By KIM BELLARD
If I were a smarter person, I would write something profound about The fall of Silicon Valley Bank. If I were a better person, I would write about the catastrophic new UN report on climate change. But, no, I’m too curious about Google Notification it did (again) killed Glass.
Not that I’ve ever used them or any AR (augmented reality) device for that matter. It’s just that I’m really interested in what comes after smartphones and this seems like a potential path. We all love our smartphones, but 16 years later Steve Jobs Introducing iPhone We should realize that we are closer to the end of the smartphone era than the beginning.
It’s time to get ready for the next big thing.
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Google Glass was introduced 10 years ago, but after some harsh feedback, Google Glass soon diverged from a consumer product to a Business product, including personal care products. health care. It is followed by Apple, metaAnd take a shot, among others, but no one quite made the concept work. Google is still being brave, oath: “We will continue to look at ways to bring new, innovative AR experiences across our product portfolio.” Definitely anything.
It could be that no company has found the right use case, hit the right price point, adequately addressed privacy concerns, or created something that still doesn’t look… stupid. . Or it could simply be that, with tech layoffs happening everywhere, resources for smart glasses were soon cut. They may be a product that hasn’t arrived yet…or may never be.
That doesn’t mean we won’t use headphones (like Microsoft’s Hololens) to access metadata (whatever turns us into) or other deeply immersive experiences, but my question is what will replace smartphones as the way to access information and our interactions with others anytime, anywhere?
We’re used to carrying our smartphones around – in our hands, wallets, pants, even in watches – and it’s a wonder that the computing power built into them and the uses we’ve come to realize. found for them. However, at the end of the day we still carry this device, its presence that we have to be mindful of, the battery level that we have to worry about, and the screen of the device that we have to use regularly. period.
Semiconductor radios – for any of you old enough to remember them – offer a similar portable feel, but the Walkman (and its descendants) have rendered them obsolete, as have phones. intelligence makes them superfluous. Something will also do it with smartphones.
What we want is all the computing power, all the access to information and transactions, all that portability, but you know, no need to carry the actual device. Google Glass seems like a potential path, but right now, that path seems less of an option (unless Apple pulls another proverbial rabbit out of its product hat). If and when it comes with AR glasses).
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There are two areas that I’m looking for when I think about what comes after smartphones: virtual screens and ambient computing.
Virtual screen: when I refer to virtual screen, I do not mean dividing your screen (or multiple monitors) into more screens. I don’t even mean what AR/MR (mixed reality) is trying to achieve, adding images or content to one’s perception of the real world. I mean an actual, free-standing screen equivalent to what one would see on a smartphone or computer screen, fully interactive as if it were a physical screen. . Sci-fi movies are full of these.
I doubt that these will be based on hologram or related technology. The screens they display may appear completely lifelike. You will use them just like you would use a physical monitor/device, even without thinking about the fact that it is a virtual display. You can interact with them manually or maybe even directly from your brain.
In the past, they required significant computing power, but this may be changing and may not even be a limitation even if it isn’t, due to ambient computing.
Ambient computing: We used to think computers were humans do calculations. Then they became machines the size of a room. Personal computers bring them to a more manageable (and ultimately portable) size, and smartphones make them fit in our hands. Moore’s Law continues to prevail.
ambient computing (also known as ubiquitous computing, aka the Internet of Things – IoT) will change our perception again. Basically, the computer or processor will be embedded in almost anything. They will communicate with each other, and with us. As we move, specific processors and their configurations can change, without missing a beat, just as our smartphones switch between cell towers that we (usually) ) didn’t realize it. AI will be integrated everywhere.
The number of processors used, which processors and how they are used will depend on where you are and the task you want to perform. The surrounding computer may just listen to your instructions or may project a screen for you to use, depending on the task. You won’t worry about where either one comes from.
In the new world of virtual screens and surrounding computers, carrying around smartphones will seem as dated as the mainframe computers of the 1950s. Our children and grandchildren will be amazed by smartphones. as well as Generation Z with dial-up phones (or landlines in general).
That’s the kind of advancement I was hoping Google Glass would help bring, and that’s why I’m sad that Google abandoned it.
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Healthcare is proud of itself because it seems to be finally embracing telehealth, digital medicine, and EHRs. Each is long past its expiration date, none are based on any groundbreaking technology, and all are poorly integrated into our existing, extremely broken health care system.
What healthcare leaders need to think about is what happens next. Healthcare has found a way to use Google Glasses and is looking to use AR/MR/VR, but there’s still a long way to go to make those universal. Smartphones are getting closer to the healthcare mainstream, but no one in the healthcare industry should assume they’re anything but the near future.
What is possible – and what is required – without a physical monitor and without a separate computer?
Hey, I’m still waiting for me three-dimensional digital twin like my EHR.
Kim is a former marketing manager at a Blues grand scheme, editor of The Late & Lamentations Tincture.ioand is now a regular THCB contributor.
