Posted By
Brian Unflat on 04/30/2009
We see so many new mobile applications, WiFi advancements, and information about on-the-go technology that we sometimes forget where these things were born and how we got here. I thought I'd share some interesting facts and fiction with you on mobile devices and the future of mobile.
- Nathan B. Stubblefield and why you should buy him a beer, if he was still alive. Who in tarnation is Nathan B. Stubblefield? Stubblefield is considered the first inventor of mobile technology. Way back in 1907, Stubblefield invented, developed, manufactured, and sold both his wired mechanical telephone and his wireless telephone systems through the companies, partnerships, or corporations he owned shares of stock in. The iMac of today utilizes Stubblefield's groundless aerial and his "energized" electrolytic transmission concept, (firewire) -- and Maxwell's term "ether." The original Stubblefield wireless telephone patents of 1898 and 1908, describe in detailed drawings how an end user sitting in a "train," riding in a "horse and buggy," or "sailing on a ship," could connect themselves to the world of wired wireless to stream data, voice, and music around the world -- via the copper telephone wire. Today we call it Webcasting and the Internet.
- Dick Tracy. Remember the fast thinking street savvy detective comic character? No, not the really awful movie starring Warren Beatty. The newsprint version with the awesome wrist watch mobile technology that everyone wanted to have but wasn't cool enough to own? Well that mobile technology is here.
A look into the not-so-distant future of mobile technology
- Smart alerts: Your mobile phone will alert you when something needs your attention. This is already happening today: eBay can text you when you've been outbid and alert services (such as Google News) can deliver news, sports, or stock updates to you. These applications are getting smarter, patiently monitoring your personalized preferences (which will be stored in network clouds) and delivering only the information you desire. A very useful scenario: your phone knows that you are late to meet the girl of your dreams for a drink and alerts you of traffic conditions or the best places to park.
- Crowdsourcing: Your mobile phone will become your looking glass to the world, a vehicle with which to publish pictures, emails, texts, Tweets, and blog or even vlog entries like his one. When everyone else is also contributing their personal content, you have a situation where people all over the world are sharing their lives and interactions real-time. All this content gets archived, sorted, and sent to other people in new and interesting ways. Ask the interweb for the most pertinent info about your vicinity or location, and your phone shows you what people have uploaded to help you out.
- Augmented reality: Your mobile device uses its sensors to understand your location or position and provide you useful information. For example, you really want to know how much that awesome pair of Bruni Magli shoes are? Your mobile device, equipped with GPS, digital camera, and navigation sensor, knows what you are viewing, so it can tell you before you even ask. Plus, if the shoes are still in fashion and if you can find them elsewhere for less. Try a different color or style in a touch of a screen. See how augmented reality works.
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