#1 How about using a mobile phone as a heart rate monitor? The H’andy Sana is a nifty and very possibly life saving touch-screen phone which lets the user measure their own heartbeat with its Heart Suite app. This allows the user to not only take their Electrocardiogram (ECG) but also send this important information to a medical professional who can then advise them on the results. Surely this cracking piece of technologies title ‘The Doctor in the Pocket’ is well deserved.
#2 Getting around here and there through various checkpoints on underground systems, picking up train tickets and oyster cards could well be a thing of the past very soon. With the developments of NFC coming thick and fast, this technology could see your mobile phone handling all of these daily routines for you. Not only that but there are heaps of other possibilities that can be exercised here too, such as paying for items in supermarkets instead of using your bank card and sharing your business card details directly to your phone . Can’t wait to see what happens!
#3 Again on the medical way of thinking, it has been predicted that within 5 years there will be a chip made available that can analyze swab or blood samples by slotting it into a mobile phone. This will ultimately free up waiting rooms by speeding up test results, allowing medical staff to act more quickly than they would usually be able to. Operational paramedics would also be able to use these devices for use in the field, which is truly awesome.
#4 Utilising mobile in education is another brilliant use of the phones we take for granted. When I was in school if you were found to have a mobile phone turned on in class or even in the hallways, you would not be seeing your phone again until the end of the day! But, some campuses instead of fearing mobile are embracing it and seizing the opportunities to engage their student body through mobile, spreading important information such as events or emergency warnings. This we like the sound of a lot.
#5 How about the trend of tracking your carbon emissions and offsetting them? Yep, you can do that too. For both newer Nokia Lumia phones (Carbon Trip from the Marketplace) and those rocking Symbian devices (CO2 Track from the Nokia Store) – we can all now alleviate our guilt at jetting off by making a contribution to carbon offset projects.
This is just our list, however, and we’re always open to suggestions. So what do you think are the best uses of your smartphone? And how could you use it in the future? Let us know in the comments, or @Nokia_Connects.