Even-though smartphones have the word "phone" in their names, being able to make and receive phone calls is only one function they can perform. Every successive model of smartphone has more and more features added to it and there seems to be no limit to the amount of functions it can or will be able to perform. There are people that still resist the urge to buy a smartphone but it really is the most useful piece of technology that exists today and can actually save you money by replacing other devices. Some of the problem with smartphones is that there are so many features that not many people utilize them all. In this article we examine what devices have been replaced, will be replaced and features you might not know you could use.
Devices Replaced by Smartphones
Smartphones have replaced so many other pieces of technology that the list is almost too large to be listed here are some.
Alarm Clock
Calculator
Calendar
Timer
Camera
Video Camera
Photo Album
Radio
Direct P2P Messenger
Address book
Music Player
Notebook
GPS
Compass
Watch
Mapbook
Voice recorder
Diary/Journal
Recipe book
Internet browser
There are some pieces of technology that have completely disappeared because of smartphones which is very telling of how powerful they have become.
Pagers went from a popular personal device to completely obsolete in a span of about 5 years. Once cellphones became smaller and cheaper the pager was doomed.
PDAs became pointless and died off when the first smartphone came out. Smartphones can do everything a PDA can and make phone calls.
It used to be that having a car phone meant that you were very "well off" and showed people that you were at the height of the technology revolution. Unfortunately, cell phones were cheaper and portable and the car phone died a quick death even before it really got going.
Features That You Might Not Know About
As mentioned above, there are so many features on today's smartphones that people don't know about all of them unless you really take some time exploring the settings. Here are some useful features you may not know about.
Screenshots
iPhone: Press the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time. A camera shutter sound will play and screenshot will be saved to Camera Roll folder.
Android: Press the Home button and Power Down button at the same time. Screenshot will be saved to Captured Images folder.
Block Calls, Messages and More
iPhone: Every contact you have for text, phone or even face-time will have an option to block incoming calls and messages. Go to Contacts and click Details. You will be presented with a bunch of new options including block, do not disturb and send/share location.
Android: Tap Settings then Call Settings then Call Block. Under Incoming Calls you will have a Call Block List. Add the number there by tapping Create.
Automatically Turn Off Music
iPhone: In the Clock app. Tap Timer then tap When Timer Ends, scroll to the bottom and tap When Timer Ends.
Android: Open music player, tap Auto Music Off and set the timer.
Reply to Text Message Without Unlocking Phone
iPhone: On the lock-screen when a new message is displayed, swipe to the left instead of right. A Reply option will become visible.
Android: Unfortunately, you will have to download an app. Try these:
SMS Popup
Easy Notifier App
Future Smartphone Technology
The rate at which the world is seeing technological breakthroughs is quickly accelerating. It would seem that technology is only limited by people's imaginations. Science fiction is becoming "science fact" and things we read about in fantasy books have become reality. Here are some technological features that we can expect to see in future smartphone models.
Augmented Reality
AR apps already exist but they are few in number and current hardware technology needs to catch up to them. Google had the biggest leap in AR technology with Google Glass but it ultimately failed. The world, it would seem wasn't ready for a big leap like that. AR is the future however since instead of doing an internet search for a landmark you could hold up your phone and have the information brought up on your screen, perhaps complete with a holographic person to explain it all to you. Here are a few interesting AR apps that could be useful.
Find Your Car with AR: Augmented Car Finder - Once you load the application, in the augmented reality view you can see the direction it is located, the street address close to where you parked, how far it is and the date and time you parked.
Wikitude - Use Wikitude as a tool to experience augmented reality content, campaigns, projects, promotions, games and so much more by simply scanning the things you see!
Spyglass - Spyglass is an essential GPS toolkit for outdoors and off-road navigation. Packed with tools it serves as binoculars, heads-up display, hi-tech compass with maps, gyrocompass, GPS receiver, waypoint tracker, speedometer, altimeter.....
3D Screens and Holographic Projectors
3D screens are available on home televisions but are still crude, same with holographic projectors. The technology is still in its infant stage at this point in time but people are working hard on improving quality and shrinking the size. Some of this technology can be seen already with virtual keyboards. Imagine playing a game of chess against your friend and moving the pieces on a virtual projected board, complete with animations. Other applications could be video conferencing (Facetime) with someone and seeing there head or whole body in real-time 3D, 3D pictures, recorded video, blue prints and building plans.
Artificial Intelligence
Yes, AI is coming sooner or later. Its just a matter of time before programs such as Siri and Cortana will be able to learn from interactions with users. Apple, Microsoft and Google are all working hard developing their virtual assistants to be smarter and learn more from a user's patterns and even learn their owners voice. The "intelligence" part of the AI will still be dependant on how much interaction the user wants to have with it. You may ask it to do something for you and it may give another suggestion based on what it already knows about you.
Having an AI wont be the nightmare scenario that everyone envisions since it will be locked in to each individual device. There is no doubt that when AI is finally realized it will change many things about human life, not just smartphones.
AI programs can also learn from each other as illustrated in this short clip. The results are fascinating.
AI vs. AI. Two chatbots talking to each other
Tactile and Flexible Screens
The resolution on smartphone screens has reached a point that no one could have thought possible. Some screens have better quality than home televisions. Now televisions have started to change the shape of their screens, some with panoramic and some with parabolic shapes. This is all in an attempt to make the viewing experience more realistic. Again is just a matter of time before the technology is shrunk down to fit smartphones. Imagine taking a panoramic picture, then wrapping your phone around so the entire picture is visible at once.
Different materials are being experimented with as well so that in the future buttons could be raised off the surface of the screen or texture could even be added to pictures.
Unlimited Connectivity
Today we can connect to some other pieces of technology such as computers, headsets or printers. In the future however the technology will continue to improve and spread. Theoretically, any piece of technology could be blue-tooth compatible to work with your smartphone where your smartphone is the controller. Connect to a company and download an info package on it history and how to apply for a job. Connectivity with your vehicle is already happening but on a rudimentary scale. Possible applications for vehicles could be changing the air/fuel mixture, rpm limit or simply analysing the performance of the engine.
Other forms of connectivity have arrived with automated homes. Every aspect could be controlled like locks, alarms, doors, windows and lights. There are even companies that are working on glass that can change opacity and display images. Because of this glass companies are also experimenting with transferring functions, images and video wirelessly between the glass and your phone.
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