The Real Future is Mobile

In the recently concluded Google Mobile Revolution held in Tokyo Japan, Google officials shared with us how mobile users around the world have been benefitting much from the Android platform and as quoted from John Lagerling, Director of Global Partnerships, Android, “This platform brought the real power of the internet to the palm of people’s hands”.

Android’s latest version, the Honeycomb is optimized for tablets. It comes with a brand new UI and improvements of our favorites (i.e. widgets, multitasking, browsing, notification and customization) and for the very first time in Asia, John Lagerling presented the Ice Cream Sandwich.

This sweet treat from Android will deliver one operating system that will work everywhere, regardless of device. Ice Cream Sandwich will bring everything that the users love about Honeycomb on the tablet to their very own phone.

But as much as we want to know more about this savory dessert, Google officials focused more on what is to come and to make these breakthroughs perceivable, Google presented specific technologies like image, voice and location search, speech translation, head and eye tracking and the virtual cameraman.

All these revolutionary tech highlights the future of mobile.

Man has always been in pursuit of information. Our thirst for knowledge and our constant “search” for something have always been our nature. In the mobile world, I guess, there is no difference; just more choices.

Search in the mobile world now can be done in many ways. You can search by image through the “Google Goggles” app, search by voice through the “Google Voice Search”, search by location (by using phone’s GPS signal) either through “Places” in Google Maps or through “Near Me Now” in Google Search and now you can even search beyond your own language through “Google Translate” which includes an experimental voice to voice translation feature called “Conversation mode.”

They demonstrated this through an actual conversation between 2 people one speaking in Japanese and the other in English and actual translations were done back and forth. So now, even if you are in a foreign country, there won’t be any language barrier at all.

Think of speech recognition. This feature is still stranger nto many users.

Now imagine sending text or email just by speaking. The possibilities are truly endless.

The mobile revolution also featured Google Maps for Mobile where navigation comes easy whether you choose to travel by car, by foot or by bus.

With “Navigation for Transit”, whether you are in a bus or in a train, you will get notifications of whether you “should stay on board” or “get off at the next stop”. We also got a glimpse of the Google Maps with 3D interaction.

A very interesting and definitely exciting technology really worth the wait is the head and eye tracking coupled with the virtual cameraman.

Head and eye tracking is as obvious as it sounds where your camera will follow head and eye movement. Indeed, this would be a very interesting concept and definitely a whole new approach in gaming. The eye tracking would be pretty much useful too in Maps. Imagine scrolling maps with ease using this concept.

Lastly, the virtual cameraman which will be launched with Ice Cream Sandwich, is just like having a professional cameraman with you. Your camera will automatically zoom in to whoever is speaking. Really cool especially when used with a pair or a group; a camera that actually follows whoever is talking and it works so perfectly well with alternate speaking.

Imagine all these through the power of technology. The future is truly impressive and is definitely mobile!

By LEN AMADORA

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