Invisible Computer in Visible Future -UEI’s Future Vision the Final-

By the way, 10 years later, what will happen to computers in the office?

Ryo says there will be no computer in the offices.

At first I couldn’t believe his words, because he loves computers so much! But I understand the meaning of his words as he continued the story.

In the future, People won’t use computers except some who have computer-specialized jobs.

It is only during these 10 years that each people in the office became able to use at least one computer. So, situation will change greatly as well.

Now, liquid-crystal display is widely used. But it was so expensive only a few years ago and instead of it, CRT was taking space on the desk. Thanks to the low price of note PC, address-free offices became possible.

The next stage of “note PC” will be “no PC.”

In fact, now, more people can do their work only with iPhone.

Firstly, “no PC” life will be started by the persons whose work is done mainly by meeting and exchanging e-mail. Such persons lack of time and have higher status, so people around them can adjust their schedule to the persons. Gradually, “no PC” life style will prevail into the people who does not always use PC. And after 10 years, there is no computer in the office.

Furthermore, business e-mail has much redundant. Greetings nor Salutations are not necessary.

Actually, between colleagues in the same company, less and less greetings are used. The day would come before so long when people use only content words in their e-mail, “next week, meeting, afternoon, member XX, CC all,” like this. You may not believe but only for about 10 years since all colleagues have their e-mail address of their company.

So, 10 years is enough time to make work style change so different.

The number of computers is increasing rapidly. So, one day, it may turn on its head.

Because computers are big, space taker, and not convenient. Cannot bring in my pocket.

Note PC is after all, “note” PC.

The size won’t be smaller than the PC like type P. However, this size is still a bit too large to bring in one’s pocket. Even in one’s pocket, PC will protrude whilst walking like the clip above.

In Microsoft’s clip, there seems to be no computer. It may be common and unspoken agreement that a computer as a device is disappearing from the office. Considering this, Microsoft predicts the relevant future. Present PC is denied in a sense by the company whose heart of products is PC.

PC will dissolve into a form which is accessed by new paper or new card.

In the world as such, Microsoft will develop their computer. Won’t they?

This is the future story Ryo told me the other day.After I heard the story, I felt a concern for salesmen of Microsoft. My one concern is that they may be confused by the clip, thinking “which Windows should I sell?”

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!!

Lose the Shape -UEI’s Future Vision 2-

If people can manipulate a mobile and use the functions of it without its screen nor key pad, hands of human being becomes free again while they are walking.

To use an advanced mobile, people always use at least one hand. If the mobile is not advanced, they have to use two hands.

However, future mobile which adopt the technology of mobile computing, does not need to use hands.

When you want to get information, you read the info on the screen of glasses or on the mobile-screen shaped like book.

Remember when you use a mobile. Human beings, or recent mobile human beings use a mobile switching two modes.

One is an active mode which is sending and receiving information, such as sending e-mail, writing one’s blog or searching for something on the web.

The other is passive mode which is only receiving information, like seeing other’s blog, reading spam mails, or surfing social network sites and so on. It’s the mode just killing time.

Generally, most of people’s mobile experience is the latter, passive mode.

Ryo likes writing his blog, but he says that he would be tired if he spent the most of the day writing the blog with his mobile.90% purpose to use mobile is to kill time. It may not the case only for Ryo.

If this fact thought, it can be said that human beings check or use mobiles when they want to receive information passively.

Then, there is no need for mobiles to keep the shape of “mobile phone.”

The shape doesn’t have to be fixed. Shape of book, glasses, or anything else.

But, in the present shape of “mobile phone,”  a communication tool, a battery, and a liquid-crystal display are contained in minimized size which science technology can offer now. Actually, in the past, the shape was smaller, but became rather bigger because characters or screen was too small and the usability was not good.

However, few intellectual activities are done with mobile. So few, that there is no problem for mobile to remove the function for intellectual activity.

You can get the information for pleasure or kill time on the glasses-screen.

With a mini-camera in the glasses-screen, reading the movement of eye, computer roughly understand which part of the information you are reading, or which you ignore. By doing it, the screen will automatically proceede pages. And proceeding pages is enough function for the receiving information.

During passive mode, people don’t expect useful or new information.

For example, on Twitter, Ryo follows more than 300 users, and is followed by more than 1300 users, but 90% of the information is just “twitter.”

As TV, the extreme way which continually provides exciting information need to be watched.

Both when one sees good pages randomly chosen, like on Stumbleuupon, and when on Trumblr, see one’s favourite time lines, to sum up, are just seeing something.

Like Cover Flow of Safari4, the screen is always displayed within your visibility, and if you find something new, you just make some action (shaking mobile, using device for input and output etc.) to know more about the information.

If the Cover Flow of Safari 4 is futuristic browser, our a year ago project was really relevant to it.

However, the present system of mobiles is not completely suitable for “just seeing” something aimlessly.

There are not much enough contents for mobiles nor agencies to make and maintain the contents. The task from now on is how stimulate the motivation to do it.

It can be said that present Trumber or social bookmarks are not for general, but for some fans. The fans intensely use them. To be for general, one should not be specialized something. If such bookmarks become for general people, they may become boring at the same time because they lack speciality.

I should not ignore that mobile are communication tools, and screens are necessary for the function after all.

But how many contacts are created in your phonebook? 10? 50? Or 100? Only well-experienced sales men or secret brokers need to access to all of 100 contacts immediately. For them, I definitely recommend using mobiles with screens.

If one usually make phone calls within less than 10 people, one’s mobile does not need such a great screen.

How about pen-shape mobile? Turning and pushing the button, isn’t it enough handling to make a phone call? To input contact list, one’s mobile just touch the others, or send the information by e-mail or something.

That sounds a little unrealistic, but not impossible. With the glasses-screen, one can use the pen-shape mobile as a pointing device.

To be continued…

Disappearing Screens -UEI’s Future Vision 1-

This is the story of the future imagined by a Japanese cyberspace cowboy, Ryo.

As a leading company, Microsoft shows the bright future vision and image of IT in this clip.

Like Microsoft, I’d like big companies to make people happy with their bright vision. This clip is really cool. It’s clear and easy to understand the convenience of future technology and how will the technology become. It also shows the clear direction of the business world.

But, if I could say, when will the transparent touch screen be made?  By 2019, will it ready for sale? Actually 10 years ago, Japanese mobile company made a video under the similar concept to it. In addition, the cool technologies in the clip are unrelated to the products of Microsoft. No Windows, no Office.  They predicts completely new products of their brand?

Contrary to it, Apple’s Knowledge Navigator visualized the “future products of Apple.”

Anyway, Microsoft shows the vision as a leading company. Then, what do we, UEI, as a follower company, show our vision?

Ryo thinks, in the future, there is few screens on everything.

Microsoft seems to be going to expand the possibility of “Windows,” he thinks the function of screen will be less important thought still some needed. Rather, computers will be less and less.

In our future life, computer will disappear. At least, it will completely transform.

For example, thought, Microsoft shows “Digital Wallet,” he thinks the future wallet differently.

Because we’ve already used “Felica,” a  wallet in mobile which can function as a wallet, credit cards, transportation cards, point cards, without switching the functions on the screen. Adopting the technology of Felica, many cards are easily integrated into one device.  You can use even when the device’s power is off because it is magnetic device.

So, “Felica” is the good example of no-screen computing, sometimes, no-power.  Technology of this kind will be expanded wholly  in the future.

However, screens won’t disappear suddenly. Many people, including Ryo, will be troubled by such sudden disappearing of screens. Little by little, not sure in 10 or 20 years, but it will disappear before so long.

Instead, as alternative to the screens, for instance, glasses will be used.

On the glasses, information of what you see in real time is displayed. This is the next stage. I cannot say so confidently that it become popular. It also can be said such glasses won’t be popular.

In any case, finally people need not read words. “Inspiration” comes to you when you are walking.

“That restaurant seems to be good.”

Inspiration like this is sent by the mobile directly to you. You may think it is unrealistic, considering the development of neuroscience. But Ryo dares to think for the future of 10 years after. Impossibility will make things progress.

In addition, “notification” only is not so difficult. Vibration of a mobile is the function to notify something.

The vibration “tells” something when you are walking on the road. From the patterns of vibration, you can know what it “tells,” such as receiving e-mail, incoming call or  notification that your something favourite is near.

This time, one of the patterns of them tells you that your favourite restaurant is near.

You happen to be hungry, so you go to the restaurant. The restaurant’s owner pays the affiliate fee  to the agency for your entering.

As this example shows, screens are not needed.

Inspiration, rather, like a situation someone who knows you well notifies on your shoulder. Like friends, lovers, the person who understand your favourite, it can tell you which restaurant is your favourite without words. If this “conversation” is done appropriately, it can be said smooth communication method.

Input your detail profile or preferences, the mobile analyses your preference and suggest suitable things. Having such a mobile phone, you can get the information without seeing screens.

To be continued…