A Glimpse At the Future

Fusion



Under development


Codenamed as Fusion, this is the next-gen design of microprocessor and a
collaborative effort of AMD and ATI. It will combine general processor execution

as well as 3D geometry processing and other functions of today's GPU into a

single processor, with different clock speed for graphics and central processing

cores. This series will use a new modular design methodology named M-SPACE.

Larrabee



Under development


This discrete graphics processing unit will be Intel's answer to the ATI's and
NVIDIA's GPUs. Using a derivative of x86



instruction set for its Shader cores instead of the custom graphics-oriented
instruction set, it will allow more flexibility. This GPU will supposedly run

with a speed of 1.7-2.5 GHz and feature 16-24 in-order cores running a modified

x86



instruction set.

Microsoft's Surface



In final developmental stages



Microsoft's Surface computer is a device that will let users pack off their
keyboards and joysticks, and rather use their fingers for interaction. Based on

multi-touch interface, users can use their fingertip to drag, drop, shrink or

enlarge images across the surface. One can also upload digital files from their

mobiles, PDAs, or any other Bluetooth enabled device by just placing the object

on the surface and moving around the object across the screen with their hand.

IBM Millipede



Under development



It is a non-volatile computer memory, which is read and written by a MEMS

(Micro electro mechanical system) based probe stored on a nanoscopic pits burned

onto the surface of a thin polymer layer. Millipede's storage technology

promises to offer 4 times better data density then the present magnetic storage

and can be used for micro devices having small form factor and high capacity,

such as watches, mobile phones etc.

Mind Control Helmet



Concept



A unique computer interface system that comes bundled with a helmet. It

allows gamers to move object on screen based on their thoughts and even reflects

emotions of the gamer as his facial expressions. The helmet has a sensor that

understands the electric signals from the brain, which is then analyzed and then

relayed to the receiver connected with the gaming console or PC.

Soft Mobile phones



Concept



Soft mobile phones are still in their conceptual stage. The ideated design

boasts of a flexible plastic housing with a soft polymer insert between the

microchip module and the casing. It will have a tactile body and won't get

damaged even if you drop it, bend it, sit on it or toss it around. The display

of the phone will be a 2.75-inch screen having a resolution of 433x266 pixels.

The keys will be located on the surface itself. The display looks more like a

paper and one can also watch video on these phones.

OLED Screen



Concept



The new flexible display solution will use the new bendable OLED screen that

will produce images using oil and water. The opaque oil will float on water and

obscure a colored surface beneath; when an electric charge will be applied to

the field it will reveal the surface and change the color of the pixel. The

process is cheap and simple.

Nokia 4G design Concept Phone



Concept



This concept phone will have a scrollable and touch enabled LCD screen and

will look typically like a Bluetooth headset. There will be a button in the

middle, which will open the phone like a Japanese hand fan. It will only have

one hardware button and can be used as a picture phone, video conference

appliance, or Internet navigation unit. It is expected to hit the markets quite

soon.

UMPC



Available



If complete mobility is a necessity and you hate accessing your system by

using some software then Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) is meant for you. Based on

Intel's Ultra Mobile Platform, UMPCs are small, lightweight devices running on

Windows Vista with a screen less than 7 inches and a minimum screen resolution

of 800x480 pixels. You can get GPS instructions while driving, access your

email, surf Internet, watch videos, play games, use software like MS Office,

Corel Painter Essentials and access your enterprise's core Web based business

applications. Options for input include a touch screen, stylus, buttons and

optional Bluetooth or USB based keyboard. With support for Bluetooth, Ethernet

and Wi-Fi, it gives a battery backup of 2.5 to 3.5 hours.

Xerox Erasable paper



Under development



We take a lot of printouts that become useless after a meeting or so. Xerox

is coming up with the concept of 'erasable paper' . It will use light of a

certain wavelength and compounds to create such images on paper that will

automatically disappear in the next 16 to 24 hours. The same paper can be used

again for printing. Such a paper is still in its initial developmental stage and

will most likely need a special printer.

Android



Will be available by mid of 2008



One of the most popular rumors of 2007 had been the Gphone, but it was not

clear whether it's coming or not. Well, finally we have the news of Android-an

open platform for mobile devices that will most probably be available in the

second half of 2008. It is expected to be a combination of an OS, middleware and

mobile software for mobile devices. It is supported by Open handset alliance(OHA)

that includes 30 mobile and technology companies including Google. According to

OHA it is written using Java that will enable developers to freely create mobile

applications using Android framework's APIs.

PSP Phone



Concept



Nokia, with the original N-gage, was the first one to boast of a proper

gaming phone. But since Sony Ericsson is not one to be left behind, speculation

was always rife. A patent filed last year gave hope to Sony Ericsson fans; it

shows a device that looks like a PSP and is designed to work as a mobile phone

too. It is expected to feature a touch scre- en that can be rotated 90 degrees,

which will make it easier to switch from phone to gaming mode & is also expected

to have TV-out, camera, WiFi etc.

Wii2



Rumor



Amongst the battle of the next-gen consoles, many reports indicate that Wii

has done really well despite the odds. It only comes with 512 MB memory and SD

slot, so when SNK announced that they would be getting their titles over to the

Wii (a single SNK title is about 330 MB) there was a buzz that the next version

of the Wii might see the light of day around next year. There is no news about

any design changes, though a bigger hard drive and more powerful hardware would

probably be the major additions.

Panasonic Interactive Touch Screen T.V Wall



Concept



This future lifestyle product, probably the largest interactive touch screen

display made by pairing two 110 inch HD displays. Other than just watching

serials or movies on its giant wall screen, you can listen to music, play

basketball, piano, read emails, surf the Internet or use it as a notepad. To use

it you aren't required to stand and touch the screen to operate, it comes with a

remote. If this actually excites you, then you should start looking for a big

house now.

E-paper



Will be available soon



This anytime, anywhere connectivity concept is finally happening. Many

vendors are supposedly coming out with e-paper products, which will use

different technologies. Fujitsu recently displayed its e-paper prototype known

as Flepia e-reader. It's a lightweight device in A4 and A5 format with 8" or 12"

display and a battery life of up to 50 hours. It weighs 320 to 480 grams, is 12

mm thick, and has 4 GB of storage.

Sony's Spin N Snap Digital Camera



Concept



This digicam will use a completely new powering mechanism. For charging you

need not use an external battery. You just need to use the viewfinder holes,

twirl the camera around for a number of times, and it will charge the camera to

its optimum level. Made of recycled plastic and this will be another

eco-friendly product. Since, it is merely a concept therefore it is difficult to

predict when this product will actually hit the market, but we are keeping our

fingers crossed.

3D Display Systems



Under development



NTT DoCoMo is coming with a portable 3D display system that will enable

viewers to view 3D images from any direction without wearing those special

glasses. It will use the high density directional images display approach that

will provide very smooth and natural appearing images of the object with respect

to the change in observer's position. When a viewer moves from one place to

another, the transition from one image to another is very smooth and

indiscernible to the viewer and gives him an illusion of moving around a 3D

object. Philips will be also coming with products that will boast of such a

display system.

Solid State Drive (SSD)



Available



This one is a 2.5 inch flash device, which uses solid state memory for

storing persistent data. It is comprised either of a non volatile NAND flash or

volatile SDRAM. The SDRAM based SSDs are meant for fast data access (less than

0.01 ms) and are used primarily to accelerate applications that would otherwise

be held back by the latency of the disk drives. DRAM based SSDs typically

incorporate internal battery and backup disk system to ensure data persistence.

The price and lower recoverability factor could be a problem. It has just

started to hit the market, but still in its patent days, with already 128 GB SSD

being speculatively available.

Series 60 Touch



Yet to be launched



The potential threat to the IPhone buzz, Series 60 Touch includes a touch

interface and sensor technologies. The S60 software offers the flexibility to

develop devices that can understand several input methods: touch screen with

traditional keyboard, touch with QWERTY keyboard or simple touch screen. It

supports both finger or stylus optimized inputs and tactile feedback

Vaio Zoom



Concept



This is a cool looking notebook concept from Vaio which uses holographic

technology. As soon as the laptop is switched off, Vaio Zoom's screen which made

of complete glass becomes transparent and keyboard, mouse buttons becomes

opaque. Vaio hasn't said anything officially about this device, nor are much

detail available, so we can't say when we will be seeing this device in action.

Saurangshu Kanunjna, Swapnil Arora with help from Karan Bajaj