.

Yolande Pineda, Communications Director MEA, Nokia, says, "We wanted to show how nanotechnology might revolutionise the mobile device. The concept includes ideas that could make mobile devices more intelligent and cost-effective, allowing them to interact with their environment in new and innovative ways using microscopic technology.

Nanotechnology, for instance, can make mobile devices flexible and stretchable, have a self-cleaning surface and will feature nanosensors that can interact with the environment to provide key information for anything from temperature changes to air pollution. It will also allow transformable mobile devices, which would allow the user to change the shape of the device."

That's not the end of it. Eco-friendly materials and sustainable practices are a big part of the phones that Nokia's creating. However, it will be a while before we see phones such as the ‘Morph' go mainstream. In the interim, consumer demand is driving handset manufacturers towards creating next generation mobile phones with features such as higher mega pixel cameras, advanced multimedia options and wireless access.

Pineda says that mobile devices are becoming a popular platform — the ‘fourth screen' — for people to enjoy digital content and share their experiences. High-end mobile phones have evolved to multimedia computers that offer the functionalities of many portable single-purpose devices (camera, music player, pocket computer and GPS, etc) in a multi-purpose converged device that is always with you and connected.

"According to our consumer research, making phone calls represents only 12 per cent of the time a Nokia Nseries device owner uses his/her device during the day — the remaining 88 per cent is spent on other activities (for example, listening to music, taking and uploading photos, web browsing, email and messaging). We expect this trend to expand to hundreds of millions of people as advanced devices become more affordable in emerging markets," says Pineda.

Telecom operators are also already taking the step towards employing advanced wireless broadband technologies to support these features.

Kevin Chen, General Manager of HTC Middle East, Africa and CIS, says that in the near future, the biggest advancement will be the adoption of global high-speed broadband internet connectivity to empower users to access any information they need anywhere and anytime. This, he says, is in line with the operators evolving from 3G to 3.5G allowing faster downloading and uploading of content.

Ali Amer, Vice President, Middle East, Africa and Pakistan, Motorola Home and Networks Mobility, says that in addition to WiMax, long term evolution (LTE) will be the next step for many cellular operators. "It's a technology that promises high mobile broadband speeds of up to 160 Mbps. Based on a similar technical architecture to WiMAX and using some of the latest developments in radio technology, LTE promises to deliver exciting and rich personal media experiences," he says.

Multimedia applications

Chen says that as technology advances, mobile devices will pack more features such as increased data storage, secured and efficient mobile computing and GPS capabilities in sleek and convenient designs.

For example, Motorola's 3G handsets were some of the first to support speeds faster than 10x — the standard 3G rates. Raed Hafiz, Portfolio Director, Motorola, Middle East and Africa, says, "We will also support the introduction of next generation technologies such as WiMAX and LTE.

In addition, Motorola's handsets will bring rich video and multimedia applications that allow the consumer to fully interact with their friends and families and share moments without having to fuss with complicated procedures or multiple connections. The handsets will also provide consumers with the ability to download and upload this content."

Memory, which is integral to features and applications available on mobile phones, is also seeing development in the area of flash memory. Antoine Harb, Business Development Manager, Kingston Technology (MEA), says the memory on a mobile phone is used to store almost everything from contacts and messages to pictures, videos and notes.

"New mobile phones will require more memory space for additional applications and features such as cameras, maps, and emails. To keep the handset cost down, mobile phones are normally shipped with minimum embedded memory and an external memory slot. We are investing heavily into the mobile phone flash memory market to address this," says Harb.

Smart phones, which according to a recent TNS survey comprise one eighth of all mobile devices currently being used around the world, will also see more features and applications to keep up with the growing requirements of mobile executives. Sandeep Saighal, Head of Department, Telecommunication division, Samsung Gulf Electronics (MEA), says that the need for broadband has grown simultaneously with the popularity of smart phones because business users want speedier mail services and high-speed internet for downloads and uploads.

"However, our analysis has shown that email is not the only priority because business users are now looking at their phones for multiple usage — as a high pixel camera (with five mega pixels becoming a standard feature) and multimedia player. In fact, phones will soon have the feature which allows you to take a picture when you are travelling and add comments and blog it directly. GPS is important and does well when bundled with other advanced features. The sales of our i550, which is Symbian smartphone confirms that. We are also launching a Windows-based phone i780 with similar features," says Saighal.

Ivan Ducournau, Category Manager, Handhelds and Portables PSG, HP, Middle East, says that the future lies in empowering business users, and allowing them to manage their daily business and life through a single device. "In keeping with this view, our latest 614c Business Navigator has been conceived as an all-in-one device. Its Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system and the related push email service allows users to handle their inbox as they would do on their notebook. Its 520 MHz processor and 384 MB memory also ensures a strong performance and smooth usage.

Ducournau says that the handheld device incorporates wireless connectivity through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GSM, SPGRS, EDGE and 3.5G while its integrated 3.0 mega pixel auto-focus camera takes precise and high resolution pictures (640x480 VGA resolution, 1280x1024 SXGA resolution). The iPAQ 614c also has integrated GPS navigation. HTC offers higher data security with advancement in the operating systems and increased productivity through features and applications such as the fingerprint sensor for security on HTC's P6500 and the business card scanning feature on the TyTN II.

Ducournau says that advancements in mobile handsets will increasingly impact business applications. "All applications will have to be streamlined to fit into a converged device without impacting the performance and the overall user experience.

Strong security parameters and virtual private networks will have to be set to protect assets. Finally, empowering users has to be supported by service functions through remote diagnostics and other means. Business applications will also have to be connected to over-the-air enterprise management tools so that any update can be pushed to terminals without requiring any action from users," he says.

Chocolate phone

Just as applications and features will get more advanced, handset design is also evolving. Phones will get sleeker, more ergonomically sound and aesthetically pleasing. Andrew Song, General Manager GSM Products, LG Electronics, says that it has launched its chocolate phone with a touchpad and the Prada phone with a full touch screen in keeping with the emphasis on design among other features. With imaging being a key phone feature, Nokia's devices are also being equipped with wider screens in addition to high performance cameras and DVD quality recording.

All these factors together reflect what consumers are hoping to find in their mobile devices in the future as their lifestyles get more hectic and their needs more complex. Innovation, however, will play a key role in influencing their choice.