What tech feature/gimmick do you see surviving in the years to come or falling off?

[pc747]

Shatterproof screens, 3D Touch, Wireless Charging, these are all features that can be found on some of our android/iphone devices. But over the years we have watched gimmicks come and go. We all remember the HTC 3D cameras, it went from flagship, to Virgin Mobile feature device, to gone in a matter of a few years. Of course some would argue the device was too soon for its time, others would argue that the technology predicated on the battle between 3D TVs and higher resolution displays, but at the end of the day all that matters is that it did not continue on.

At the end of the day the market has spoken and the next gimmick up is virtual tech. Now virtual reality is not new at all. In fact Nintendo took a shot at it in the 90's with the Virtual Boy (Virtual Boy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Despite it failing to capture the market, virtual reality would continue to take another shot along the years, each time missing a piece of tech that could propel it to success. Here we are now where the market is primed for virtual tech to succeed. Just look how popular a game like Pokemon Go has become. It is a matter of time before we see other gaming companies take advantage of the tech.

Shatterproof screens could really become the wave of the future if they could find a way to do it right. Who like seeing their precious screen go from beautiful to spiderweb in a matter of seconds?

Yeah it would be wise to put at least a $10 case and a $15 cheap glass screen protector on it for protection. But there are people who like the feel of their device without the bulk of a case. Why buy the nylon ballistic phone only to have to cover it with some cheap $10 plastic? It will be interesting to see if shatterproof screens will live on or become one and done.

There are a number of features we can talk about from the fingerprint scanner, rumored iris scanner, lack of a 3.5 mm headphone jack, etc. I want to hear from you on what you hope will continue on, what you think will continue on, what you hope will die off, and what you think will die off in the tech world. Of course as @FoxKat said in another thread, it's interesting to read our opinions and compare them to actual results. So several years from now it will be interesting to see who ended up making the right predictions.

 

[FoxKat]

Well, since you shouted out to me in this I feel obligated to respond. I'll do so in order of your post.

Shatterproof screens, 3D Touch, Wireless Charging, these are all features that can be found on some of our android/iphone devices. But over the years we have watched gimmicks come and go. We all remember the HTC 3D cameras, it went from flagship, to Virgin Mobile feature device, to gone in a matter of a few years. Of course some would argue the device was too soon for its time, others would argue that the technology predicated on the battle between 3D TVs and higher resolution displays, but at the end of the day all that matters is that it did not continue on.

I agree here, that innovations come and go, and that unfortunately at times the reason they fail is due to technology not quite yet ready for prime time. However I think that in the case of the 3D camera some of the reasons it didn't take hold are that in order to view the stereo images you had to first have good eyesight or good corrective lenses, then you had to hold the phone at the right distance from your eyes to get the right perspective, then you had to hold it exactly level with your eyes (some people's eyes are not level but instead one is higher than the other, some have a slight head tilt, etc.), and some people just can't look at those screens without it causing symptomatic discomfort and/or nausea. Personally I loved it and used it quite often even right up to my home burning down in December when it was lost with the house. I took it on vacation to Niagara Falls and captured some incredible stills and even more incredible video.

At the end of the day the market has spoken and the next gimmick up is virtual tech. Now virtual reality is not new at all. In fact Nintendo took a shot at it in the 90's with the Virtual Boy (Virtual Boy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Despite it failing to capture the market, virtual reality would continue to take another shot along the years, each time missing a piece of tech that could propel it to success. Here we are now where the market is primed for virtual tech to succeed. Just look how popular a game like Pokemon Go has become. It is a matter of time before we see other gaming companies take advantage of the tech.

I think this is not quite the same as the HTC 3D since this is still only 2D. However VR, which uses glasses that position the phone accurately in front of the eyes, sets proper focal distance, and blocks out the real world around you to put all focus on the 3D VR screen which may help to eliminate or minimize the discomfort.

Shatterproof screens could really become the wave of the future if they could find a way to do it right. Who like seeing their precious screen go from beautiful to spiderweb in a matter of seconds?

Yeah it would be wise to put at least a $10 case and a $15 cheap glass screen protector on it for protection. But there are people who like the feel of their device without the bulk of a case. Why buy the nylon ballistic phone only to have to cover it with some cheap $10 plastic? It will be interesting to see if shatterproof screens will live on or become one and done.

I think that shatterproof screens are here to stay. Polymers have evolved to closely approach the feel of glass, provide no distortion or diminishing of light, and yet they provide tremendous protection from the single greatest failures of phones and tremendous added unnecessary expense worldwide.

Even still, the new super thin glass screen protectors afford added protection from scratches and increase the desired tactile feel of glass over plastic however small the difference is now.

There are a number of features we can talk about from the fingerprint scanner, rumored iris scanner, lack of a 3.5 mm headphone jack, etc. I want to hear from you on what you hope will continue on, what you think will continue on, what you hope will die off, and what you think will die off in the tech world. Of course as @FoxKat said in another thread, it's interesting to read our opinions and compare them to actual results. So several years from now it will be interesting to see who ended up making the right predictions.

Fingerprint scanners are easy to adopt and highly desirable. Iris scanners, not so much yet. Until this type of scanners can do so accurately in a matter of tens of milliseconds, and without it being necessary to position the phone carefully for the camera it will be less desirable.

The loss of a headphone jack is premature IMHO. Yes, Bluetooth has come a long way but it's still not quite there for everyone. The quality is still not as good as wired headsets. The batteries in wireless headphones/earbuds has not gotten there yet. Still, I love wireless headphones and being free from the tether but only those that sell for more than most are willing or can afford to pay. Mine are $500+ Sennheiser MX-550 but admittedly I got them deeply discounted as returned salvage.

I think that doing away with the headphone jack to make a thinner phone, to then make it necessary to carry and use an adapter is absurd. I don't see people being real excited having to use an adapter to use their favorite "cans" with these new phones.

SD cards are obviously still very popular and I'm pleased but not surprised to see them return.

Removable batteries are still held onto tightly by some but with fast charging, larger batteries and advanced battery chemistry have bridged that gap for the most part.

I'm interested to read other's responses to you and I.

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