Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Tomorrow's Cell Phones

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the little-yellow-different dept.

bart_scriv writes "Businessweek looks at the future of the cell phone, starting with some existing button-free prototypes and moving on to more outlandish and whimsical designs. From the article: 'New technologies drive many of the new designs. One example: Synaptics ClearPad, a new type of touch screen that will become commercially available later this year. Unlike today's touch screens, which aren't entirely transparent and often not very sensitive — we've all had to endlessly tap one with a stylus to get a response — ClearPad is clear, so it can be used as a sensitive overlay to a cell-phone display. Another innovation likely to change the cell-phone's appearance: flexible displays. An electronic ink screen prototype, developed by Koninklijke Philips Electronics and startup E-Ink, is thin and flexible like paper so it can be worn wrapped around a cell phone. Users can unwrap it to view a map on a larger screen. Eventually, the display could be used to watch video.'"

11 of 301 comments (clear)

  1. video on the cell phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    I can't even complete a freakin' voice call, on the network with "the fewest dropped calls." I live in a metropolitan area and have never had a call last more than 5 minutes, even in clear weather standing still next to cell tower! How the fuck am I supposed to watch video? Frame, redial, frame, redial, frame, redial? Or do I download it to my phone while I sleep? Oops, now my phone needs a harddrive.

    I wish there would be more innovation in basic service!

    1. Re:video on the cell phone by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Informative

      Just to let you know. They have the fewest dropped calls because they changed how the towers drop a call. it is not called dropped until the tower releases it, and towers are programmed to not release the call for 30 seconds or more after signal is lost, so you press end before it drops. I used to get credit for dropped calls on Cingular, I havent got one credit for 8 months now and a buddy that works in their engineering dept told me thay "tweaked" the software to not let calls drop.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    2. Re:video on the cell phone by Brian360 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Beware if you're with Cingular. If you don't give them something like 30 days notice to your cancellation, they will charge you for a full month of service _AFTER_ they deactivate your SIM card, even if your contract is over.

      Additionally, they do NOT prorate your last bill -- it is always billed to the end of the billing cycle whether or not your SIM card was even active.

      Good luck porting your number from them for this reason... they just cancel your account immediately upon the port request, giving you pretty much no opportunity to avoid this extra month of payments. This caused me to be billed to the end of my last billing cycle PLUS an additional billing cycle for not giving them 30 days notice. It worked out to about 1.5 extra months of service I was forced to pay that I didn't receive.

      Just be sure you read the fine print on your usage agreement very very carefully... that company in particular is destined to scam you.

  2. e-ink phone seen years ago on Earth Final Conflict by techmuse · · Score: 2, Informative

    The e-ink prototype that they are displaying from phillips looks almost identical to one that was on Earth Final Conflict years ago. Just like the one on the show, this one has a screen that can roll up to place in your pocket, or expand to reveal a large screen suitable for displaying video.

  3. Re:Kids Cellphone by jtaylor00 · · Score: 5, Informative

    They already have one. It's called Firefly Mobile

  4. Re:Kids Cellphone by Tower · · Score: 4, Informative

    Something like the Firefly or the Migo, then?

    --
    "It's tough to be bilingual when you get hit in the head."
  5. Touchscreen? No thanks! by CharAznable · · Score: 2, Informative

    I had a Samsung i300 that had no buttons, just a touch screen. It was a pain if I had to use the thing while I'm eating fried chicken or pizza. It also sucked because I couldn't dial by touch. I just want buttons. Nothing bloody wrong with buttons.

    --
    The perfect sig is a lot like silence, only louder
  6. What about cold weather? by dysk · · Score: 2, Informative
    These phones look pretty stylish, but I'd stay away from any touchpad style phone if you ever plan on wearing gloves. Touchpads only work with direct skin contact, so that rules out using them outside in cold weather.

    Cell phones could go a long way, but I think that something like this limits the environment too much.

  7. Re:What I really want by pherthyl · · Score: 2, Informative

    Hehe, dribble charge.
    The term you are looking for is Trickle Charge

  8. Re:Incentives not the same.... by plague3106 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Your idea works until you realize that you can easily 'hack' your phone to allow transfers to and from your computer. For example, VZW blocks ALL file / data transfer. Buying the Motorola Phone Tools + a 'bonus' cd unlocks all the features VZW attempted to block.

  9. Re: dropped calls by RenderSeven · · Score: 5, Informative
    Well, yes. Also note that towers may not be owned by the service provider, so the tower operator gets paid per connect minute. Calls generally should hand off to the next adjacent tower when traveling, but since the adjacent tower may not be owned by the same entity the software is 'tweaked' again to keep the call no matter what or however bad the signal may get, to maximize the billing to the carrier by the tower operator. This is why, the second your call is dropped, you look at your phone and have five bars of signal.

    The software and business arrangements in the industry are fundamentally broken. The technology is pretty good, and the companies involved manage to screw it up through concerted effort.