In the era when handheld devices are still in monochrome display, a pair of ordinary No.5 alkaline batteries can last for weeks or even months; With the faster processor speed, richer screen colors and higher screen brightness, the battery of handheld devices is now unbearable. No matter how powerful the handheld device is and how rich the functions are, how much happiness it will bring you. Once the power is exhausted during the trip, it will not only be disappointing, but also lose important data. Under the condition of keeping the weight and volume of the equipment unchanged or even lighter, how to improve the continuous use time of the battery can be said to be an important bottleneck faced by various portable devices.
Fuel cell (fuel cell)
People have put forward some methods for the future capabilities of portable devices, most of which are just ideas. However, the development of fuel cell technology has made great progress recently, and now it has become the most attractive, realistic and considered as the most potential solution (Figure 1).
Through the reaction of liquid fuel and methanol, fuel cells generate twice as much electricity as traditional batteries with the same volume, thus providing handheld devices with continuous use for several days, more than ten days or even longer. At the beginning, consumers often need to use fuel bottles to charge fuel cells, but with the popularization of applications, disposable fuel cells are likely to be listed one after another.
Recently, the technical problems faced by fuel cells have been continuously broken through. The biggest problem in the past was the size and weight. Now, with the efforts of some manufacturers, fuel cells suitable for notebook computers and even mobile phones have been successfully developed. Another difficult problem is how to better treat the water produced in the methanol reaction. Recently, the prototype product of fuel cell will store water back into the original fuel container, which will gradually dilute the fuel concentration and affect the performance of the battery. However, progress has been made in controlling fuel concentration.
The real stumbling block of fuel cells is probably not technology, but the policies of countries around the world. Because methanol is a flammable liquid, it is classified as a prohibited item in some occasions, especially it is not allowed to be carried on the plane. Some experts believe: "The government's response is very slow. Even if it is taken seriously, the relevant lifting policy will not be introduced until 2007 at the earliest." If you can't carry fuel cells and related equipment on the plane (where business people's laptops and other handheld devices often haunt), its promotion will be deeply affected.
handheld device
laptop
Figure 1 Portable equipment with fuel cell
Micro engine
In addition to fuel cells, there is a more interesting power supply solution, which is micro-engine technology. This technology was developed by a research team at the University of Birmingham in the UK. It generates more than 300 times as much electricity as ordinary batteries through a micro-generator much smaller than ordinary batteries, and is powered by liquid fuel used in lighters. At first glance, this seems sensational, but it is true. According to the optimistic prediction of Dr. Kyle Jiang, the project leader in charge of the research and development of this technology, this technology will replace the traditional batteries used by all handheld devices 20 10 years ago.
Silver polymer battery
In the process of seeking lasting power, people not only turn to emerging technologies such as fuel cells and micro-generators, but also attach importance to the development and utilization of traditional technologies such as silver-zinc batteries.
Silver polymer battery is developed by zinc-based power supply company. The biggest difference between silver polymer battery and lithium ion battery commonly used in handheld devices is that the former can accommodate higher density chemical reactants in the same size volume, so it can generate more electric energy. Alternatively, in handheld devices that need to be downsized, silver polymer batteries can give up a lot of physical space while ensuring the same power. According to the manufacturer, silver polymer batteries can generate 2kW of electricity per liter of fuel, which is many times that of current lithium-ion batteries.
Silver-zinc battery has been used in the military for more than 50 years, but there are still many obstacles in the process of commercialization. It is said that the technology of zinc-based power supply can make silver polymer batteries reach the promotion level, and some handheld device manufacturers are interested in its technology and have the intention of cooperation.
Bacterial power (bacterial power)
This is a more innovative battery technology than fuel cells and micro-generators, not only because it has only recently appeared, but also because the fuel it uses is not methanol or liquefied gas used in lighters, but a very common food-sugar.
In the future, the handheld device of bacterial battery is dead, just add a proper amount of powdered sugar and charge it once. Sugar will be converted into carbon dioxide by a bacterium named Rhodoferax ferriducens, and electricity will be released. This battery was invented by Swades Chaudhuri and Derek Lovley. It is said that their prototype samples have 83% power conversion efficiency. In addition, they also claim that the battery has low production cost and can be used in a cold environment of -40 degrees and a hot environment of 80 degrees. At present, they are committed to the further productization of this technology, making its external size small enough to be applied to handheld devices.
In addition to the above, scientists are still trying to find other types of new battery technologies, as well as new charging technologies, such as batteries that can be rolled up, charging methods directly from device to device, wireless charging and so on. In addition, more and more handheld devices are inclined to change the design of embedded fixed battery into the design of detachable (replaceable) battery, so as to provide various power sources for handheld devices in a more flexible way.
In the case of inputting a small amount of information on a handheld device, screen handwriting input or keypad mode can still cope. However, when you need to input a lot of information, or need to input quickly, a full-size keyboard is necessary. In these cases, handheld devices that cannot provide a full-size keyboard are usually of little use. Although there are some folding keyboards on the market at present, they are all at the expense of the portability of handheld devices. Is it possible to develop a technology that can realize full-size keyboard input and keep the original external size of handheld devices?
Virtual keyboard (virtual keyboard)
An Israeli company named VKB realized this idea, and its virtual keyboard technology is constantly improving (Figure 1).
This virtual keyboard projects a full-size keyboard image onto any flat object surface through a laser beam, and the user can realize the input similar to the real keyboard by "tapping" the projected "keycap". This virtual keyboard was exposed by the global media two or three years ago, and its technology itself is still developing. Because of its novel concept, attractive prospect and unique technology, it is favored by many people.
However, just as handheld devices equipped with near-eye displays will keep the traditional display screen at the same time, emerging input technologies such as virtual keyboards are unlikely to completely eliminate traditional input methods such as handwriting. They appear on the same device and will complement each other in different applications. For example, in a mobile environment where a flat projection surface cannot be found, handwriting input can be used.
Projector exterior
Built-in projector
Figure 2 Handheld Device with Virtual Keyboard
Holographic keyboard
Although the laser virtual keyboard invented by VKB company is very convenient, it seems that it is not "virtual" enough to throw the keyboard image on a relatively flat surface. With the application of holographic technology, a completely virtual keyboard is presented on handheld devices.
A holographic keyboard invented by HoloTouch can project the 3D image of the keyboard into the air in front of the user, and the infrared detector can identify the keyboard tapping by scanning the holographic image of the keyboard (Figure 3).
Obviously, this 3D holographic keyboard is more convenient than VKB's plane virtual keyboard, because it does not need a projection object with a relatively flat surface, and directly projects the keyboard image in the air, which makes its application almost unlimited. Another advantage of these two keyboards is that the size of the projection keyboard can be changed at will, which is almost not limited by the size of the hardware.
This holographic keyboard is not a myth in theory. InfoPerks Company obtained the patent authorization of this technology from HoloTouch Company and applied it to information display terminals in public places such as sidewalks in New York. Of course, its volume is still very huge, and it needs to be continuously improved before it can be applied to handheld devices, and it may take several years.
Mobile phone button in driving a car
Display screen in operating room
Fig. 3 holographic keyboard projected in the air (fig.: holographic keyboard 1~2.jpg)
Induction pen sensing
Although the virtual keyboard is fast, it is still far from reality. Traditional handwriting input will remain the main way for a long time to come. Improving its input accuracy and recognition rate is also a feasible way to solve the input bottleneck of handheld devices.
At present, most touch screens used in palmtop computers and smart phones have made obvious progress in display quality such as brightness, contrast and color number, but the touch input characteristics still remain at a relatively primitive level. Wacom is introducing the stylus input technology that has been successfully applied to tablet computers into handheld devices.
The top surface of the traditional touch screen is covered with a flexible pressure-sensitive film, and below it is a translucent analog-to-digital converter, which samples the pressure and leaves a certain air gap between the film and the converter. Whenever a stylus or finger touches the film, the film is pressed down and contacts the sensor below, thereby generating an input signal. This traditional pen input method has many shortcomings: first, the analog-to-digital converter is placed above the screen, which is easy to be physically damaged; Secondly, the A/D converter covers the display panel. Although it is translucent, it will still hinder the display quality.
However, if the stylus input screen is used, a sensor will be placed on the back of the display panel, which will sense the input action of the stylus within the distance of14 mm. Because the sensor is located on the back of the display panel, the shielding of the display panel is removed and the analog-to-digital converter is also protected. In addition, this kind of sensor does not need multi-layer protective film on the screen surface, which is helpful to make the equipment lighter; Moreover, the accuracy of inductive input is higher than that of traditional pressure sensitive input.
This kind of inductive input needs a special pen, which can't be replaced by other hard objects or even fingers like the touch screen in the past. It should be noted that this special pen does not need a battery to maintain its work.
Wacom once claimed to cooperate with Symbian on this technology, which is expected to be applied to smart phone products as soon as possible.
For the display, in order to pursue better display effect, the larger the display area, the better. Therefore, no matter from desktop PC, notebook computer, or PDP, LCD TV and rear projection in home theater, the size of mainstream monitors is getting bigger. Handheld devices are no exception, because consumers essentially want them to provide an open display area like a desktop PC. In fact, the body size and weight of handheld devices are basically limited to a very small range, and it is almost impossible to realize this ideal by traditional methods.
Near-eye display
A new technology called near-eye display can solve this contradiction. This is a display screen with a very small physical size, which can provide a full-size display effect similar to that of a desktop PC in a range very close to the observer's eyes. The most typical application of this kind of display screen is embedded in one lens of glasses (the other lens is blank), so that one eye of the wearer can watch the display screen and the other eye can observe the surrounding things. A research institute has carried out trial activities of this kind of glasses monitor among some people, and it is said that the trial users generally report that their comfort is good (Figure 4).
Through Bluetooth or other wireless technologies, a mobile computing device with completely hands-free can be obtained by connecting a near-eye display with a handheld device. Of course, there are other technical prerequisites for this idea, that is, to develop a brand-new command (and data) input mechanism to replace the existing screen touch (and handwriting) or mouse input methods.
Although it is not completely certain that this display technology will be everywhere in the near future, and it will certainly not completely replace the screen display technology commonly used in handheld devices at present, we can predict that this glasses display technology which can provide superior convenience will be very popular, because the popularity of another similar device, headphones, provides a successful example for the popularization of this glasses display.
Fig. 4 is a display embedded in a spectacle lens.
Virtual large screen (rotating view)
Even the screen of the largest handheld device is far less than that of a desktop computer. Of course, designers can use software to make the small screen of handheld devices simulate the big screen effect similar to desktop display, but only part of it can be displayed. To observe all this, you need to constantly slide the scroll bar in the horizontal and vertical directions, which is very laborious to operate.
A virtual large-screen display technology named RotoView proposed by Innoventions can make this scrolling operation very easy: users only need to slightly lift any side of the display screen (front, back, left and right), and the displayed picture will slide down like gravity, so that users can easily browse any part of the complete picture from the surface. When the user does not need to scroll the screen (that is, only a complete small screen is displayed), this function can also be locked.
Innoventions has started the licensing of this technology, and continues to study the hardware technology of applying this display screen to future handheld devices. If this kind of display screen is to be used in handheld devices, it needs sensors to judge the tilt of the screen and produce corresponding picture sliding, so the further development of software technology is also very important.
Flexible display screens and devices (flexible handheld devices)
The human-computer interaction laboratory established by Sony Corporation is specially used to study the human-computer interaction interface of future computers. Its research project includes a hand-held device that can be rolled up.
This device is probably based on the so-called electronic paper display technology, but it can roll up not only the display screen, but the whole body. Not long ago, scientists showed a trial sample named Gummi, and used it to demonstrate the video played with Quicktime. Its pressure sensing device and touch panel are built into the fuselage, and the control does not depend on the stylus or button, but on various curling and folding actions.
Gummi is far from good usability, because it is only an information display terminal and there is no effective text input method.
With the upsurge of consumer electronics, handheld devices will be the protagonist of future computing. More and more cutting-edge technologies will be applied to various handheld devices, and various functional designs will also be tested by the market. The development of mobile computing and handheld devices will be endless.
Random motion printing technology.
The printout of handheld devices is also a weakness that has been inconvenient for a long time. On the one hand, the problem of interface standard makes it difficult to directly connect handheld devices with ordinary printers; On the other hand, even if the interface problem is solved, it is unrealistic to carry a full-size printer in a mobile environment. It is imperative to develop printing technology specifically for mobile computing.
The RMPT (Random Movement Printing Technology) technology introduced by PrintDreams can realize this arbitrary dream of mobile printing. Based on this, the company put forward the conceptual design of PrintBrush printer and became the smallest printer in the world (Figure 5). Through Bluetooth, this printer wirelessly receives text or picture files of handheld devices, and users can simply use it to slide on the surface of any type of paper (regardless of thickness, size and shape) to complete on-site printing and output. If the output area is large and cannot be printed at one time, you can hold PrintBrush and continue to slide in the appropriate position of the paper until the printing is completed. According to the manufacturer, in the process of developing this printer, various possible human factors have been considered, such as inclined sliding direction, fast sliding speed and so on.
PrintBrush printer is only the length of a ballpoint pen, the thickness is similar to that of a mobile phone, and the weight is only 350g, so it is suitable for putting in a shirt pocket. It is said that the future products will be lighter and smaller. PrintDreams is promoting RMPT technology by OEM, and related products are expected to be listed as early as 2005.
Fig. 5 printer in the palm of your hand.
Store worry-free micro hard disk.
In the past, most handheld devices used semiconductor flash memory as the main storage medium. Even though MP3 music players (or media players integrating MPEG-4 video, MP3 audio and WMA audio) with micro hard disks as storage media have become popular, semiconductor flash memory is still the storage technology used by most handheld devices. However, with the expansion and deepening of media applications such as images, audio and video on handheld devices, the advantages of micro hard disk, such as large capacity, fast reading and writing speed and low storage cost, will become more and more prominent. At present, the mainstream capacity of semiconductor flash memory is only 256MB~5 12MB, while the capacity of micro hard disk used by music players like iPod can reach 40GB. Of course, in order to make small handheld devices such as PDA and mobile phone built-in, it is necessary to further improve the integration of micro hard disk. Toshiba and other leading manufacturers in this field have been able to produce products with a diameter of 0.85 inch (only the size of coins) and a capacity of 2 GB to 4 GB. It is estimated that this kind of hard disk is expected to appear on PDA and smart phone in 2005.
Fig. 6 A miniature hard disk similar to the size of a coin.
Multi-purpose software radio for one machine
Software radio is likely to be a popular technology applied to handheld consumer electronic devices in the future, but it will take at least five years for related products to come out.
At present, all wireless technologies (including all kinds of wireless communication devices, from FM radio, CDMA or GSM mobile phones to Wi-Fi notebook computers) are defined based on hardware, that is, their functions are defined by hardware. However, the software radio technology is completely opposite, that is, the function of the equipment is mainly determined and adjusted by the application of software. For example, you can have a PDA: its screen is lined with icons representing functions such as Word, Excel, FM radio, CDMA call and GSM call. The user only needs to click the relevant icon, and the device will automatically select the relevant wireless frequency band to work. Therefore, software radio will have such a bright future: people can enjoy all kinds of "all-inclusive" wireless services on any wireless network around the world with only one handheld device.
Although it will take some time for these technologies to be truly popularized in the field of handheld devices, there are more and more exciting news. For example, Toshiba, Fujitsu and other manufacturers have launched notebook computers equipped with fuel cells, and some even tried fuel cell samples of handheld devices; With the continuous efforts of scientists, glasses monitors are becoming lighter, smaller and more comfortable. As for the virtual keyboard, it is said that the manufacturer is picking mistakes for it to adapt to more applications.
Starting with the bottleneck of single hardware technology and the corresponding countermeasures, this paper focuses on the development trend of handheld devices. In fact, the changes in functional design, appearance technology, software and application mode of various handheld devices will be equally intense and wonderful. In the early summer of 2004, at a seminar sponsored by MIT Media Lab and Consumer Electronics Association, the discussion on the functional design of handheld consumer electronic devices presented an unprecedented heated scene. Many experts agree that the development speed of emerging handheld electronic devices has far exceeded that of "traditional" devices such as televisions and MP3 players, and it will bring rich market cakes like the automobile industry. Such an extremely popular product should pay more attention to usability and usability, and solve the contradiction between simplicity, portability, interconnection and rich functions, which will be the mainstream development direction of handheld consumer electronic devices.
Finally, let's simply imagine the role of handheld devices in future life: it is that play controls almost all commonly used personal information; It is a media player that can play music and movies. It is a mobile phone and internet device that can roam seamlessly under 3G, Wi-Fi, WiMax and other wireless networks. It is the receiving terminal of FM radio, microwave digital TV and even GPS ... even your electronic key and wallet!