The Next Smartphone Will Have IOT Elements

No longer are smartphones substantially better than they were a year or two ago. We have been in this era of small tweaks for a while now. But we might be about to hit a critical mass of innovation in the industry. Imagine a smartphone that has internet access at every point on earth due to satellite internet. And imagine a smartphone that is constantly just charging itself because it grabs energy from light, sun or not. And imagine a smartphone that you don't have to actively stare at, actively touch. Those are the three pain points right now.

The Next Smartphone Will Have IoT (Internet Of Things) Elements

For years, we’ve witnessed the relentless march of smartphone innovation. From retina-searing displays to lightning-fast processors, each new release seemed to outpace the last. But in recent times, the evolution of smartphones has felt… incremental. No longer are they dramatically better than the models from just a year or two ago. Instead, we’re stuck in an era of small tweaks and minor upgrades.

Yet, that might be about to change. We could be standing on the brink of a critical mass of innovation in the smartphone industry. The next generation of devices is set to redefine what we think a smartphone can be, integrating cutting-edge Internet of Things (IoT) elements to solve key pain points.

Always Connected: Satellite Internet

Imagine a smartphone with seamless internet access no matter where you are on the planet. No more dead zones or frantic searches for a Wi-Fi signal. Thanks to advances in satellite internet technology, smartphones could soon come equipped with always-on connectivity. This would unlock possibilities for travelers, adventurers, and even those in rural areas where traditional cell networks struggle to reach.

Self-Charging Devices

One of the perpetual frustrations of modern smartphones is battery life. What if you never had to worry about plugging in your phone again? Future devices could harness ambient light to charge themselves, whether it’s sunlight streaming through a window or the glow of indoor lighting. This revolutionary approach to energy capture could make battery anxiety a relic of the past.

A Hands-Free Future

Smartphones have always demanded our attention, requiring us to stare at screens and actively engage with them. But the next wave of innovation could free us from this constant interaction. Advanced sensors, voice commands, and AI-powered assistants will allow us to use our phones more passively. Picture a device that proactively responds to your needs, seamlessly integrating with your daily life without requiring constant input.

The IoT Revolution

These advancements point toward a future where smartphones are more than just devices—they’re nodes in an interconnected IoT ecosystem. Always online, self-sustaining, and unobtrusive, the next smartphones will blend into our lives more seamlessly than ever before. They won’t just be better versions of what we have now; they’ll be transformative tools that redefine how we interact with technology.

The era of incremental upgrades may be coming to an end. The next smartphone could be a leap forward, solving pain points that have frustrated users for years and heralding the dawn of a truly connected world. Are you ready for what’s next?

Nokia: 10 Years Ago

Forbes cover 10 years ago. pic.twitter.com/EBlHpdRDsl

— Mikko Hypponen (@mikko) November 12, 2017

What After Smartphone?

Digitizing Money For The Poor

I have an enormous interest in finance for the people at the very bottom. I think magical advances are possible. And there is also a lot of money to be made.

Exponential Finance: Who Will Be the Instagram or Uber of Finance?

Instagram was acquired for a billion dollars the same year Kodak went bankrupt. Though Kodak invented the digital camera behind Instagram’s business model—they failed to fully embrace it and paid the price. Uber is a five-year-old transportation company worth $40 billion, and they don't own a single car or bus. ....... relatively small organizations are rapidly rising up to take on big traditional players with little more than an app on a smartphone. So, what models are leading contenders to become the Instagram or Uber of finance? ..... As smartphones become ubiquitous in the developing world, it's possible many of the world’s unbanked billions in developing countries will skip traditional finance, a little like how they leapfrogged landlines for cell phones. ....... bank-free, digital cash will be a force to be reckoned with. ........ blockchain’s potential is massive—not just for cryptocurrencies, but anything of value. The same technology that records and confirms Bitcoin transactions can, in theory, do the same thing for “a will, a deed, a title, a license, intellectual property, an invention, or any type of financial instrument.” ...... Machines doing what machines do best, and humans doing what humans do best. Better together than either one alone. ...... By more fully digitizing finance (parts of it are, of course, already digitized), we can supercharge commerce and reduce the cost of doing business. ...... Even now, the digital camera market is shrinking as point-and-shoot cameras are replaced by smartphones. ...... Reality has surpassed science fiction.

Related articles

• Will there be an Instagram or Uber of finance?
• Video: The Zoom on this Nikon Camera is Absolutely Insane (and Scary)
• Abra Wants to be the Uber of Digital Cash, Says Founder Bill Barhydt at Exponential Finance 2015

One World

Logo of Comcast Latina: Insigne Comcast (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bill Gates went on record a few weeks back saying, he is doing good work with his foundation, but the scales of the problems are so enormous, what you truly need is a world government. That is the only way you can tackle the biggest problems of poverty and disease. And I agree.

There is poverty, there is disease, and then there is that number one invention of the new millennium: your smartphone. Why can't you pay your monthly phone bill and have the phone work no matter where you go in the world? To most people who might be in a position to give a push to the idea of a world government, poverty and disease might be abstract concepts, but the phone is not, it is in your hand, it knows you better than your family.

Comcast has come out saying it will roll out a 2 GBPS internet service across the US. That was the kind of result Google wanted to see with its own roll out. But I think the ball moved only after Google threatened to do to TV ads what it had done to classifieds.

Google might now be taking the lead on the global phone plan. You pay one place and go anywhere.

Related articles

• Bill Gates Lays Out A Vision For A Master Plan To Stop The Next Outbreak In Its Tracks
• Bill Gates: Time To Make A 'war Game' For Infectious Disease
• Bill Gates in New England Journal of Medicine: Prepare for Next Epidemic
• Bill Gates urges world to prepare for next disease outbreak
• Bill Gates Warns Of Virus Worse Than Ebola: "We Are Simply Not Prepared To Deal With A Global Epidemic"
• Bill Gates Says Next Epidemic Could Be Deadlier Than Ebola, Calls for War Preparation
• Bill Gates: Ebola Is Returning As Well As the Re-Emergence of Several Other Pandemics
• Bill Gates Warns Of Virus Worse Than Ebola: "We Are Simply Not Prepared To Deal With A Global Epidemic"
• Bill Gates says Ebola Was a "Wake-Up Call"; Tells World to Get Ready for the Next Great Epidemic
• This Is How Bill Gates Says We Can Avoid Another Global Health Crisis

Constantly Voting People

English: Ballot Box showing preferential voting (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Recently Twitter bought a company in India whose key insight is the missed call phenomenon. I guess in India you buy a phone. And there is no monthly fee. And if you only receive phone calls, you don't owe the phone company anything. I still think the phone companies make a ton of money in the process because Indians are a talkative bunch. Indian take the whole democracy thing a little too seriously.

So this company mastered the art of customer service through missed calls. And it had an impressive exit.

This reminds me of the power of SMS. We are squarely in the era of smartphones at least in the rich countries and very fast catching up in the poor countries. But SMS is still the killer application. The most popular apps on the smartphone revolve around SMS. And I believe there is a message there.

Seeking out numerous voting opportunities for people would be an idea. Let people be constantly voting. SMS based daily voting, voting multiple times a day. On all sorts of issues.

Related articles

• Twitter Reportedly Buying Indian Start-up ZipDial
• Top 15 Smartphones that got a Price Cut in India [January 2015]
• Top 5 - Money saving apps
• Small Businesses Embracing Social Media, Implications for Customer Service: Predictions for 2013
• Twitter in talks to acquire Indian mobile startup ZipDial
• Indian Bank Allows Pay-By-Tweet Service
• China's Xiaomi to invest in Indian startups and overseas media content
• Social Media Customer Service: Friend Or Foe?
• Twitter Acquires India-based 'Missed Call' Startup ZipDial
• India's Middle East Foreign Policy

Google's Modular Phone Challenges OnePlus One

The Nexus phone was a breath of fresh air. But I thought the OnePlus One did challenge the Nexus brand. Now I think Google's modular phone is a major challenge to the OnePlus One, and other smartphones in general. My current phone is still Nexus 4. I wish I could get a battery that lasted twice as long, and I wish I could replace my 5 MP camera with a 10 or 13 or 15 MP camera. But other than that, I am quite happy with my phone. And the modular phone is supposed to allow you just such upgrades. You don't ditch the whole phone. You just upgrade a part you want to upgrade. I like that. And I love the price point. $50. Finally a smartphone for the global masses. And, yes, I also want 64 GB. My 8 GB has felt inadequate as soon as I got my phone!

Google’s modular $50 smartphone set for January 2015 release

Related articles

• Hands on with the Nexus 6: A Nexus phone Google hopes is one for the masses
• Google Android 5.0 now available for the Nexus 4
• Google Nexus 6 smartphone review
• Google's Nexus 6 Available for Sprint Now
• LG's phones are the first to get an Android Lollipop upgrade
• LG to Start Pushing Lollipop to the G3
• The OnePlus One might be the true spiritual successor to the Nexus 5

OnePlus

Low Price, High Hopes for OnePlus Phone

I’ve been using the One for the last couple of weeks, and I’ve found it to be one of the best smartphones I’ve ever used. The One has a beautifully spare design, it’s loaded with the latest tech specs, and it runs CyanogenMod, a version of Google’s Android operating system that is far more flexible and easier to use than the cumbersome flavors of Android now stuffed into rival phones. Best of all, the One sells for $299. ...... Samsung’s profits are being battered by the intense competition from low-priced rivals. .... of OnePlus’s global staff, a third of the employees are from Asia, a third from Europe and a third from the United States. “We don’t really think of ourselves as a Chinese start-up” ..... the One is similar to Google’s Nexus 5, another high-quality, low-price phone — but over all, the One is more powerful, and far prettier, than the Nexus.

Related articles

• High Hopes for One Plus Phone, Low Price
• High Hopes for OnePlus's Low-Price Phone
• State of the Art: High Hopes for OnePlus's Low-Price Phone
• State of the Art: Low Price, High Hopes For a Phone
• OnePlus One Review: Still worth a pre-order? (Video)
• OnePlus One review
• OnePlus One Review - The Flagship Killer That Lives Up To It's Name
• OnePlus Will Launch a New Pre­-order System in October for the One
• One Plus One - 2014 Flagship Killer. Cyanogenmod Phone Android 4.4.4

Smartphone Lenses That Move Sideways

Deutsch: Prinzip eines Zoom-Objektivs, stark vereinfacht. Die einzelne Linse ganz links stellt das Grundobjektiv dar. Die drei weiteren Linsen bilden gemeinsam ein afokales System. Selbst erstellt mit POVRAY 3.5 unter Verwendung freier Skripte und der frei verfügbaren Version von LINOS Photonics WinLens 4.3, Quellcode beim Uploader wegen eines Festplattenchrashs leider nicht mehr in einer funktionierenden Version vorhanden. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I probably use my phone as a camera more than anything else. Therefore I am all ears when something like this shows up in the news. I am not too hungry for more megapixels. But the lack of meaningful optical zoom has been a major problem from day one. It has been in the "God, give me the wisdom to accept things I can not change" category.

Lenses That Move Sideways Could Improve Smartphone Snaps

To pack a camera-quality optical zoom into a smartphone ...... For now, the DyanOptics lens prototypes can magnify objects up to three times larger than they really are. Chan says the company expects to magnify objects up to five or six times ..... Chan is already thinking beyond the smartphone. She believes the technology could find a home in the cameras strapped to drones or robots. ..... there are cameras everywhere

Related articles

• Lenses That Move Sideways Could Improve Smartphone Snaps
• Optics Buying Guide
• Compact System Camera Buying Guide
• Will this Singaporean startup revolutionise mobile phone cameras?
• Your next smartphone could sport a zoom lens thanks to DynaOptics' new technology
• Digital Camera Buying Guide
• Startup DynaOptics is Fitting an Optical Zoom Into a Slim Smartphone
• Slim smartphone zoom is one step closer
• DynaOptics wants to bring zoom lenses to smartphones
• New Lens Technology Could Bring Optical Zoom to Even the Thinnest Smartphones by 2016