Diaries of a Nokia Fan Boy

Ok, so these are my thoughts on the future of mobile computing, and the writing of the article was inspired by a specific device envisioned by Ericsson’s Life in 2020 (flash). The opinions I’m going to present here aren’t new; in fact, the original ideas are as much as 3-5 years old.

To begin with, let me touch on the device that inspired me to write on this: Ericsson’s Spider Computer. The device, if a little creepy looking, isn’t necessarily that ridiculous. Its basically a miniature computer (think: pocket PC), with alternate forms of Human Interface Devices. Instead of the standard bulky screen, the device uses a miniature projector to project images onto a wall or other flat surface; and the hardware (or on-screen) keyboard is replaced by a laser keyboard projected onto a desk or, again, other flat surface. Now the idea itself is great, however there are a couple limitations: you need two flat surfaces, at least one of which needs to be a uniform color, preferably white (I know, white isn’t a color, bite me). There is no privacy, in the sense that you can’t hide what you’re projecting from someone else, and in a dark room it will disturb others.

Projected Keyboard

Projected Keyboard

Spider Computer - Folded

Now, lets consider the technology behind this idea, and this is now my own ideas. There are basically a set number of aspects: hardware (processor, memory, hard drive, etc.), video output (projector), input (keyboard), power (battery, or other), connectivity (WiFi, 3G, etc.), miscellaneous.

Hardware:
The hardware is pretty simple. I mean look at your regular smartphone: 500+ MHz CPU, 128+ MB RAM, 8+ GB Hard drive (including memory card), plus other necessities like GPU, various chipsets. Now this phone is capable of rendering high quality images, the quality generally constrained by the display as opposed to the processing power. The phone is also capable of rendering websites, performing calculations, playing music/videos, etc. So the hardware already exists.

Video Output:
The video output is also out there – just look at all the pico projectors out there. Those are large, agreed, but that is because they include a battery, processor, etc. The projector itself is actually no bigger than the top part of your thumb (you know, the one after the knuckle). So the video output is out there.

My vision is that the video output will be handled either by holographic screen projected above the device, or will project directly into your eyes or onto a worn headset. Of course these particular technologies are still a little ways off.

Input:
The input is easy: just search for “Virtual Laser Keyboard”. And sure, it still costs a fortune, but that device is ages old (generations in computing terms). So clearly, this is covered

My vision is that this will end up using muscle readings, or input via directly manipulating the screen and voice control. Of course, these too, are a little ways off and aren’t quite ready.

Power:
This gets a little tricky. On the one hand, we have wireless power and this device could easily benefit from it. On the other, it would be nice to take the mobile computer with you wherever you go, and for that you will need either battery (far too large for the time being), or solar (not efficient enough yet). So the power aspect is a little lacking.

Connectivity:
This really falls under the hardware section, as its really just another chip, but this is out there too. Maybe the only part of this that’s a little difficult is the power consumption of current generation chipsets.

Miscellaneous:
Ok, this is the “nice-to-have’s”, the things we can live without but would be nice. For instance: audio output. I’m not going to write much in here, however you should understand that the device is never truly complete, and this section will be different for different people. So look at what you believe should fit in here and consider whether its realistic, and how far away the technology is from being available to the consumer, and how far away from being mainstream.

Putting it all together:

Well the sleek, spider-esque device that we see isn’t a reality at the moment, and at the moment we already see what we can have. I do believe, however, that the already built device could be reduced in size many times by simply designing the circuit boards and interconnections specifically for that device.

The only question that remains is the practicality of it all. I mean if its just for emergencies, we have our smartphones capable of doing the exact same thing.

And for prolonged use won’t make any sense since a physical keyboard will always be better than a virtual one. However the projector may be nice.

What would be nice to have, is a foldable display, which would unfold to 20″+, and have all the components built-in, while communicating with a Bluetooth keyboard such as the Nokia SU-8W.

Anyway, these are just my thoughts and opinions, maybe I’ll put it a little more concisely and create my own little page out of it.

-Nokia FanBoy

Ericsson Life in 2020
via: Engadget (read)

Ok, so these aren’t actually new phones, but Nokia seems to be releasing special editions of phones every now and again, and this one follows the same theme. These are basically Nokia 5530, 6303 Classic, and 6700 Classic, the only special part of them is a specially designed housing, along with some special bundled accessories, like a pink leather strap or a pink case. The phones do not seem to demand a premium for their lavish redecorating, and are already available for purchase in the UK on mobiles.co.uk. Really this isn’t anything special, but for the fashionistas out there these could make a nice accessory to an evening dress.

Now why is it that all the special editions seems to be geared towards women? I believe there should be more Samsung Giorgio Armani’s out there, and in a Nokia-smartphone flavor, not Samsung-dumbphone.

Nokia 6303 Classic

Nokia 6303 Classic

Nokia 6700 Illuvial

Nokia 6700 Illuvial

-Nokia FanBoy

Nokia 5530 Illuvial (specs)
Nokia 6303 Illuvial (specs)
Nokia 6700 Illuvial (specs)

via: Engadget Mobile (read)

[caption id="attachment_295" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Nokia"][/caption]So I was browsing the interwebs today and came up on a great article regarding the Nokia vs. Apple lawsuit, written by Engadget’s staff. The article looks at the validity of Nokia’s lawsuit, the potential consequences, as well as Apple’s next moves. I’m not going to summarize it here, but I will say the article was written with the expertise of a lawyer and paints a picture of Nokia that I am happy to stand behind.

Okay, that’s a lot to think about, but let’s just back up a second here and consider the big picture: this has nothing to do with Nokia’s handsets versus the iPhone in the marketplace, and everything to do with the fact that Nokia’s intellectual property is a critical part of making modern mobile phones work. The real questions are how much of that intellectual property is in the iPhone, and how much Apple’s willing to pay — and neither has a simple answer.

Make sure to read through the article as it outlines the lawsuit in great detail.

-Nokia FanBoy

via: Engadget (read)

Ok, so for those who do not know, Rogers has been running running an initiative called Rogers urVoice Panel. This is basically a website where Rogers puts up various surveys and registered users can fill them out, and leave their opinions. One of the initiatives on there has been the “Android Revolution” sequence of ads that have been running for all the Android phones. For answering the surveys users get entered into a chance to win a gift worth on average $50, however I would imagine that most that do it, do so because they want to have the input.

Well the latest, and rather very exciting panel, has been regarding roaming data plans. That is, if you go to the US (and US only so far) you can use your data without roaming charges. There were basically two ways they were looking at this: a dedicated data plan (presumably incompatible with the current data plans), or an add-on that takes care of the roaming charges so you keep your current plan. Now I have the 6GB data plan, and I’m getting a discount on that plan, so I think my choice is pretty clear: no way in hell am I giving up that plan. Now the idea is fantastic, I would totally go for paying an extra $5 or so per month and be able to use my data in the US, however if its going to be $15 extra per month, then I will be cheap and only add it when I need it.

What peaked my interest in this, however, is the close proximity of this particular Panel to Google’s announcement of Google Maps Navigation. If you recall, I noted that the solution wouldn’t work for me since I would have to have something else for the US so as not to incur data charges. Well this changes everything. Of course this makes me think that Rogers knew about this for a little while (or a long while), and this is their response: a way to increase your monthly fees while providing you with more service. I’m definitely happy that they did so, but I do wish that it wouldn’t take companies like Apple and Google to force Rogers to bring in cheap data plans, and realistic roaming rates.

But I guess at the end of the day I am just a consumer, so I will stay happy with whatever services I can get. I’m already getting an amazing deal from Rogers as it is, so I won’t complain too much.

-Nokia FanBoy

via: the strangeness of my mind

Well here’s some game changing news – Google is releasing a free, turn-by-turn, voice guided navigation client.

I’m sure we’ve all used Google Maps on our respective devices, and I’m sure we’ve used them with a purpose they were not intended for: navigation. A number of people have been complaining to me that Google needs to pick up the pace and release a navigation client a-la TomTom or Garmin. Well it appears they finally have.

Google Maps Navigation is coming out with Android 2.0, however knowing the online hacking community I’m sure earlier versions of Android will have it too. The new features introduced in the new software are pretty cool:

• Google search (obviously)
• Turn-by-turn directions
• Voice guidance, including street names
• Aerial map and satellite view
• 3D aerial satellite view
• Street-view of your next turn or destination
• Constantly updated maps (Vancouver was updated with Street-view during the summer)
• Taking into account of traffic conditions (sadly I believe Vancouver is out of luck on this one)
• Route caching in case you lose signal (but if you deviate off route, then you’re again out of luck)

Besides these, Android 2.0 will support device-wide voice commands, so finding a good coffee could be as easy as saying “navigate to a coffee shop near me”.

All of this is nice, and the features will certainly be game changers for many people (I know I’m going to be trying this out), however I’m a little worried about re-routing. For instance, I don’t like using Garmin because the re-routing takes so long that once its done I’ve missed the turn already, while TomTom and some others seem to be good in that sense.

There are also some down sides. For instance, if you do not have a data plan on your phone, then you’re out of luck since downloading and storing maps on the phone is out of the question. Sadly, this means that for me this can’t be the only guidance system either as I like to travel to the states and do not wish to pay the high data charges.

Most interestingly is the effect this is going to have on the GPS industry. With TomTom and Garmin stocks down already, this will be an interesting year or two.

Make sure to check out the video in the read link.

Update
Video of the interface in use, and official website:

-Nokia FanBoy

official website
via: Engadget (read)

Ok, so I may be a little late reporting on this, is a couple days old already, but I wanted to take a special look at it. I mean this is kind of a first of its kind in public production; that is, if 3,000 units can be considered public. So in short, its a fuel-cell based electronics charger. It has a built-in lithium battery with enough juice to charge two devices, and from what I can tell uses a 14mL fuel capacity which is used to charge that built-in battery. It uses concentrated methanol as fuel (so forget taking more than a single charge supply on board a plane). The Dynario will go on sale tomorrow in Japan for $352 CAD (29,800 Yen), with cartridges available in sets of 5×50mL for $37 CAD (3,150 Yen), or a little over $4 per charge of the internal battery.

So then how is it different from whats currently out there from a consumer point of view? Well the device doesn’t require a wall outlet in order to recharge that internal battery. Meaning if you forget to charge it before going out just fill the fuel tank in 20 seconds and go on your way. You can also take more fuel on a long trip if you know wall outlets are going to be scarce, such as for camping. Of course if you ask me, camping is to get away from the city life, and that includes electronics. But fine, there is the convenience aspect of it. But then the down side: its larger and more expensive than the alternatives. Taking a couple extra batteries provides the same effect, costs about $10-$20 on eBay, and is a fraction of the weight and size. You can also purchase one of those portable battery rechargers for $50-$70, which will provide anywhere from 2 to 6 charge cycles, and will still weigh less and come in a more compact package. But more importantly, you can take both the extra batteries or the portable charger on a plane with you. Although to be fair, the Toshiba Dynario does seem to have a “cool” factor associated with it, even if only in the geek circles.

So in conclusion, I think this is a neat idea, I’m sure it will have a small niche market, but don’t expect to see me with one.

Dynario and Fuel

Dynario Charging a Device

-Nokia FanBoy

press release
via: Engadget Mobile (read)

Well this is interesting. If anyone remembers that resistive display technology that was able to detect multiple input points as well as the pressure applied to those points, this looks like very similar tech. In fact, I would question whether Nokia is developing the interface for that very display in order to incorporate it into their next generation of cellphones!

The idea is fairly simple: instead of just identifying multiple points, have the device identify the pressure which is being applied to each one. This could allow for more realistic game play, such as playing musical instruments, as well as I’m sure that some more practical applications will be out there.

This of course is not the first time that tech like this has been developed. Some companies use the surface area being touched at a single point in order to identify the intensity, however that tech is not very accurate.

I am, however, hoping that this is the implementation of the prototype resistive display we saw before, and there are a couple reasons for that. First, resistive displays permit the use of styli. Second, resistive displays are less power hungry. A potential down side, and something I am slightly concerned with, is just how they plan to make the screen – namely, I like the way a glass, capacitive screen feels.

Anyway, interesting technology, really exciting potential products, however its still only a patent application and its likely that we’re at least a year or two away from seeing it in practice.

-Nokia FanBoy

patent application
via: Engadget Mobile (read)

Well this is rather interesting. I have always disliked the way Apple used the courtrooms to their advantage and was rather pleased at just how little court time Nokia puts other companies through. Now if Nokia sued a different company I would have been upset, however this being Apple I am torn – on the one hand I disapprove of suing just to get your way, to postpone the launch of a product, etc. but on the other hand, this is Apple we’re talking about, the company that seemingly sues left, right, and center.

The details of the lawsuit aren’t exactly open to the public as yet, however we do know that it is due to some patents regarding GSM, UMTS, and WiFi, among others I’m sure. Also, the cause of the lawsuit is, of course, Apple’s iPhone, and Nokia states that 10 patents have been infringed on.

A brief history: Nokia has an amazing patent portfolio, having invested well over EURO 40 billion into R&D. Nokia’s patents are considered essential to industry standards. And Nokia has also successfully entered into patent agreements with over 40 companies, including some of the leading manufacturers.

I am really interested to see where this goes, and I am really quite torn on the matter. Of course its going to last quite a while so don’t expect updates too often.

-Nokia FanBoy

read: press release
via: Symbian-Freak (read)

Ok, so Windows Mobile 7 (WinMo7) doesn’t have a heck of a lot to do with Nokia. I could push that its because its Microsoft, and they are now working together, but that would be crap and you would know it. Really the main purpose for my covering this is I’m interested in the UI. I always thought that WinMo had a very outdated UI, and was always wondering why they don’t just redesign it, I mean they have the money for it. Of course help came with the shell updates from companies like HTC with WinMo 6.x, but those were just surface changes. We can actually see a mirror image of that happening with the touchscreen Symbian 5, in that the new version of the software looks kind of like a mask, with the insides still being glitchy and not user friendly by today’s standards.

Well the really exciting part is that Microsoft is actually doing something about it with WinMo7, or so we hope anyway. So that’s why I was quite excited to review the screenshots.

Ok, so the first screenshot is the calendar. Well some good, some bad – the interface is certainly more appealing, however having the time bar at the top would have been useful, but they removed that; and judging by “Pivot Left” and “Pivot Right” buttons on the screen, it would appear that gestures won’t be supported (and if they are then they’re wasting space).

The second, in-call, screenshot seems to be fairly basic, but is done fairly well – no complaints really.

Thirdly, the address book / contacts list (whatever you want to call it) certainly looks appealing, and I’m just hoping that they left the long-press menu option available and will use it to instantly call, create message or email the person.

Calendar

In-Call

Contacts

Inbox, the fourth screenshot, is virtually identical to the contacts list – if the long-press menu’s are there, then we’re good. Of course here some other gestures would be nice too.

The toggle switches and slider bars are certainly an improvement over the checkboxes, but we have to see how they actually implement those in actual menus, since screenshot five is just a sample.

The sixth screenshot, the text message, I have a small gripe with. Its always annoyed me when I have to close what I’m typing just to check on a consecutive message that came in from somebody. Which is why I like the threaded views so much. However, what’s the point of a threaded view if you can’t even see the message above? The keyboard takes up the entire screen and I would say its entirely unnecessary.

Inbox

Switches

Message Composer

Overall, the screenshots are an improvement, but a rather small one at best. There are a lot of things that we have to look at, such as menu structure, in order to find out if its actually going to be any good. And unfortunately, I’m already disappointed with it: there is absolutely no reason why the context menus have to be on there. Its things like that that make me very cautious over Symbian’s progress, however since Symbian is going open source, hopefully we’ll see user-compiled versions with some nice improvements. That is, of course, if Nokia allows users to reinstall the operating system like HTC does at the moment.

PS: if you notice all the screenshots are different, non-standard, dimensions – this tells me that they either didn’t have a very good design structure or made it all to be very scalable. And guess which one I think is the case?

-Nokia FanBoy

via: GSMArena.com (read)

We’re all quite familiar with Sony Ericsson’s Bluetooth watches, and of the little patch that allows us Nokia users to use SE’s watches on our phones. And of course now we’re getting previews of Blackberry’s own Bluetooth watch. So it begs the question: ‘Why not Nokia?’ I mean its not like there wouldn’t be a market for it. The development of the Symbian application for interfacing with Sony Ericsson’s watches clearly indicates that there is a need amongst Nokia users for such a watch. I know I, for one, would buy it. I seriously considered getting SE’s watch and interfacing it, but decided against it due to the brand. (actually, I’m kind of curious how many of my readers would be interested in purchasing a Nokia Bluetooth watch, but not a Sony Ericsson Bluetooth watch?)

We’ve seen Nokia’s Morph concept which incorporates the entire cell phone into a watch/phone hybrid:

And this is all fine and dandy, but I would like to see something real! Lets start with the new SE phones for instance: they have a Classic, Music and Executive editions. Nokia could come out with something for their X, E, and N-series devices. As for some innovative features come out with a navigation special watch – displaying a map, the next direction, or a compass while navigating to a given destination. Maybe include a basic touchscreen OLED with some gestures so as to reduce the number of buttons and improve sunlight legibility. Use the wrist strap to house an extended battery to keep the watch somewhat slim. And include voice recognition to make calls via Bluetooth headsets, or compose/reply to messages and emails, even start programs and navigate to specific locations. And, of course, control music.

Basically make it so that the phone can sit in the wearer’s pocket for most of the day. I know that SE’s watches are made to provide only the most basic functionality, while BB’s watch is supposed to allow to make a decision whether the message/email can wait 15 minutes or if you need to stop what you’re doing to reply. I think Nokia can provide a watch to go even further and provide some pretty impressive functionality.

As an afterthought, Nokia could even incorporate some interesting notification methods – instead of using small speakers, or noisy vibrations, instead silently contract the wrist strap or provide a small electric stimulation to the hand. Of course the latter would have many implications that would need to be considered.

-Nokia FanBoy

via: my twisted imagination.