In my last post I wrote about Mozilla Seabird Concept phone. Here I discuss how far is it possible to get somewhere around this concept phone. Just an extension of the previous post.
First of all lets see what open web concept phone boasts of. It can be summarized as given:
* 8.0 MP camera
* dual Pico projectors
* 45 lumens @960×600
* 3.5 mm audio jack
* wireless charging
* mini USB
* embedded Bluetooth/IR dongle—pan and zoom in 3d space and 2d images
** Bluetooth headset
**1:1 Infrared tracking
** IR camera array
** haptic clicking
* dock
* IR keyboard and touchpad area
There are practical mobile phone cameras available with greater resolution so 8.0MP camera isn’t a big deal and can be incorporated.
As far as Pico projector is considered the Samsung Galaxy Beam has already set an example . But, when we use a projector we want it to be still(fixed). Here comes the seabird which provides a DOCK for the phone, which keeps it stable and uses IR keypad to interact with the phone when docked. Moreover ,with Samsung Galaxy Beam there being no projected Keyboard we have to use the touch UI thereby disturbing the phone’s position and hence the presentation. The projector system comprises four main parts: the electronics, the laser light sources, the combiner optic, and the scanning mirrors. First, the electronics system turns the image into an electronic signal. Next the electronic signals drive laser light sources with different colors and intensities down different paths. In the combiner optic the different light paths are combined into one path demonstrating a palette of colors. Finally, the mirrors copy the image pixel by pixel and can then project the image. This entire system is compacted into one very tiny chip. An important design characteristic of a handheld projector is the ability to project a clear image, regardless of the physical characteristics of the viewing surface.
The concept of wireless charging is already in work around. Fujitsu has already got some technique which can be used to charge not just Mobile phones but Electric cars also (wow! Think of the days when u will charge our phones on the go in trains, buses etc. without any chords at all). Digging a bit more, this technique works on the principle of magnetic resonance where an LC circuit (a coil-inductor and a capacitor) working together and making resonance between it and power-receiver. What’s more it is said that it will be 150 times faster than the earlier Inductive-charging method (which is also very complex, works on very short distance and requires precise alignment) with an efficiency rate of 85% (mind boggling).
3d-zoom and pan will be interesting to see whilst haptic clicking using IR tracking by the screen is going to be great innovative step taking you out of the stylus-roll ball-touch-pad world. Maybe then we will be able to view our planet in 3d on our mobile phones and roam around with waving in air. Docked Bluetooth dongle phones are also there. Whine docked in the phone, the dongle charges through phone battery. The phone capable of doing all these things, would be straining on batteries thus looking on the recent innovations in the field of Phone batteries. The processor speed is also going to play a crucial role but to this day we know we are not daunted any more by low processing speed as many phones are in process having processors and RAM comparable to desktop computers (or in fact higher. What? Don’t believe me. Just search “Samsung Galaxy S2″ and see for yourself).
