First we had desktops that needed a huge carton and help for transporting around. Then came laptops that one could lug along in a backpack. Recently tablets are on the rise and these can be carried even by the 'suits' in a briefcase. But in between laptops and tablets we also have phones which are aspiring for total convergence by becoming phablets!
This is all the outcome of hardware that is shrinking just as fast as it is becoming powerful and a desire to have an omnibus device into which all electronic devices converge. People have already started wondering if someday we will have a tiny device implanted into us that will be wired directly into the visual, auditory (and maybe olfactory and touch and taste) centers of the brain obviating the need for output devices like screens and speakers etcetera. The input devices are already on the path to redundancy with the rapid advancements in voice and gesture recognition technologies. In the meantime keyboards have shrunk to occupy a small part of the screen with just two thumbs sufficing for operating it instead of all the ten fingers.
By way of a side note, I wonder if the implants mentioned above were to become a reality, will CEOs be the first to go for them. Thus far they have always been at the head of the queue for all new sophisticated gadgets, their inability to make full use of it without secretarial assistance notwithstanding
In any case the implants are going to be a long time coming. So for the present the right size for a phablet remains a contentious and vexatious issue.
As far as screen size is concerned, bigger will naturally be better. But then we have to keep in mind that a phone, unlike a tablet, has to be carried in your pocket and not in a briefcase. While suits may find even a bigger size okay, those accustomed to casuals or semi-formals may become uncomfortable with a size exceeding 4.75". Then weight too increases with the size and the pocket sagging index poses stricter limits. Inflexibility of the screen and accidental pressure on the hardware button for awakening the phone become a problem if the phone is carried in a jeans' pocket and one has to sit down.
As one of the billion consumers, I would be quite happy if someone could come up with a tiny phone that could be used only for voice calls together with a tablet that could be carried in a carry case with a wrist-strap. The tablet must have 3G / 4G and wifi connectivity while the phone could very well work on 2G. Also it should have wi-fi connectivity and applications like Whatsapp and Viber preloaded. All other apps not meant for voice calls or texting should reside only on the tablet.
This is all the outcome of hardware that is shrinking just as fast as it is becoming powerful and a desire to have an omnibus device into which all electronic devices converge. People have already started wondering if someday we will have a tiny device implanted into us that will be wired directly into the visual, auditory (and maybe olfactory and touch and taste) centers of the brain obviating the need for output devices like screens and speakers etcetera. The input devices are already on the path to redundancy with the rapid advancements in voice and gesture recognition technologies. In the meantime keyboards have shrunk to occupy a small part of the screen with just two thumbs sufficing for operating it instead of all the ten fingers.
By way of a side note, I wonder if the implants mentioned above were to become a reality, will CEOs be the first to go for them. Thus far they have always been at the head of the queue for all new sophisticated gadgets, their inability to make full use of it without secretarial assistance notwithstanding
In any case the implants are going to be a long time coming. So for the present the right size for a phablet remains a contentious and vexatious issue.
As far as screen size is concerned, bigger will naturally be better. But then we have to keep in mind that a phone, unlike a tablet, has to be carried in your pocket and not in a briefcase. While suits may find even a bigger size okay, those accustomed to casuals or semi-formals may become uncomfortable with a size exceeding 4.75". Then weight too increases with the size and the pocket sagging index poses stricter limits. Inflexibility of the screen and accidental pressure on the hardware button for awakening the phone become a problem if the phone is carried in a jeans' pocket and one has to sit down.
As one of the billion consumers, I would be quite happy if someone could come up with a tiny phone that could be used only for voice calls together with a tablet that could be carried in a carry case with a wrist-strap. The tablet must have 3G / 4G and wifi connectivity while the phone could very well work on 2G. Also it should have wi-fi connectivity and applications like Whatsapp and Viber preloaded. All other apps not meant for voice calls or texting should reside only on the tablet.
I will be even happier if manufacturers could come up with batteries that will recharge themselves through normal movement / body heat / electromagnetic radiation all around us or whatever except a mains which effectively renders these mobile devices immobile.
