GLOBAL – We’ve never had such a close run thing when it comes to polls. Last week we asked “what next-gen smartphone features would you like to see?” and the results have been ridiculously close. We based our initial suggestions on a recent New York Times Blog about next-gen smartphone features. The initial impression is very much that you’d like it all, and you’d like it now (no mention of it being covered in whipped cream and chocolate though).Topping the voting tables was “the end of wires” with a respectable 19 per cent of the vote. Smartphones are intrinsically mobile devices, but always come to rest at some point of the day either for some data transfer action or plugging in for a recharge. Is there an alternative to that? Not right now, it seems but one to look forward to in the future.
Coming up in close second though was “green battery power” with a sustainable 18 per cent of the overall vote. Nokia is working tirelessly on energy efficiency and is hugely conscious of the environment, and will continue to push this topic as a matter of course.
Snapping third slot in this week’s poll with 15 per cent of the vote was common awareness between devices. Despite the somewhat ambiguous title, the ambition is quite clear. With Nokia’s drive towards openness and common standards continuing unabated, it’s no surprise to see this topic high on your list. MeeGo, anyone?
Oddly, I thought, was the shift of the more curious features down the list. Taking fourth spot, only 1 per cent behind common awareness, was biometric sensors. These can add all sorts of information and functionality to a device and would certainly introduce a new level of integration with our lives. Of course, it’s a hot topic on here always, spurred on more than anything by the Morph concept.
With fifth and sixth spot respectively, mobile projects picked up 12 per cent of the vote whilst mobile video conferencing snapped 11 per cent. I’m not that surprised that the latter isn’t that big a deal, given how little people seem (to me at least) use video calling on their mobile devices. Equally, the projector concept, whilst potentially great for a business-based smartphone, is perhaps a bit too far fetched to be anything close to mainstream.
As ever, the other category is proving to be a hunting ground for your wide imagination, shedding a lot more light on this topic than we introduced in the original options. Increased power, both for processing and graphics was a hot topic amongst your suggestions and one that I think happens naturally as technology progresses. More interesting are suggestions such as dual screen, fold out screen and and even the suggestion of 3D screens. There were loads of suggestions around improved cameras, better flash technology, increased megapixels and the almost impossible when countering against size, more optical zoom.
This isn’t the end for Conversations and capturing your thoughts on the future. We have something lined up which we’re really excited about. More news on it next week. Meanwhile, your thoughts in the comments below.