About the presentation Microsoft and rumors about 'multioperating' smartphones, the new generation of Google Glass and 'smart' rings, as well as rumors about new Samsung smartphones …
In theory, the highlight of this week should have been the presentation Microsoft. Someone expected a real miracle from the company, and someone – an admission of their own defeat, but in practice neither one nor the other happened. Everything went smoothly and predictably, the company representatives showed what they were supposed to show and said exactly what was expected of them. Perhaps only the laptop was a surprise, although whether it differs so much from their own tablet is a separate question.
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Key product presentation Microsoft – Lumia, Surface, HoloLens |
The world Android was not affected by this event in any way, nothing was shown that could seriously affect the rest of the market players. Which is also quite expected – no one has shown anything sensational recently, including manufacturers Android of devices and the company Apple.
Perhaps the main sensation could have been the announcement of a partnership with Google, but nothing like that happened. Although there were certain prerequisites for this – this is a noticeable warming in the relations of these companies, and rumors persistently circulating on the network, and very eloquent patents, which began to surface right before the presentation. For example, something like this.
We are talking about a smartphone in which several operating systems are preinstalled by the manufacturer. But this is not what is commonly called dual boot mode, although such an option is mentioned. Initially, all operating systems are stored on the device in a compressed form, so the first time the smartphone is turned on, the user will need to specify which one should be installed. Later, the choice can be changed – a special transfer wizard will allow you to transfer personal data from one OS to another as painlessly as possible. Logic dictates that one system should be Windows, and the other Android.
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I don’t know if Microsoft has plans to release such devices or not, but it was not worth expecting such an announcement on this day anyway. Whatever Windows Mobile 10 is, the company will clearly try to play this card. And if it really turns out to be an ordinary six, and not a long-awaited trump ace, then maybe they will try to toss it to opponents.
In the absence of any significant innovations in smartphones, companies are trying to come up with new devices, looking for new niches. And this is absolutely correct. Evolution is a good thing, but the history of mobile technology is just a series of revolutions. You won't be full of cosmetic improvements to last year's devices, and you won't turn a pager into a Galaxy Note. From time to time, the market needs fresh and bright ideas that force us to completely rethink familiar and seemingly logical things. In a sense, the world of mobile technology resembles paintings made of colored sand – no matter how well the grains of sand are formed, over time the old picture gets boring and you want to turn the frame.
And now, from all the same sand, a new pattern is formed, simultaneously similar and not similar to the old one. Perhaps it could have been achieved by painstaking rearrangement of grains of sand, but it's just scary to even imagine how many years it would take. However, the result of this titanic work also raises serious doubts – the artist, unable to step away from the usual template, is doomed to draw the same plot all his life, which will bore art lovers by the fifth or sixth picture.
In general, risky experiments are great, even if most of them are doomed to failure in advance. But companies are afraid to really experiment. On the one hand, they are really trying to come up with something that competitors do not yet have. On the other hand, this very 'something' usually differs from existing devices only in form, and not in content.
For example, soon after the mass craze for smartwatches, manufacturers may well start an epidemic of smart rings. True, what it is and why they are needed is not yet very clear, but everyone wants to be branded as a revolutionary and stake out this place for themselves.
An example is one of the new patents Apple, which depicts something like a massive ring. The people have already dubbed the new device iRing, although whether it will ever become something more than just another abstract concept is an open question. Little is known about him so far. The patent mentions different input methods – voice control, gestures and pressing on the body / screen. In addition, it is known that with the help of such a ring it will be possible to control other devices.
I would like to believe that we are talking about something new and unusual, say, some unknown controller for interacting with virtual reality or a new way of interacting with any 'smart' technology. But, most likely, we have before us another type of standard wearable electronics, something between a fitness bracelet and a smart watch. Maybe even with the functions of a computer mouse, although such devices have not yet taken root at all. New body and sonorous name, but old and pretty moth-eaten idea.
Although, if you look closely, then the design of the case cannot be called new. If it were not for the picture with the hand, which can be used to estimate the dimensions of the device, I could well have decided that we are talking about a new design Apple Watch.
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Fujitsu is trying to come up with something more original, but they are not very good at imagination either. Even if their 'smart' ring has already grown to the stage of prototypes and, most likely, sooner or later will go on sale.
While it can do two things – it allows you to draw and write with your finger in the air (we are talking, of course, about augmented reality, not a real image) and interact with other devices via NFC. In particular, if you touch it to a headset worn on your head, it will 'photograph' the text written in the air and save it as a regular file.
I would like to offer Fujitsu engineers a few more ideas. For example, you can twist your finger at your temple to rotate an invisible image around its axis. Or knock yourself on the head to bookmark it. There can be many options.
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In humans, laughter prolongs life. But for companies – it shortens. Especially when it's laughter through tears. It is clear that this is only a prototype, it is clear that it will have other functions as well. Only here it is not about the implementation of the idea, but about the idea itself. All these 'smart' glasses and lenses for working with augmented reality have not yet come out, and manufacturers are already coming up with 'crutches' for them. This is the word for engineers and programmers to call a fast, but completely not optimal way to solve the problem that has arisen, which then only complicates further work. This is about how to prop up a door hanging on one hinge with a bookcase – it seems that you have solved the draft problem, but just getting in and out of the room is now, to put it mildly, problematic.
Any 'smart' glasses should recognize basic gestures and so, without any additional bells and whistles there. There is nothing unusual in this, this type of control has long been found even in home TVs. How much all this is needed is a separate question, but the fact that it is not necessary to wear any 'electronic rings' for this is an indisputable fact.
Of course, I strongly doubt that the same Google Glass will be able to recognize text written with a finger in the air. This is not at all the same as identifying a wave of the hand. Although, who knows. But what is the point in this function is not clear to me anyway. As a bonus 'feature' it would look funny, but as a main purpose of 'smart' rings it is ridiculous. With the same success, you can release a special stylus for writing in the sand, and then take pictures of what is written on a smartphone. Or a special lipstick, which is most convenient for writing down phones on your hand.
The essence is exactly the same, and in the eyes of others it will all look even less stupid. At the very least, you don't have to poke your finger into the void for a long time, and then bang your head again.
Speaking of Google Glass. The second version of these glasses is rumored to learn to display holograms. That is, through the glasses of the glasses, their owner will see not only the real world, but also objects of augmented reality, completed by the device. In principle, there is nothing particularly unexpected in this, several companies have already announced such plans, including the same one Microsoft.
To get an idea of what this should look like, you can watch the Magic Leap video. Although, you may have already seen it – it came out in the summer.
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Let me remind you that Magic Leap is dealing with augmented reality. And, judging by indirect signs, she is doing it very, very well. In any case, such giants as Google, Qualcomm and others have already invested more than $ 540 million in the development of Magic Leap.
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In conclusion, I would like to note one emerging trend. Unusual but reassuring. Slogans like 'our smartphone is the fastest' and 'twice as many megapixels and cores' are increasingly becoming the prerogative of second-tier companies. No, A-brands also do not forget to mention the coolness of their processors and the ppi value, but gradually the emphasis is shifting to something else.
This is best seen by Samsung, which has been using exceptionally cool hardware for many years. Gradually, the company is beginning to pay attention not so much to virtual 'parrots', as to new use cases (Note series), unusual design (Edge series), style and quality of materials (the same A series). Somewhere it works, somewhere it doesn't, but the attempt itself pleases.
Among the next possible steps is the release of devices where the display occupies the entire lower edge and is beveled at 45 degrees on the upper one. This is hinted at by one of the company's patents.
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In addition, there are rumors that the new Galaxy smartphones will focus on a kind of dual camera, reminiscent of the solution in last year's HTC One. Perhaps with some new features.
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The new smartphone LG stands out primarily not for its abstract power, but for the presence of an additional color information display, a dual front camera, and an interesting design.
The body of the novelty is made of stainless steel and wear-resistant silicone. In addition to the main 5.7-inch display, the LG V10 has another one – informational, which displays auxiliary messages or quick launch icons. The additional camera also found a use, although not at all obvious. The smartphone is able to simultaneously shoot from all three cameras at once (I wonder what is the practical point in this?) Or it can use an additional front camera for wide-angle shots up to 120 degrees.
Main technical characteristics LG V10:
- Support for communication standards: 4G LTE; 3G; GSM
- Dimensions: 159.6×79.3×8.6 mm
- Weight: 192g
- Processor: six-core, Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
- Platform: Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, UX 4.0+
- Display: 5.7-inch, QHD IPS Quantum 2560 x 1440 pixels
- Secondary display: 2.1-inch, IPS Quantum, 160 x 1040 pixels
- Camera: 16 MP, F1.8, OIS 2.0 optical image stabilization system
- Front camera: 5 MP dual (80⁰ / 120⁰ viewing angle)
- Memory: 4 GB RAM (LPDDR3), 64 GB internal, slot for microSD memory cards (up to 2 TB)
- Communications: Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, USB 2.0, GPS
- Battery: 3000mAh (removable)
- Other: Fingerprint scanner
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