In the 21st century screens have become increasingly common, with at least one in each room in my house it’s hard to say you can ever live without them. In particular the mobile phone has evolved, from the classic brick phone with an antenna to more high tech devices with much bigger screens.
My Previous and Current Phones
2002 Nokia 3200 | 2007 Motorola V3x | 2009 Nokia E63
In my childhood up to the age of 13 I never owned a phone. However when I became 14 I was exposed into the new world of mobile phone culture. From starting off with the classic ‘second hand’ Nokia 3200, it had a 1 inch screen and polyphonic ringtones. Then when I got older I got my first brand new mobile, the Motorola V3x. It was a flip phone with two screens, mp3 ringtones and a 2 megapixel camera. Welcoming in 2009 I got my first smartphone, the Nokia e65. A with a full QWERTY keyboard, Camera, Internet, music player and a screen which trumps all of the previous phones I’ve ever got.
This trip down memory lane has got me thinking (in conjunction with this week’s topic) it got me thinking, what’s next with the mobile phone?
Having replaced the standard landline the mobile phone aims to replace more and more forms of hardware currently in existence. This is achieved because the mobile has evolved to the point where it’s more than my 2003 phone. Incorporating attributes from other gadgets like television shows, radio, games, movies, etc… the term mobile phone seems to be an understatement to what the mobile phone 2.0 can really do.
With all of this new technology crammed into these bite sized phones, its hard to ignore these screens. the advantage of having multiple applications and physical features. Phones have opened the door to an obsessive consumption of mobile data. As mentioned before its hard in my house to avoid a screen as everything nowadays regardless of if it’s needed has a one. Furthermore in public as well its hard to avoid screens because in reality there is always on in your front pocket. The mobile is arguably an efficient tool to multitask even in the most unlikely areas.
‘A stalled elevator, a car stuck in a traffic jam, a seat in a doctors office when you’re waiting endlessly for an appointment – a wireless device, whether a cell phone, blackberry or iPhone, makes all of those formerly useless places useful’ (Levinson, 2009)
Going back to my comparison between my previous mobiles and gadgets and my new ones, it’s hard to grasp that in only a short amount of time technology has advanced. When it comes to whether mobiles will be dominant in the 21st Century I agree that mobiles have become more than just simple calling devices. Welcome to the age of the touch screen iPhones and QWERTY Keyboard Nokia Phones. Which will lead us into the of phones like:
Future Phones Concepts
Pomegranate Phone | Nokia Aeon | Nokia Morph | HTC Touch HD
