The new Motorola Golden-I device, a Bluetooth/Wi-Fi headset with a 15-inch virtual PC display.

In 2007, Steven P. Jobs stood on a stage in front of hundreds of technology reporters and presented the iPhone, Apple’s latest foray into electronics. At the time, most of the people sitting in the audience were using mobile phones that are now obsolete, including the Palm Treo, Motorola Razr, some early BlackBerry devices and the odd Windows Mobile phone.

Since then, it seems that most cellphone manufacturers have been afflicted with iPhone envy while trying to come up with similar or superior products. Still, despite Microsoft’s announcement this week of its Windows Mobile 7 Series software for smartphones, it looks like phone manufacturers have plateaued on the innovation front. As Ashlee Vance reported put it in The New York Times on Thursday, “the tech industry’s innovation engine is in idle.”

The big question now is: What’s next? Will consumers be satisfied with the current lineup of phones, or will they soon be demanding more?

Here’s my wish list of features I would like to see in the next generation of mobile phones. I’d love to see your lists in the comments below.

1. Mobile Video Conferencing
   I’m still waiting for a little camera to appear on the front of my mobile phone so I can video chat while I’m on the go. Some mobile phone companies, specifically Nokia, have tried this in the past. However, it worked on a very small scale and only allowed Nokia-specific phone chats. For this to work correctly, mobile handset makers will need to allow video chats with computer users and across mobile handsets.
2. Biometric Sensors
   Some of the current biometric sensors used by high-level security companies could easily fit into your mobile phone and add a needed level of security. Adding iris scanning biometrics, for example, could enable higher protection when making purchases on mobile phones and would eliminate the need for current password authentication. It would also deter theft of mobile devices.
3. Common Awareness Between Devices
   Why can’t my phone talk to my computer and share information, including documents I’m reading? Why can’t I start watching a baseball game on my television and then finish it on my phone while I sit on the subway? Some of these features are available with a U.S.B. cable and a lot of dragging, dropping and waiting, but so far, devices can’t talk to one another and seamlessly share content.
4. Green Battery Power
   We’ve come a long way from cellphone battery packs that were as large and heavy as a phone book, but why not add some green to the current batteries? Apple filed a patent two years ago for technology that would integrate a solar cell into the iPhone’s LCD display, allowing the phone to charge when sitting in direct light. This feature would be environmentally friendly, and could avoid cumbersome plugs and a constant need to recharge. (In his article, Mr. Vance noted that NTT DoCoMo showed off a solar-panel phone at the Mobile World Congress.)
5. The End of Wires
   Speaking of self-charging devices, as many of us spend most of our online time in the cloud, why do we still need U.S.B. cables and headphone jacks? I wish that mobile phones could simple share all of our information, including videos, music and documents, wirelessly over Wi-Fi or 3G.
6. Mobile Projectors
   Over the last couple of years, a few phones have entered the marketplace, specifically in China, that include a pico projector. The technology is still in an early stage, but these projectors are extremely small and enable projection of movies, photos and presentations directly from a mobile phone.

via bits

The 800MHz ARM11-powered Samsung Mondi WiMAX MID (SWD-M100) became commercially available today for those in Clearwire’s mobile WiMAX service areas (currently Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Portland, OR) to put the “blazing fast internet in the palm of [their] hand.” The 5.39-ounce Windows Mobile 6.1 slider can be put into the hands of those residing in other US states as well, of course, but those fingers will have to be content with using the Opera 9.5 web browser strictly over WiFi and presumably Bluetooth.

Beginning on August 1st, the 4.88″ x 3.03″ x 0.63″ device will hit the shelves of Clearwire and Best Buy shops, where people can behold the 4.3″ WVGA touchscreen in person and perhaps test out everything learned through perusing the user manual beforehand. For those who can’t wait that long, LetsTalk.com already has the Mondi in stock for $450.

via pocketables

That’ll be the work of an 800MHz chip, then. Odd, since Toshiba’s fully touchscreen TG01 phone has a 1GHz Qualcomm chip. But that ain’t on the shelves in the U of K yet, and until we test and review both contenders, we shall not judge. For further comparison, the supposedly much-improved iPhone 3G S has been revealed to use a 600MHz chip.

So let’s move on. Samsung is pitching speed and power as the Jet’s key selling points, and the 3.6Mbps data connection highlights this by being significantly slower than the 7.2Mbps speed many phones are capable of in the UK, including Sony Ericsson’s forthcoming Satio and the 3G S.

But the Jet looks like a stunning smart phone otherwise, with what could be one of the best screens on the market for watching mobile video, and a metric tonne of cool multimedia features besides — support for high-quality H.264, DivX and Xvid video, for example, iTunes Plus compatibility and a 3.5mm headphone socket, that 5-megapixel autofocusing camera, Microsoft Exchange support, Wi-Fi, a questionable 2GB of internal storage (expandable with microSD cards) and GPS navigation.

Safe to say, when it comes to high-end phones, Samsung’s really beginning to leapfrog Nokia in our estimations these days, and the Jet looks like a stunning rival to the N97 one of us hates so dearly. We’ll be wheeling the Jet in-house for review as soon as possible, and all being well it’ll be on sale in the UK later this month.

via cnet uk

YankoDesign – The next in a long line of contenders for the so-called “Smart Phone.” Featuring a very limited button selection, camera, color screen, and hiding feature, (and not much else,) here comes the “Cute Phone!” It requires only one more feature to be true to the culture: a hole to hang colorful keychains and blinky beads!

Blinky trinkets is what this phone needs! You know, the kind you buy in the whole of Europe, street vendors in Rome, London, and most important: the entirety of Japan.

A quick lesson in Japanese! The word “Kawaii” in Japanese is close to the word “Cute” in English. The difference is, there’s a large “counterculture” tied to Kawaii. A whole lifestyle!

Your first example is this post. The images you see here depict the “Moto Concept” by Mr. Liang. It’s inner workings and functions he leaves to us to guess. The cuteness is clear!

Super Kawaii!

Designer: Joseph Liang

This is just for the record. We all know that Android has landed. So which phone in the market is the first phone to implement Android? T-Mobile’s G1 is the first Android phone to hit the market. But besides Google’s brand new OS, the G1 packs 3G data speeds, a comfortable keyboard, and a 3-MP camera. Inside you’ll find Amazon’s over-the-air music store that offers DRM-free music. Google Maps with the enhanced Street View Compass features, and an entire Android application store for adding games, such as PacMan, social networking apps, and more.

Verizon Wireless’ new BlackBerry Storm 9530 takes RIM (Research In Motion) into the touch arena, featuring a large display with an on-screen keyboard, a 3.2-MP camera, GPS, and Verizon Wireless’ 3G data speeds. Are you big on travel? Well, this Storm supports UMTS 3G data speeds in France, Italy, Japan, Spain, and UK. The large screen can be used for editing Excel sheets on the go or catching up on a flick during the morning commute. Verizon and RIM are still to set the price for this smart phone.

AT&T invites you to indulge in the Samsung Epix, a smart phone that piles on the goods. Comprising a 2.6-inch touchscreen TFT display, full QWERTY keyboard, and Samsung’s trademark optical mouse, you’ll enjoy the smoothest windows Mobile 6.1 Pro experience yet. Onboard HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity will keep up with your fast pace, and support for AT&T’s multimedia services (Mobile Music, Media Net, CV, and Video Share) plus a microSD slot will keep you entertained. The Epic includes a 2-megapixel camera with video capabilities, Microsoft Outlook and Office Mobile, and assisted GPS (AGPS) navigation. This sophisticated 4.4-ounce handset has all the makings of the ideal work-and-play smart phone.