With every new technological advancement intended to make our lives somehow easier it’s always fun to mark such occasions by taking a look back at the humble roots of a particular line of technology. Take the mobile phone for instance: what used to be a rather cumbersome brick that was definitely skewed more towards ‘phone’ than ‘mobile’ has now advanced to comparatively tiny sizes.
Image this, but a whole lot smaller
(Image: MichaelMaggs)
This news story on the PopSci front page describes the latest winners of the microelectromechanical awards: a ‘microbarbershop’ that is capable of cutting a single human hair and a ‘microchessboard’ that was complete with miniscule pieces. Clearly, such an achievement is no small feat (pun intended) and represents some exciting possibilities for the future of what is practically possible with micro technology. But what it got me thinking about was the concern I have with the seemingly ever-shrinking nature of consumer technology.
Remember when mobile phones were small like this?
(Image: Christos Vittoratos)
The aforementioned mobile phone example is of particular relevance in regards to this concern as technology has evolved to a point where mobile phones are too small. Whereas older model phones were particularly friendly to those of us who possess bigger dialling-digits, in more recent times mobile phone keypads and screen sizes have shrunk to a size that seems complementary only to those with child-sized hands. The same woes I have in typing text on my iPhone screen carry over to my ability to use a netbook keyboard: both devices generally garner more frustration from me than they reward in terms of input accuracy.
Size-concerns about consumer technology are by no means a new idea, but nor do they seem to be getting addressed in particularly practical ways. Mobile phone manufacturers seem to be more willing to throw styluses or peripheral keypads at us instead of coming up with creative ways to address navigability. This mentality is even reflected in netbook manufacturing, which is starting to include Bluetooth as standard; as if the option of being able to connect a Bluetooth-powered keyboard somehow justifies them in making future-model netbook keyboards even smaller.
Kinect allows controller-less navigation
(Image: Microsoft)
One doesn’t have to look too far to see that leaps and bounds are being made in alternative control methodologies, such as in the games industry. Voice control, while currently present in certain mobile phone models to a lesser degree, has made major advancements since its humble beginnings and Microsoft has recently unveiled ‘Kinect’: an Xbox 360 peripheral that converts gestures into avatar control or even navigation commands… all of this without the need to physically touch any buttons.
I am aware of current research into gesture-controlled mobile phone technology (such as this), but it still feels quite a way off. Couple this with the fact that this current research seems to be revolving around the logic of using the proposed new tech for a sideways shift—you use gestures to mimic the use of existing peripherals, as opposed to simply using gestures that are interpreted as specific functions—instead of more of a Kinect-like step away from existing control methods, and a proper practical application of such technology for mobile phones feels even further off.
Am I out of line in believing that this sort of gesture-control technology should have been in development for mobile phones (and other smaller gadgets) years ago when it was obvious that phones were shrinking to impractical proportions?
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I feel like once we get a handle on a certain type of technology, its like we have to see just how small we can make it, without really considering the practicality of such small sizes. My first mobile phone was ridiculously small… and the one after that was one of 3’s first line of phones and it was literally like the size and shape of a hamburger, because it had all the new-fangled video call technology! Now we have smartphones, and true to this whole pattern of shrinkage… the new Blackberry Bold is basically identical to the old one… except it’s now smaller, and the keyboard is impossibly cramped - I doubt even a hobbit could type on it.
Anyway, they seem to be getting the right idea with notebooks - I’ve noticed they seem to be making them thinner and lighter, which is a more practical kind of shrinkage!
Having said all that, I’m not really sure how gesture-control technology would work with a mobile phone. Obviously the aim of a mobile phone is to be portable and highly convenient - it seems like gesture-control would make it less so? Maybe I just don’t know enough about how it all works.
That’s my long-winded 2 cents!
Totally agree, everything is getting smaller. Not that that’s a bad thing, but with most practical applications of technology, it will usually hit a point where there is such a thing as too small.
Notebooks I don’t have a problem with, it’s netbooks that are too small for my fingers… typing on them becomes more frustrating than rewarding!
It would be a bit odd to see people ‘conducting’ their phones in the street, but I think it’s a step in the right direction… and it also allows manufacturers to keep making our phones impossibly small.