Mobile Phone Concepts

Nobody knew that when Dr. Martin Cooper walked out onto the streets of New York in 1973, holding a Motorola DynaTAC (pictured to the right; image courtesy of Wikipedia) and making the first mobile call in history, it would be the start of something big.

Today there aren't many people left who don't own a mobile phone (inhabitants of third world countries are the obvious exception). Just look around in a busy street and you will see someone using a mobile device everywhere you look. The last 10 years has seen an explosion in the number of mobile consumers. Even developing countries like India and China have seen a boom in mobile user and are now the largest growth markets for mobile phone manufacturers.

And those consumers want more and more features. A top of the line phone from a few years ago with a 2 mp camera, texting, mms and some media features is an ancient relic in comparison to phones with touch, GPS, Geo-tagging, email, Wifi and video capabilities. The mobile phone is becoming a personal hub of communication and digital life. In Japan more and more youngsters use their phone as their primary means to email, text, call and interact with one another which has lead to a drop in sales in notebooks and pc's. For business users their phone is their email, calendar, call, text and contacts hub, synching with their companies servers and pc at home.

With the demand for more features growing, manufacturers want to meet those demands. They design concepts and use these to study possible technologies and design and research market demand. Just trying to figure out if their vision of the future of mobile technology can be used for real world application. But sometimes they just want to show off and give an example of their ingenuity and technical know-how.

That showing off has lead to some amazing designs. And those designs are featured in this lens.

Another Nokia concept is the Eco Sensor. The Nokia Research Center developed this concept to design a phone which helps to reduce our personal environmental footprint. It should help you to communicate and stay in contact with friends and family, but also provide you information on your health and environment.

The concept consists of 2 parts. There's a wearable sensor unit which gathers data on health, environment and local weather. The other part is the phone itself, which is the catalyst of all that data and your communication hub. Software applications (both device and web based) ranging from fitness development to footprint reduction could be used to enhance the experience.

The phone is made from bio and reused materials for a small footprint and uses printed electronics technology to create smaller devices. This should also lead to creating smaller and more energy efficient batteries which should also leave a smaller footprint.

This concept has a good chance of becoming reality in the near future. The biggest challenges will be size, but already there are sensors on the consumer market who could make these readings. It will be just a matter of combining the features. If this will happen remains to be seen: it is a concept after all.

You can find out more about this concept on the Nokia Eco Sensor website.

Images courtesy of Nokia

There's no denying that the name just says it all in this Pei-Hua Hang designed concept.

Main focus of the concept is the way images are being captured by phone. In stead of using an LCD screen as viewer you capture what you see looking through a frame which consists of a transparent screen with a camera centered in it. Interaction with the phone is done through touchscreen technology. The concept is made from reused materials, making it more eco friendly and sustainable.

Images courtesy of Yanko Design

"Going green" has been one of those marketing themes that has popped up the last couple of years and many manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon. Don't get me wrong: more sustainable design is of course good news.

Siemens wanted to make a green statement as well and came up with these 2 concepts designed by Formwelt Studio from Germany.

Leaf


Leaf has an invisible and embedded OLED screen, is made from eco plastics and has a natural design which should remind you of a leaf in spring.



Solar


Solar is aimed at the high-end user. Like the name implicates its entire surface is a solar panel which makes it self-charging. Made with easy seperable materials, it has a OLED touchpad with function-depending key indication.


All images courtesy of Yankodesing

You can find more information on this concept on the Formwelt website

NEC has been concentrating mainly on Asian markets with their mobile offerings.

This concept has a soft shell made from intelligent rubber which remembers the shape it's been molded in. That way you could use it in a conventional form but also as a sort of bracelet on your arm or any other shape. Possible fashion trends for this concept are endless.

As the form changes, so can its functionality. Due to pressure sensors the user can define different functions and uses to a certain shape.

Images coutesy of Slashphone

Designed by Jose Tomas DeLuna this concept is designed for musicians, DJs and music producers in mind.

You can see the proof of concept video below.

Pictures courtesy of Geeky Gadgets