No, the world isn’t quite populated with flying cars and android assistants just yet, but we do have automatic vacuum cleaners and wireless power transfers. In North America, when it comes to cell phones, we’re still trying to figure out how to use stone tools, whereas in places like Korea and Japan, they’ve got plenty of advanced goodies to enjoy, like mobile TV, mobile banking, and cell phones that pack 8 megapixel cameras.
I came across these couple of videos from NTT DoCoMo, a well-known mobile operator in Japan (equivalent to Telus Mobility or T-Mobile, I guess), depicting what they envision as the future of cell phones. More specifically, they’re taking us on a short trip to 2010… the same year that the Winter Olympics make their way into Vancouver and Whistler.
Enjoy!
On the first video… the part about live streaming video… I couldnt help but want to put this in the same category as flying cars and robot assistants. We have been promised ‘video phones’ for what, 15-20 years now… and they still aren’t here?
Video calls on cell phones have actually been around in Europe and Asia for a little while now, but just the other day, Rogers Wireless announced that they will be the first North American service provider to offer video calls on their network as well (powered by high-speed HSDPA).
I guess the issue is to find a way to allow those video call phones to run smoothly (streaming) and their costs factor. The cots side is still high for consumers.
I don’t want to see who I’m talking to or the other way around. I want to conduct business from home in my pajamas, but I want them to think I’m in a high rise downtown somewhere. No video for me.
Nice post and interesting videos, however, I agree with Shawn, video phones are right up there with flying cars and robot assistants. Seems as if whenever someone does a life-in-the-future prediction, video phones are always there. To a certain extent, video phones are here today. Why then isn’t everyone scrambling to get one when the futurists tell us we’ll all be doing it someday? Answer, there is a certain level of anonymity taken away with a video phone. Some of us don’t want people looking at us on the phone because it won’t allow us to take a call in our pajamas or do something else (e.g. watching television, cooking dinner, I.Ming with someone on the computer, etc). I believe people simply don’t want video phones. What will catch on is the ability to talk on a phone with a built in camera and do what appeared in that video: taking still pictures of things and sending them directly to the person on the other end. That example of the person in the store is perfect: “Is this what you want? (click, send, view)” There is real value in that function.