I remember cellphones started bringing up some features such as voice control, calculator, text messaging, and and double side screen. It was huge, people would die to get a tiny cellphone. The tinniest the better.
Those were an expensive luxury, which could probably be unnecessary by then. We then had cellphones with color display. That was awesome. It was like having a portable GameBoy on your cellphone. For the quality games were back then, it was amazing.I also loved polyphonic ringtones, which were a second base music-similar tone applied on your cellphone. Who wouldn't love listening to Blink 182's "All the Small Things" when someone called.
However, cellphones were not considered a real need in matters of special features. As long as the cellphone was cute, practical and portable, was OK.
The first cellphone I remember having a camera, had to be de-attached, and it had a VGA quality. It was painful, slow, and ugly.
When cellphones started to display a graphical menu interface, and a Java platform, I remember they rocked. You could actually "multitask". I had a Sony Ericsson Walkman cellphone. I had a 2.0 MP camera, and I could listen to music and do some other stuff at the same time, like using the calculator or text a friend.
I had no interest of investing on a cellphone that would cost me the same as a laptop, having less features than an actual computer.
However, Apple released the iPod touch bringing the same features of the iPhone for a lower cost. I decided to get myself one of those, just for the idea of having a mobile browser at hand.
It felt great. Having that technology at hand. Getting the response on a mobile device that I had never seen before. It brought to my attention that, mobile cellphones felt in a rush to compete with such device: the iPhone.
It felt to me as if cellphone companies were in a race around the world, on which they had started already, and heard a rumor about an upcoming competitor, who would barely start the race. The competitors being on track already, felt to care nothing about such competitor, cause they started already. It was impossible for someone to get tied to them by then.
However, the appearance of the iPhone and its technology, was as significant as having those racers getting to the end, and finding the unexpected. The iPhone was there already. I believe the feeling of those racers (or cellphone companies) was no more than a "No sh**". I can't imagine standing there, on a race you had started already, and finding that someone who had no experience on the area, is years ahead.
Today I read an article on Redmond's Pie that described the ability of the HTC HD2 cellphone, being able to run multi-OS. Now I get the idea where all these smart phones are going to. According to rumors, Apple is working on the new iPhone 5 (nothing you haven't heard about). Which will feature a Dual Core processor, better display, hopefully a better camera, and I assume the antenna issue being fixed.
I can assure that the new iPhone will have the ability to run multi-OS, as the HTC does. Not making this as an official Apple feature, but that it may be able to run Windows Phone 7, or Android. This will become official at the moment Apple allows you to install apps without using the App Store. I honestly don't think this is going to happen.
At least, we have the ability to interact with technology up-to-date. Engineers are striving harder to achieve what no one else can in mobile technology means. We are people, designed to live, walked, run, and move around the world as we desire. We're supposed to get access to stuff we use on a daily basis, without interrupting our lives.
If everything goes fine, we'll probably get to see what Nokia and Cambridge are working on, testing nano technology on a concept Nokia phone called Morph.
