Once the exclusive domain of executives with expense
accounts, the mobile phone is set to become one of the central technologies of
the 21st century. Within a few years, the mobile phone will evolve from a
voice-only device to a multi-functional communicator capable of transmitting and
receiving not only sound, but video, still images, data and text. A whole new
era of personal communication is on the way. Thanks in part to
the growth of wireless networks, the telephone is converging with the personal
computer and the television. Soon lightweight phones outfitted with
high-resolution screens—which can be embedded in everything from wristwatches to
palm-held units—will be connected to series of low orbit satellites enabling
people to talk, send and receive e-mail, or take part in video conferences
anytime, anywhere. These phones might also absorb many of the key functions of
the desktop computer. Mobile devices are expected to be ideal for some of the
new personalized services that are becoming available via the Internet, such as
trading stocks, gambling, shopping and buying theater and airline
tickets. The communications revolution is already taking shape
around the globe. In Europe, small scale trials are under way using mobile
phones for electronic commerce. For example, most phones contain a subscriber
identification module (SIM) card that serves primarily to identify a user to the
phone network. But the card could also facilitate limited financial
transactions. Deutsche Bank and Nokia, for example, are working together to
develop mobile banking services. Some manufacturers plan to upgrade the SIM card
to an all-in-one personal identification and credit card. Another approach is to
add a slot to mobile phones for a second smart card designed specifically for
mobile e-commerce. These cards could be used to make payments over the Internet
or removed from the phone for use in point-of-sale terminals to pay for things
like public transportation, movie tickets or a round of drinks at the
bar. In France, Motorola is currently testing a dual
slot phone, the StarTACD, in a trial with France Telecom, while in Finland
Nokia is testing a phone that uses a special plug-in reader for a tiny
smart card. Siemens is pursuing a different approach. Since it is not yet
clear whether it’s best to do everything with a single device, Siemens is
developing dual slot phones and Einstein, a device equipped with a smart card
reader and keypad that can be linked to the phone via infrared wireless
technology. For those who want to, though, it will be possible
to receive almost all forms of electronic communication through a single device,
most likely a three-in-one phone that serves as a cordless at home, a cell phone
on the road and an intercom at work. "The mobile phone will become increasingly
multifunctional," says Burghardt Shallenberger, vice president for technology
and innovation at Siemens Information and Consumer Products in Munich,
"and fingerprint technology or advanced speech recognition will ensure that only
one or two authorized users will be able to operate it." New hybrid devices,
such as Nokia’s 9110 Communicator, a combination phone and personal
digital assistant (PDA), are already on the market. But some customers feel the
keyboard and screen are too small and complex for comfort. To
get around these problems, Nokia’s 7110 mobile phone has a larger screen
and is operated by a tracking ball in addition to a keyboard. The phone has
found a ready market among young people, who tend to scud more text messages
than they make mobile phone calls—not surprising given the fact that text is
approximately a tenth as costly as voice. The Nokia 7110 also offers
Internet access via Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), an open standard that
allows streamlined versions of website contents to be displayed on mobile phone
screens. Phones equipped with WAP enable people on the move to access basic
information—such as news services, stock prices and flight timetables—from
specially "cut-down" sites. For some, any device that bridges
the gap between handwriting and keying in text will be a world-beater.
Ericsson is researching a "smart quill" pen that could do just that.
Though the smart quill looks like any other pen, it permits writers to write on
any surface—or even in the air—while a microchip in the tip of the pen records
the shape of the scribblings and transmits them to a remote PC, where special
software converts them into normal text. Could this mean the end of typing Not
yet. Ericsson cannot say when a prototype will be ready.
Keyboards might eventually be unnecessary on mobile handsets if speech
recognition software continues to improve. Mobile phones might then be reduced
to a few computer chips, a microphone and a receiver embedded in an earring. The
Philips Genie, a lightweight m6bile phone, can be operated by uttering a
single word. When you type a name into the Genie’s keypad, the system asks
whether you would like to assign a voice-dial tag to that name. Through a series
of yes or no prompts, the Genie compiles a list of up to 10 voice tags. The next
time you want to call a person listed as one of these tags, just say that
person’s name or a relevant code word. The word home, for example, is sufficient
to place a call to your family. ·has a small and complex keyboard and
screen
1 ·has combined handwriting and
keying
2 ·can
recognize voices
3 ·has a voice dial
tag
4 ·has a pen which can write in the
air
5 ·might carry out
financial transactions
6 ·are
working on dual slot phones
7 ·can be connected to your home by a saying
"Home"
8 9 ·is
both a phone and personal digital assistant
10