Mobile content runs on mobile phones, and is restricted by the capacities of the hardware – and sometimes inspired by innovations in hardware. Here are some developments that may affect mobile content…
Sony Ericsson has released ROB-1, a three-wheeled bluetooth-controlled roving camera that can move, turn corners and take pictures in dark places using a light. Allying any privacy concerns the camera is 11 centimeters in diameter. Sony Ericsson recognizes this gadget is for entertainment purposes rather than practical ones, “This is a great gadget for people who really like testing the latest technology first hand and having fun with new applications. Just like the Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Car which appealed to a wide range of gadget fans, we believe that ROB-1 will become the ‘must have’ Bluetooth gadget to show off to friends and family”. Still, someone will come up with something to do with it…(from Picturephoning)
Handset makers are going beserk at the high-end of the mobile market. Samsung has phones with rotatable screens, including a model that sports a seven-megapixel camera – more than many digital cameras on the market today. Samsung is targeting the Asian market because “customers there will be eager for a small phone combined with a powerful camera that sports a flash and can be manually focused”. Holy Cow. This camera will need a lot of memory to store photos that big… Displaying them won’t be a problem with a screen that shows up to 16 million different colors. Something could be done with that…
Meanwhile, Sharp is fighting Samsung for the 3D phone market. Many games are written to have 3D graphics but are generally only used on 2D devices. What’s the use of 3D? “If a phone is used to view a map for a location-based service, a 3D display will make it much clearer, for the corporate user, complex financial data can be displayed in 3D.” However, this is much more interesting. A professor at the University of Toronto claims his “optical innovations might be integrated into a projection system that bounces the image off a polarizing screen to generate the 3D effect on a wall. Combine that technology with the “pocket projectors” now emerging from various labs, and the famous 3D projection of Princess Leia from Star Wars moves into the realm of possibility”. Taking the picture off the mobile, making it bigger and 3D to boot? That would be cool, and a lot of developers would jump on it…
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