By Saurav Khandelwal
Over the last decade we have seen a major shift in Mobile technology. Mobile phones used to be these clunky devices with big push buttons but now they have finger operated touchscreens and powerful computers running in them, so you have “an app” for almost everything. One can only wonder what will be the future trends in disruptive technologies. Here are my thoughts on it.
Voice commands – I know voice commands have been around for a sometime but smartphones will really enhance this capability. Siri put voice commands at forefront followed by some great software from Android and Windows phone. Voice recognition software currently can call, send text, search, open apps etc. but in future they will be able to do more. It will be able to profile people by voice, they might be able to understand tone to avoid drunk dialing (except emergency), they will have better ability to understand different slangs and we will be able to play games by voice command. This will eventually replace touch screens.
Facial recognition – So once it learns our voice, it needs to know our face. Facial recognition will also turn out to be a game changer. Why you ask? Face recognition will change the way mobile phones are secured. They will also help in creating multiple profiles on your phone so your kid does not mess up all your good work. Face recognition can also restrict content access and allow high level approvals and authentication of official documents. As mobile devices take over the world, mobile security market will follow and face recognition will be a big part of it.
Wireless Charging – Not the one we have now on some Nokia and Android devices but the one which allows us charging with complete mobility where the phone start to change as soon as we enter our home, car or office. This will be the ultimate in charging technology and will cause devices to never drain out. No more hassle of finding or carrying a charger, no more different shapes and sizes; just enter the wifi charging zone and you are all juiced up.
Predictive learning – We all know that smart phones are not actually smart. They only do things that you ask them to do and even if they learn then still only use that learning when we ask for it. This will change in coming years. Mobile devices will learn and will provide feedback. They will tell us when we should eat, what medicine we should take, where are we traveling and what should we pack. They will know whom to respond to or put on hold. They will do shopping for us knowing our preference and demand. They will manage our parties and play the music based on our mood. All this without us telling it to do so. They will end up being our teacher, parent, kids and best friend.
It’s in my head – Finally we will need no voice, no touchscreen and no learning. Mobile devices will directly interface with our brain. We will get calls in our head and we can respond to them without speaking. We can write text without keying or uttering a single word by just thinking. We can find current news, weather updates, and traffic situation, almost everything without touching a single button. This will be ultimate in technology, security and human/machine interface.
So these are my thoughts on the future of mobile technology. I would love to know yours.
