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Speculating On the Far Future of Cellphones

Trio writes "What will cellphones look like in in future? silicon.com explores five future characteristics that could shape tomorrow's phones — from a wearable prototype such as MIT's SixthSense device which projects mobile data into the user's world, to a mobile that mixes the real and the virtual by using holographic telepresence. So far, so futuristic, but one question remains: will there be enough spectrum to support all this wireless communication?"

14 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. In the year 3000, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Cell phones will have a subvocal mode so that people won't broadcast their moronic chatterings into others' ears like I'm broadcasting my moronic chatterings into your faces.

    -- Ethanol-fueled

  2. meh... by Em+Emalb · · Score: 2, Funny

    What I want is a phone that works telepathically. In fact, screw the phone, I'll take the telepathy. :P

    --
    Sent from your iPad.
    1. Re:meh... by kramulous · · Score: 4, Funny

      tits yeah this'd boobs be great ass cause then nipple there'd be no sex need for twitter pussy. Overall quality would flange increase.

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      .
  3. Re:a REAL cellphone by eln · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah! And some sort of wireless repelling device to keep those damn kids off my lawn!

  4. Features, and lots of them! by noidentity · · Score: 3, Funny

    Given that the most-used features of cellphones are things other than talking on the phone (presumably included in the "Other 9%"), I predict that they will become like this Nintendo controller of the future.

  5. Re:Just to add a bit of dystopia to the thread... by SOdhner · · Score: 1, Funny

    And when it all comes down, when it all falls down about us, all that will be left in the wreckage of our civilization is a single tiny little black oblong going 'diddle-dee-dee-diddle-dee-dee-deeeee'. And there'll be nobody to answer it. "

    Wait, hang on... then who is CALLING the phone? Ghosts? Man, that's freaky.

    Seriously though, that's a pretty over-exagerrated scenario. I don't think we have have to go so far as to predict the end of civilization with only a single phone surviving.

    There'll be at least four or five.

    Really, while it's true that we lose something in terms of body language and face-to-face contact we're also gaining things all the time - look at the article in question. Sooner or later, unpopular as video phones have been, we'll still find ways to interact in more ways than just voice.

  6. Thats not the real question by parallel_prankster · · Score: 2, Funny

    I think the real question is not whether there will be spectrum enough for our bandwidth needs, but whether we will be able to afford it! Given that AT&T charges an arm and a leg for data rates/roaming, I can imagine what the charges will be in the future!

  7. Re:a REAL cellphone by techess · · Score: 4, Funny

    That reminds me of one of the few cell phone commercials I've liked.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7x1aic74Mg

    My cell phone comes with crime deterrent.

    --
    Don't anthropomorphize computers. They *hate* that.
  8. Re:Spectrum? Limitless, except for the State... by maxume · · Score: 2, Funny

    No, he is an actual libertarian ideologue.

    --
    Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
  9. Re:Fun, but pointless by geekoid · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well sir, clearly we will communicate with little boxes that ahve miniature telegraphs inside. Why I heard of a gentleman on the East that did wireless telegraph! amazing indeed!

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  10. Re:Fun, but pointless by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Funny

    They'll be small enough for even a Lady to carry unaided and you'll be able to pay the nearest urchin 'tuppence to scramble up the telegraph pole and connect the wires for you nearly anywhere in the city!

  11. Re:SixthSense by Itninja · · Score: 2, Funny

    Never mind that it isn't practical to walk around with a huge projector on your chest, it isn't fashionable.

    Well I imagine there was a time when this argument was made about the pocket watch. I mean who wants to walk around to clock in their pocket. And what's this? You want to put in on my wrist?! That will never be fashionable!

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  12. Re:Just to add a bit of dystopia to the thread... by maxume · · Score: 2, Funny

    I initially read it as "Will Smith" and was expecting something like
    "Now, this is a story all about how
    My life got flipped-turned upside down
    And I liked to take a minute
    Just sit right there"

    --
    Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
  13. Re:Spectrum? Limitless, except for the State... by fmaresca · · Score: 2, Funny

    >>I don't have a TV at home, so the TV spectrum is useless. I don't listen to radio in the car, >>so radio spectrum is useless. So much that we do today would be better suited to a HUGE amount >>of spectrum divvied up and utilized by every device that could hop frequencies as needed to >>find a clean channel, that could raise power needs when a tower is far but drop them >>significantly when towers are near.

    WTF?? So you think that if you turn of the radio on the car or the TV set in your house the EM spectrum utilized by broadcasters is free until you turn the radio or TV on? Oh boy.