What will high-end phones be like next year?

Back then, HDTVs were rare and extremely high-end, cameraphones were regarded as totally rad, and phones that can double as an MP3 player were so cool. Times have changed.

5 years ago, it didn’t matter what resolution your phone’s display runs. Very few people even cared about the CPU in it. For everyone, second to millisecond differences didn’t matter.

phones

Say, we had e-mail in our phones and BlackBerry was pretty known for that, while Nokia was noted for injecting a camera into our mobile phones. While they didn’t really invent the touchscreen, Apple did bring it into the limelight. The smartphone evolution (or revolution) didn’t happen in a day.

It continued in many paths, which is quite expected because of competition. Apple pushed apps into the battlefield, which forced other platforms to step up their game as well. Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry 10 and the others will be catching up soon, but we think that’s a given – and more and more quality apps will never be overkill.

There is a ton of space for software improvement, but what about hardware? Take this comparison chart on how specs evolve every year.

evolution

The screen’s resolution gets higher along with the display size, RAM & of course, battery to power all of that. Above all, we might even move to real octa-core phones next year (Galaxy S4 isn’t truly running on 8 cores). Camera capabilities are also evolving along the way.

Next year, we could have 6-inch flagship phones running on a resolution of 2560 x 1440, with a camera that can record great 2160p video in low-light, an octa-core CPU that has a better architecture than today and 4GB RAM. Of course, to keep that all running, you need a one of a kind battery. The question is, do we need that? Do we even want that?

If that’s the case, then honestly, I’m good with it for the most part. But as of today, I’m not even feeling a bit of discontent with my Nexus 4, safe for the camera. When next year comes with those specs, I won’t be counting on days of battery life anyway, so 1 day will always still be good with me.

Nexus 4

Gaming with an S4 Pro isn’t bad, so while there is still room for more power, I don’t see why we need twice the speed immediately. Same case with the display; I don’t need a 1080p screen, and I don’t need a larger screen. That’s what tablets are for. Only thing that needs improvement is the camera, and you know it – smartphone cameras are nowhere near overkill; most of them still suck.

Is this progress all for marketing’s sake? We, consumers, will be losing if that’s the case.  Maybe people in this generation are getting too spoiled. Or another scene to consider is that the smartphone evolution really is ending, and that is why manufacturers are making the jump to wearable technology.

The only pro I see with phones getting exaggerated specs is that the current high-end hardware will become the new standard for future mid-range phones. For example, once they have better CPU architectures, a Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, which isn’t bad by all means, will be made available to future mid-range phones.

Are you still not satisfied with what smartphones offer right now? If so, in what part? What do you think will phones be like next year? Feel free to discuss in the comments down below.

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Are we ready for Wearable Technology?

We’ve been so engrossed with smartphones, tablets and several other consumer technologies. In fact, some of current tech seems to be overkill already – such as 1080p displays on a 5-inchsmartphone and multi-core CPUs in which platforms aren’t even fully optimized for yet. As time goes, manufacturers look to other elements to perfect and now they’re looking a good look at wearable tech; are we ready?

are we ready

Personally, I do want manufacturers to perfect the smartphone before they look elsewhere. I might have even said that next year could be the year of smartphone cameras as I really like the idea of HTC’s UltraPixel, Nokia’s PureView and Sony’s Exmor RS — they focus on quality/technology over just plain megapixel count (Google’s next Nexus phone is rumored to have a great camera as well).

Moreover, we feel like these companies are looking at something more as each one are confirming that they’re working on something else other than a smartphone or a tablet – specifically a smartwatch.

smartwatch

Samsung has already confirmed that they are working on a smartwatch, while companies such as LG, Apple and Google were reported to be working on one too. This isn’t the first time someone’s making an intelligent wristwatch, as gadgets like the Motorola MotoACTV and the Sony Smartwatch are already available for purchase now. Why the excitement then?

A recent report from analysts say that the time is ripe for smartwatches. If we make that a given, we still can’t deny the fact that companies aren’t only working on smartwatches – but also on other gadgets that you wear. Google already has Glasses for next year, and just recently, they just showcased a talking shoe. Over at the gaming zone, Oculus VR already has the Rift – a head-mounted virtual reality gaming device which is currently being funded and developed.

But let’s get back to the consumer. Do we really need a watch just to check on our notifications when we can just pull out the phone out of our pockets? Or a pair of glasses to take photos when you have a more capable camera lurking in your bag? Above everything else, would it appeal to 3rd-world countries such as the Philippines? Leave your comment and opinion below.

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Microsoft working on Project Glass competitor

Microsoft just revealed that they applied for a patent that features wearable glass technology, similar to Google’s Project Glass.

Just recently, Google showcased Project Glass and it wowed the world. It was even thought to be impossible and unbelievable. Google even engaged in fashion shows just to attract more people.

Microsoft takes a different approach. Project Glass is meant to be used whether while in motion or while staying in place; Microsoft’s patent focuses on giving out information while watching a concert, a sports game or just any show you’d watch.

The company just started making their own hardware such as the Surface, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if a Surface phone or SmartGlasses (Xbox reference) came out sooner or later. For the meantime, the patent application could give us a clue that the Redmond giant could be indeed working on their variant of Project Glass.

While the future of wearable tech is still far away, it is good to see innovations coming out from the big guns. When these products come out however, we’d bet that prices would soar through the roof.

On the other hand, we still think that it wouldn’t be advisable to use these kinds of technology in the Philippines (not now anyway) as wearable tech might be easy to snatch.

Nevertheless, we’re getting there. In a few years, maybe we’ll get to see Apple’s version of the tech; iGlass anyone? (Pun intended)

{source} {patent}

Note: Microsoft Glass image above is just a YugaTech render.





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