The smartphone of 2012 doesn’t look anything like the smartphone of 2011. Look t the future and you can see how we are set for more revolutionary changes. A look at technologies and trends that will transform the mobile in the coming months
Android 4.0
Google’s response to the Android fragmentation was the Android v4.O, or Ice-Cream Sandwich, combining the best of Gingerbread and Honeycomb. Meant for both mobile phones and tablet devices, the new OS features virtual buttons for back, home and apps. Though announced in October 2011, only the Samsung Galaxy Nexus sports the operating system so far. But the Nexus is available only in select markets. However, things are set to change as a slew of new phones are being announced with Ice-Cream Sandwich on board. While some of the phones are running the latest version of the OS, the rest will have Gingerbread, ready for an upgrade. Since only Nokia is talki ng about new Windows Phones, Android v4.0 seems to be the hottest OS of 2012.
Quad-core
Smartphones are all geared up to compete against the new breed of tablets that are technically an extension of the phones, but with bigger displays..To add sting to smartphones, chipset developers have been continuously working on developing advanced processors. As a result, the new age of smartphones will be powered by quad-core processors. Then, too much power is not all that good, especially since there will be a dearth of applications optimised to benefit from the four cores, at least initially. And then quad-core means the phone will also need a battery which is up to the task. While the first wave of quad-core smartphones have already been announced, these will at the best be trendsetters for the future.
Carrier billing for applications
Since 2008, smartphone users had to register their credit card or debit card details on the device’s application store to purchase paid apps. But this is set to change as Microsoft, Google and even BlackBerry are initiating operator billing for apps. With a lot many people still apprehensive about keying in their card details, operator billing will break the glass ceiling asfar as purchasing apps is concerned. In certain countries, Google’s Android Market (now Google Play) users have the option of billing to their mobile account. Microsoft has worked on a Direct Billing Gateway with Mach that allows users to pay for Marketplace apps through their phone bills. Even Research-In-Motion has announced that more than 40 carriers around the world have deployed integrated carrier billing for their customers on BlackBerry App World.
Bigger, better screens
Apple did introduce a relatively bigger screen size with the launch of the first iPhone, but other manufacturers have started looking beyond the 3.5-inch capacitive display. The new mantra for smartphones display is ”bigger, the better” with the standard now hovering between 4 and 5 inches. Providing competition to handsets like the Galaxy Note, the new LG Optimus 4X HD and HTC One X have 4.7-inch displays while the Ascend D Quad and the Ascend D Quad XL sport 4.5-inch displays. Even screen resolution has been in the limelight with companies introducing 1280x720 pixel screens that can over rich colour and best quality videos and images.
Better camera?
Along with better processors and bigger displays, the cameras in smartphones too have been in the limelight of late. Surprisingly, instead of the megapixel war, the focus seems to have shifted to technology that can enhance images as well as the process of capturing them. Nokia recently cornered the headlines with the 808PureView with its unprecedented 41 MP sensor to capture beautifully clear and sharp images at the regular resolution of up to 8 MP HTC, meanwhile, has used technology to reduce the time taken to click a snap on smartphones to 0.7 seconds. Planning to buy a digital camera, anyone?
Cheaper Smartphones
Smartphones will no longer be the preserve of the rich. While operators and Indian handset manufactures are alr eady trying to bring in affordable smartphones, Airtel CEO Sunil Bharti Mittal has announced that he wants smartphone prices to drop to below $50. This price point is about half of what Android smartphones are currently selling for. Although there will be a huge difference in terms of the hardware and performance of high-end and low-end smartphones, Intel is working on a 1 GHz process or using which even flagship phones would cost around $150. The fact that the chipmaker has tied up with Lava in India could be an indicator to where the market is headed.Time for democratising the smartphone.
Dual-core to dominate
The transition from single-core to dual-core processors has been anything but easy. Early last year, the first bunch of smartphones were spotted with dual-core processors. Now, making single-core devices a thing of 2011, the dual-cores are becoming mainstream in 2012. Brands such as Sony Ericsson, which did not even announce a single handset with a quad-core processor has managed to stand up tall with dual-cores. Other names like Samsung, HTC and LG are not lagging behind either, highlighting the fact that dual-core smartphones are here to stay, at least a year or even more.
Goodbye card slots
Many criticised Apple for not including expandable memory card slots in the iPhone and the iPad. But it looks like other companies are also set to follow suite. At the moment, apart from iPhone, only Windows Phone smartphones come without expandable memory slots. Now even Android devices are getting rid of the memory card concept. The recently announced Sony and HTC smartphones don’t have one. It seems that even the companies have realised that with the increased inbuilt memory of smartphones, not many make use of up to 32GB expandable card slots.