Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
The Future Of Cell Phones
Designers around the world are busy designing the next generation of cell phones that will still drop calls - but look exceptionally cool doing it.
Here's one design that reminds me of the data goggles from Neal Stephensons' 1992 novel Snow Crash.
(Nokia's next cell phone/game system?)
Here's another design that engages sight, sound, smell and touch. The intent of the design is that it can both detect and emit odors, as well as radiate colors, light and temperature from the caller's environment - helping you stay in touch.
(Touch your caller by phone)
The idea that you could identify a caller by some combination of touch and smell reminds me of the amazing capabilities of science fiction writer Frederik Pohl's Joymaker, a combination phone and PDA from his prescient 1966 novel The Age of the Pussyfoot. In the novel, Forrester is brought back to life from cryonic storage; he is not quite prepared for the capabilities of his Joymaker phone, which politely asks if he is ready to pick up his message from a Miss Bensen.
Forrester did not know what to expect but was pleasantly ready for anything.What he got was indeed a kiss. It was disconcerting. No kissing lips were visible. There was a hint of perfumed breath, then a pressure on the lips - warm and soft, moist and sweet.
Startled, he touched his mouth. "How the devil did you do that?" he shouted.
"Sensory stimulation through the tactile net, Man Forrester..." (Read more about the phone with the tactile net kiss)
Cell phone design is advancing along all fronts; take a look at WolframTones Cell Phone Tones from cellular automata and the Origami cell phone concept. Take a look at more of these futuristic cell phone designs here, here and here.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 6/20/2006)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 3 )
Related News Stories - (" Communication ")
Mouth Haptics Invented By Frederik Pohl In 1965, CMU Now Has Prototype
'What he got was indeed a kiss. It was disconcerting. No kissing lips were visible.' - Frederik Pohl, 1965.
True Crime Live Podcasting In Fiction
'And loving it too, those millions. Bloodthirsty to the last one of them.' - Harl Vincent, 1939.
Zoom Adds Real-Time, Live Translation
'He immediately turned the small shining disc of the Language Rectifier..' - Hugo Gernsback, 1911.
Will The Super Bowl Go To Pay Per View?
'...this afternoon’s football game cost each person who had one of the television screens one dollar for the privilege.' - Dr. David H. Keller, 1929.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Small Town Wants 60 License Plate Readers
'the registration number which the traffic control automatically photographed as she left the controlway...'
Lightyear 0 World's First Production-Ready Solar Car
'It could maintain a steady six miles per hour...'
AI Robots Excel At Trash Sorting And Recycling
'Then they press one of these here thirteen buttons...'
Could Increased Space Rocketry Damage The Ozone Layer?
'...without burning a single hydrocarbon molecule to injure the diseased atmosphere any further.'
Dyson's Secret Household Robots
'...work a human being does around a house.'
Festo BionicSwift Bird Robots Described In 1930
'Bird-like robots now descended from the ceiling of the theatre...'
Robotics Jobs In The Food Industry
'The efficient robot waiter of the Sky Club had cleared away the remnants of an epicurean meal.'
Prototype 3D Printer Could Print Arteries In Seconds
'...in the tank the new body and the new mind and memory and life has taken almost instant form.'
China Wants 'Hard Kill' Capability To Counter Starlink Satellites
'pirate three-vee satellites sanded out of orbit...'
Low-Cost Gel Pulls Water From Atmosphere Like Star Wars Vaporator
'The atmosphere yielded its moisture with reluctance. It had to be coaxed down...'
Pixy Flying Selfie Drone From Snap
'It hovered behind him like a large tame bee.'
Smallest Remote-Controlled Walking Robot Crabs
A robot 'as big as a dust grain.'
Pleasure Model Replicants Now Available
'Want a life-companion... sir, I can get you up any style you want.'
Robot Covered In Living Human Skin
'Hey buddy, you got a dead cat in there or what?'
Dall-E 2 Creates Art To Order
'Something different,' she said. 'Maybe a combined Miro and Goya.'
SpaceX Rocket Quick Reaction Force
'... the ship went into free flight, arching in a high parabola.'
