Top 5 Technologies Needed in Smartphones

As iPhone, Droid, Blackberry and Palm continue to push smartphone development at an exponential pace, there continues to be glaring holes of opportunity in these devices that now occupy over 42% of American households.

The rapid explosion in applications have pushed smartphones past the phone frontier, why we even call them phones at all anymore is a debate in itself…but I digress. Here are five key areas of opportunity that I feel could take smartphones into the “superphone” frontier:

1. Built-in QR/2-D Code functionality in smartphone cameras – The technology has been great, the adaptation? Not so great. QR and 2-D Codes are a great idea that has wide appeal abroad, but has been slow to catch-on in the States. While it has the potential to surpass its brother the Bar Code in importance, it needs to be factory-integrated into all smartphone camera devices to push these codes into the mainstream.

2. I/R Transmitters – I’ve thought for quite some time now that I/R transmitter integration into smartphones could potentially double its value to the user. Literally. Imagine a smartphone device that was your “click for info” portal to the world. With receiving IR receivers or barcodes being placed on store signs, advertisements, street signs, any user can have “click-for” info abilities on many things in the environment. Walking by a restaurant? Point your device at the bistro as you drive by and receive deli specials immediately on your device. Driving by a Best Buy? Click for their weekly sales and deals.

3. Flick-style data transfer of all media/file formats – Apps like iPhone’s Mover have made great strides towards this important and under-recognized ability, but in the near future users are going to demand smartphones, including ones from different networks, to allow flick-sharing of all forms of media and file formats. Be it in the business world or personal, emailing will quickly become too obsolete for data transfer amongst these powerful little devices.

4. Solar-cell technology – Some of the most innovative minds of the past decade, smartphone producers need to take some green-friendly steps by investing in hard-cased solar cell shells that can extend, or eventually replace, the need for toxic batteries. Solar cells are becoming more efficient in capturing broader wavelengths of light, meaning we could be making solar cells that can capture and use light from our cubicle fluorescents in the very near future. Imagine how much power the world could harness from leftover office space lighting.

5. Front-facing cameras – If you believe the Apple rumors, this is about to become a reality with its next gen of iPhones, but regardless, front-facing cameras needs to be standardized, and quickly. With the rapid rise in Skype-like applications, the technology for mobile video conferencing is there, it’s just that darn camera being on the back that spoils the idea. Front-facing cameras might be the biggest innovation in mobile technologies since…well…the mobile camera itself.