Bruce Sterling, a science-fiction writer whose future caught up with him, and who now writes books about contemporary design and technology, believes phones will be “remote controls, house keys, Game Boys, flashlights, maps, compasses, flash drives, health monitors, microphones, recorders, laser pointers, passports, make-up kits, burglar alarms, handguns, handcuffs and slave bracelets.” In short, he believes that the phone will be “the remote-control for life”.
Oh no!
Tiny projectors inside handsets could allow walls, tabletops or screens made of flexible materials to be used as displays while on the move, suggests Jeff Wacker, a futurist at EDS, a technology-services firm. Some firms are also developing displays built into glasses, in order to do away with the screen altogether. This approach also makes it possible to overlay information on the real world, which could be useful when giving directions. Your phone might even label people at a party or conference to remind you of their names.
Could be useful
Or perhaps it will discreetly whisper their names in your ear. Today's earpieces may give way to smaller devices hidden in earrings or worn as minuscule patches on the skin near the ear. It would then be possible to listen to your phone or music-player while still hearing the ambient sounds of the environment.
Maybe?
Stuart Wolf, a physics professor at the University of Virginia and a researcher for the American military, suggests that within 20 years people will use their thoughts to communicate not only with machines, but also with each other—doing away with talking into phones entirely. Telephony could give way to telepathy.
Ooh, even ...bad thoughts?
Everything from shoes to shirts to sunglasses could well contain tiny wireless chips, people may use their phones to communicate with objects as well as talking to people. You could then use a search engine not just to find information on the internet, but to find objects in your home. “I want to search my home via Google—I want to find my green shirt,” says Mr Lindoff.
That would do nicely!
Concerns over privacy and security could derail plans to turn phones into electronic wallets or universal keychains, for example. Phones that know more about their owners could do all kinds of new things, but could also raise new concerns.
Ulp!
There will certainly need to be powerful authentication techniques to ensure that phones can only be used by their legitimate owners, says Mat Hunter of IDEO, an international design firm. Already, some phones have built-in finger scanners for just this purpose.
But if I lose it will I remember anything about my life?
Human memories will shrink, thoughts will be permanently clouded by music of our choice, other peoples malign thoughts etc, we will always be able to find our spectacles and keys, we will have photos of everything we ever do....but will we be happier?
