Alternative Paper & Pen -UEI’s Future Vision 3-

Are you tired with this series? But I will continue the future story imagined by a computer cowboy.

Do you remember “alternative paper” is one of the concepts of ZeptoTools. This post is related to the concept.

Regarding the Microsoft’s clip again, people seem to use electric paper in the video.

We can find some animation on the newspaper, but I humbly say that it is just redundant. Users want to spend their time in another way rather than watching not so informative animation.

Furthermore, in the clip, detail information will come up by tapping the article. That means only one and small screen is enough to read the newspaper. Such a big screen in the clip is not demanded.

In the future, people will not read newspaper, even if by means of electronic paper.

Then, into what shape will newspaper transform? Ryo predicts that it will into general-purpose reading device, like Kindle.

Kindle is not the exact one Ryo thinks. Though, it indicates the direction to the future form of stationary, it cannot be said as future book. Present books are more legible.

Ryo thinks Kindle will be thicker and a little smaller.

All pages will be liquid-crystal displays. The first model has 64 pages, and the second 128 pages. Little by little, the number of pages will increase.

Because, book is a bundle of paper.

The significant usability of book is turning pages.

But, this prediction may fall short. If people are satisfied with present Kindle, color display and thinner body would be enough renovation of Kindle. 8 pages is enough to display whole information. Because 200 pages is enough at present.

But Ryo wants to remain spreads of the book. So he wants Kindle to be folding shape which has at least 2 screens.

This ASUS’s concept model of dual-screen will be sophisticated in next 10 years. I heard that electronic paper with touch screen has been already innovated though it is still in experimental stage.

These accessories and mobile phones, and HMD (glasses-screen) will share the system each other under some common features.

Pervasive computing is the exact one.

This concept is implied and seems to be main theme in Microsoft’s clip. I make completely no objection to it. Microsoft, by for now, has not shown any concrete ideas of pervasive computing. Ryo personally thinks pervasive computing will be developed not by Microsoft, but by some others.

W3C’s concept is much similar to pervasive computing, but seems not to have so positive attitude to it.

Apple has the potential most. Google may make the similar one and open it.

So, one of them, some of them or any other company will construct the infrastructure of pervasive computing in near future. Microsoft may be one of them.

If the function of screen is transplant into glasses, future mobile will be in pen-like shape.

Also if you want, camera can be built in either pen or glasses like the picture above.

A pen itself is not futuristic, but the shape of pen has potential.

Because, it is long enough to build an antenna and normal batteries in.

10 or 20 years later, no one will use pens with ink, but one’s suit jacket still has inside pocket. Next Jobs (or possibly Lisa Jobs?) will take the pen-mobile out of the pocket without knowing the original use of the pocket. In such scenario, pen-shaped mobile may be introduced in the future, as Jobs took iPod nano from his pocket on the event of its introduction. Apple-addicted boy, Ryo thinks such things.

To be continued… but tomorrow the story will reach the climax!!