Friday, June 18, 2010
No longer on blogspot.
I've brought the blog over to my site. Head on over to http://blog.jtheadlines.com/wordpress/ for my latest posts. Goodbye, blogger!
A Dreamer's look at Where Mobile is Going
The mobile gadget realm is moving forward at an unprecedented pace (notice that I no longer say "smartphone", as Apple has shown that the tablet has finally caught on as a form factor as well). Silicon Valley is now engaged in a high stakes race to the top, or in the case of RIM, a race to stay at the top for as long as possible.
While the first half of the decade brought us multimedia devices galore and smartphones for savvier business users, the release of the iPhone in 2007 proved that, when wrapped in an accessible software interface, creating an "all in one" device could lead to mainstream success.
Flash forward to today, where Google's Android platform is spreading from carrier to carrier like wildfire, Apple is doing its best to maintain its role as leader in innovation, and RIM and Microsoft alike struggle to remain relevant.
Anything less than a 1 GHz processor, such as the Snapdragon or Apple's custom A4, seems paltry in comparison to what is expected. It appears that front facing cameras, which have been predicted as becoming standard since 3G cell phones hit the market, are finally ready to make their debut. And with carriers (I'm looking at you, AT&T!) being pushed to the limit of network data usage, 4G is already being pushed for by consumers. Honestly, before the Evo 4G, did anyone envision consumers clamoring for a device exclusive to Sprint?
Okay, so obviously the tech behind our mobile devices is moving forward. But I would say that the rate of progress is compounding. The Evo 4G has HDMI output. The iPhone 4 lets users not only film in 720p (Many still don't have high definition televisions, folks) but EDIT the footage on their device as well. Think about that for a second. Mainstream computers would have had trouble with that less than a decade ago. If you look outside of cell phones, the upcoming Nintendo 3DS will provide 3D visuals to the masses, without the clunky glasses. And while holding your music collection in the palm of your hand was being at the forefront of technology a decade ago, today most devices are capable of holding all of your movies, music, books, and games on Flash memory. Brave New World for media lovers, huh?
Now that we've gotten the past behind us, let's move on to the future (both puns intended). Where will all of this progress lead? Whilst pondering this question aboard a transcontinental flight, I decided to have a bit of fun, and created a spec sheet for what I believe (hope?) the average mobile gadget will look like in 2012-13. Additionally, despite the risk of ruthless fanboys, I created a "future history" for the various contenders in the current race, based on where they are now. Let's start with the specs, shall we?
For screens, I expect the current sizes to remain the norm, wight the view outliers going for the "not-quite-a-tablet-not-quite-a-phone" niche. However, resolutions should increase drastically, with Apple eventually upgrading the Retina display to 960 by 1440 pixels, and others simply making the jump to 720p. The battle between LED based screens and traditional backlit LCDs will continue, with users going with whatever they prefer (battery life versus sunlight use). I also believe that innovators will bring Nintendo's 3D screens to cellular and tablet devices, which I will discuss later.
Cameras will continue to increase in resolution, with 12 megapixel cameras likely being the norm. Certainly all will have some form of flash, and front facing cameras will become both mainstream and increase in resolution.
Internal storage will likely increase to a 32 GB minimum, with all non-Apple products containing a SDHC slot. With Flash memory capacity growing at its current rate, expect higher end options to include 128 GB of internal storage.
ARM and Intel's Atom will continue to battle it out for mobile supremacy, with AMD also entering the ring at some point. Most devices will be using dual-core processors and GPUs capable of outputting 1080p and games with rudimentary shaders. RAM capacity will probably increase to 1024 MB for most devices, with the lower end looking at 512 to 768 MB of RAM.
Going back to my statement about the use of 3D screens, I believe that with a combination of these and front facing cameras, innovators will be able to give us new interfaces approaching those shown in the Iron Man films. Obviously we won't have fully interactive 3D CAD on our phones, but I can envision a mobile Google SketchUp controlled with hand gestures in front of the camera, and control of media players with waves of the hand (which some Nokia phones have now, by the way!). Devices with integrated projectors or HDMI output would open up even more possibilities for controlling desktop-scale applications run on the mobile device and connected to the cloud.
Now, for predictions about individual companies. I'll begin with Apple, the comeback kid of tech. Apple will continue to innovate in the mobile space, with less of a focus on the desktop market a possibility. In this scenario, I envision Apple reducing its product line to the iPod, iPhone, Macbook (based on the current Pro), iPad, and potentially the Mac mini. Apple would continue to improve on MobileMe, creating cloud versions of iWork. The only reason I do not see the elimination of the Mac desktop as a definite possibility is the fact that Apple loves to have its own closed platform, and many developers like having the power of a desktop when coding and working on art, especially for games. I expect that within the next two years Apple will have the second largest market share for "smart" mobile devices.
Next we have the advertising giant Google. Google's open platform strategy will be the key to its success in mobile. By letting anyone and everyone have a go at making Android devices, the quality and capability of these devices has increased at a practically exponential rate. Much like Windows, this competition had led to better hardware and lower prices, and I think that it will not be long before the majority of Android devices are equal or better than the iPhone in terms of quality, with a lower price point. The only way that I see for Apple to maintain its lead over Android is for the iPhone to become available on at least one more carrier, at which point the competition would bring the price down through higher subsidies.
While the Blackberry has served business users well for the last decade, it has been unable to appeal to the average consumer. It is for this reason that I believe that RIM will be a much smaller factor in the future smart device market. Its recent efforts to try and increase appeal, such as the creation of the Blackberry App Store, Curve, and Storm, have been less popular than the competition. The only advantage RIM currently has is its proficiency for enterprise uses. When the competition's use of the cloud and enterprise integration matures, RIM will need to find some other way to differentiate itself on the market.
Last (and maybe least) is Microsoft and its Windows Phone 7 platform. While certainly an improvement over the "desktop stuffed into a phone" experience of Windows Mobile 6, 7 appears to be another case of too little, too late. Even with the use of .NET, XNA, and Silverlight for developers, the platform simply won't be mature enough to give developers a reason to spend time porting or making new apps. And without apps, what incentive will consumers have to move to Windows Phone 7. Of course, this is assuming Microsoft doesn't release killer apps itself, such as an entry in the Halo series or a somehow useful version of Microsoft Office. But even these could only do so much to entice users.
While the first half of the decade brought us multimedia devices galore and smartphones for savvier business users, the release of the iPhone in 2007 proved that, when wrapped in an accessible software interface, creating an "all in one" device could lead to mainstream success.
Flash forward to today, where Google's Android platform is spreading from carrier to carrier like wildfire, Apple is doing its best to maintain its role as leader in innovation, and RIM and Microsoft alike struggle to remain relevant.
Anything less than a 1 GHz processor, such as the Snapdragon or Apple's custom A4, seems paltry in comparison to what is expected. It appears that front facing cameras, which have been predicted as becoming standard since 3G cell phones hit the market, are finally ready to make their debut. And with carriers (I'm looking at you, AT&T!) being pushed to the limit of network data usage, 4G is already being pushed for by consumers. Honestly, before the Evo 4G, did anyone envision consumers clamoring for a device exclusive to Sprint?
Okay, so obviously the tech behind our mobile devices is moving forward. But I would say that the rate of progress is compounding. The Evo 4G has HDMI output. The iPhone 4 lets users not only film in 720p (Many still don't have high definition televisions, folks) but EDIT the footage on their device as well. Think about that for a second. Mainstream computers would have had trouble with that less than a decade ago. If you look outside of cell phones, the upcoming Nintendo 3DS will provide 3D visuals to the masses, without the clunky glasses. And while holding your music collection in the palm of your hand was being at the forefront of technology a decade ago, today most devices are capable of holding all of your movies, music, books, and games on Flash memory. Brave New World for media lovers, huh?
Now that we've gotten the past behind us, let's move on to the future (both puns intended). Where will all of this progress lead? Whilst pondering this question aboard a transcontinental flight, I decided to have a bit of fun, and created a spec sheet for what I believe (hope?) the average mobile gadget will look like in 2012-13. Additionally, despite the risk of ruthless fanboys, I created a "future history" for the various contenders in the current race, based on where they are now. Let's start with the specs, shall we?
For screens, I expect the current sizes to remain the norm, wight the view outliers going for the "not-quite-a-tablet-not-quite-a-phone" niche. However, resolutions should increase drastically, with Apple eventually upgrading the Retina display to 960 by 1440 pixels, and others simply making the jump to 720p. The battle between LED based screens and traditional backlit LCDs will continue, with users going with whatever they prefer (battery life versus sunlight use). I also believe that innovators will bring Nintendo's 3D screens to cellular and tablet devices, which I will discuss later.
Cameras will continue to increase in resolution, with 12 megapixel cameras likely being the norm. Certainly all will have some form of flash, and front facing cameras will become both mainstream and increase in resolution.
Internal storage will likely increase to a 32 GB minimum, with all non-Apple products containing a SDHC slot. With Flash memory capacity growing at its current rate, expect higher end options to include 128 GB of internal storage.
ARM and Intel's Atom will continue to battle it out for mobile supremacy, with AMD also entering the ring at some point. Most devices will be using dual-core processors and GPUs capable of outputting 1080p and games with rudimentary shaders. RAM capacity will probably increase to 1024 MB for most devices, with the lower end looking at 512 to 768 MB of RAM.
Going back to my statement about the use of 3D screens, I believe that with a combination of these and front facing cameras, innovators will be able to give us new interfaces approaching those shown in the Iron Man films. Obviously we won't have fully interactive 3D CAD on our phones, but I can envision a mobile Google SketchUp controlled with hand gestures in front of the camera, and control of media players with waves of the hand (which some Nokia phones have now, by the way!). Devices with integrated projectors or HDMI output would open up even more possibilities for controlling desktop-scale applications run on the mobile device and connected to the cloud.
Now, for predictions about individual companies. I'll begin with Apple, the comeback kid of tech. Apple will continue to innovate in the mobile space, with less of a focus on the desktop market a possibility. In this scenario, I envision Apple reducing its product line to the iPod, iPhone, Macbook (based on the current Pro), iPad, and potentially the Mac mini. Apple would continue to improve on MobileMe, creating cloud versions of iWork. The only reason I do not see the elimination of the Mac desktop as a definite possibility is the fact that Apple loves to have its own closed platform, and many developers like having the power of a desktop when coding and working on art, especially for games. I expect that within the next two years Apple will have the second largest market share for "smart" mobile devices.
Next we have the advertising giant Google. Google's open platform strategy will be the key to its success in mobile. By letting anyone and everyone have a go at making Android devices, the quality and capability of these devices has increased at a practically exponential rate. Much like Windows, this competition had led to better hardware and lower prices, and I think that it will not be long before the majority of Android devices are equal or better than the iPhone in terms of quality, with a lower price point. The only way that I see for Apple to maintain its lead over Android is for the iPhone to become available on at least one more carrier, at which point the competition would bring the price down through higher subsidies.
While the Blackberry has served business users well for the last decade, it has been unable to appeal to the average consumer. It is for this reason that I believe that RIM will be a much smaller factor in the future smart device market. Its recent efforts to try and increase appeal, such as the creation of the Blackberry App Store, Curve, and Storm, have been less popular than the competition. The only advantage RIM currently has is its proficiency for enterprise uses. When the competition's use of the cloud and enterprise integration matures, RIM will need to find some other way to differentiate itself on the market.
Last (and maybe least) is Microsoft and its Windows Phone 7 platform. While certainly an improvement over the "desktop stuffed into a phone" experience of Windows Mobile 6, 7 appears to be another case of too little, too late. Even with the use of .NET, XNA, and Silverlight for developers, the platform simply won't be mature enough to give developers a reason to spend time porting or making new apps. And without apps, what incentive will consumers have to move to Windows Phone 7. Of course, this is assuming Microsoft doesn't release killer apps itself, such as an entry in the Halo series or a somehow useful version of Microsoft Office. But even these could only do so much to entice users.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
BitMob Spotlight
So only two articles into my game journalism career and I'm already on the front page (kinda) of a decently sized community! BitMob must be having a slow week, huh?
For my self-centered interest.
For my self-centered interest.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Second article up on BitMob!
This one's about my experiences with the iPod touch and my opinions on the gaming on the iPad.
Here it is, for your reading pleasure.
Here it is, for your reading pleasure.
Wanting to get into the digital publishing business?
So with the reveal of the new technology Adobe created for Wired's new iPad app, I can't help but feel the itch of wanting to try this stuff out.
But what to publish? If anyone has any ideas, feel free to offer them. I'm thinking an interactive twist on the "Choose your adventure" style books could be interesting...
But what to publish? If anyone has any ideas, feel free to offer them. I'm thinking an interactive twist on the "Choose your adventure" style books could be interesting...
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Now with Facebook Connect!
We've implemented Facebook Connect, so you can now log in to our site using your Facebook account and chat LIVE with other users while at the same time posting to your wall!
JTHeadlines.com
JTHeadlines.com
Saturday, April 3, 2010
... Profit!
The website has officially become profitable. We've taken in enough revenue to keep the site up well into next year. Thanks to all who visited, we hope to keep providing you with the latest news. And remember to come back when we release our "Local News" section!
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