Mobile Tech - Samsung Goes Minority Report

Mobiles, compact devices that have comes leaps and bounds from their invention way back in the 80s. Tech has come a long way in the last 40-years and the advancements made have almost been exponential when looking at the technology that is now embedded in standard mobile phones. Cost of handsets have steadily increased as utility reaches that of a computer, taking your life and work with you anywhere. The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X was an industry aimed device allowing calls on the go, costing a whopping $4000, a hefty amount back then indeed. Consumer driven markets have very much taken over since then and we see new inventions coming from mobile manufacturers all the time. Things can sometimes get stale and packing in marginal performance increments doesn’t always give a reason to upgrade. With the arrival of 5G, mobile manufacturers will be looking to pull ahead in the coming generations of mobile tech.

Samsung, a giant in the mobile industry have been around since the very beginning with their first mobile coming out in the late 80s. The tech giant has thrived with success, albeit with a few explosive wobbles here and there. It’s almost 2020 and tech is reaching new heights with some concepts starting to resemble futuristic Sci-Fi flicks. Somewhere in a galaxy far away, Samsung are brewing their latest piece of tech to unleash on the market. The new Galaxy S11 will be set to battle against Apple’s latest iteration of the iPhone. So what’s next in store for the Korean flagship handset? Samsung are known to be daring and ambitious. News of their latest patent indicates a new type of docking station that will project holographic images into the air above.

What might be something similar to Minority Report, users might be keeping an eye on their phone notifications in one of the coolest way yet. Holographic projection hasn’t seen widespread use but Samsung feel that their implementation will let users experience convenience not seen yet. It doesn’t stop there either, detail around interaction through gesture control are set to allow basic navigation and actions such as skipping tracks through music. While this might seem of limited utility if you’re sitting at a desk, those who are driving will be able to glance over if the phone is mounted on a dashboard.

3D projection seems exciting but Samsung see value in keeping things as simple as possible so that users and developers can make use of this exciting feature. The intention of the holograms is to project 2D information while a phone is stowed away flat. Photos will also be projected and Samsung seem to be confident in their projector tech. It remains to be seen how people will really leverage such technology, the S11 should be packing a few more gadgets closer to release date and I look forward to hearing more.