In regards to “smartphones of the future”, I’m sure we all have our ideas of what we think future smartphones will exactly look and act like. Will they end up being paper thin, bendable phones with unbelievable battery life? Will the smartwatch accessory eventually take over the job of the actual smartphone? Or perhaps we can get a little more Hollywood about it, and suggest that smartphones will actually become see-through?
See-through smartphones, or see-through technology in general, seems to be one of the most cliché go-to ideas concerning technology when it comes to movies set in the future. See-through computers, see-through tablets, see-through television screens, and of course see-through phones are seen in countless movies spanned over decades. There’s just something about being able to see through things that automatically place it in the “futuristic” category - probably because it still hasn’t actually been done yet.
Except for, apparently, Samsung has technically already created an actual working see-through smartphone for the Avengers 2 movie. The smartphone was made for Tony Stark's character, also known as Iron Man. The description for the phone was described as follows:
"What type of phone does a man who has everything need? A sleek and metallic phone that features cutting edge technology designed specifically for Tony Stark. With a striking flexible display, the phone features two different curved panels, taking inspiration from Samsung's Galaxy Note Edge so that important information is displayed separately from the main screen. The device features a hologram glass user interface with finger print security so that even if the device gets into the wrong hands, Tony Stark's personal data stays secure and out of the hands of the enemy. "
Quite a description, and without having Stark’s character specifically mentioned one could easily be convinced that this smartphone was an actual work-in-progress from Samsung, who is no stranger to bring strange and unique features to the market year after year. Whether they’re a hit with consumers or not, of course, is up to the consumer.
As for a see-through phone? Although Samsung has made a working model for the movie, it was an exclusive device, and the term “working model” is probably a term used very loosely. It would likely be easy for Samsung to create a single “working model” of a see-through smartphone for a few choice scenes in a movie, and more than likely isn’t something that we would be seeing on shelves anytime soon. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Samsung actually did eventually take this idea a step further sometime in the future and try to make it work. If anybody were to try and make a see-through smartphone happen, it would be Samsung.
But would a see-through device really be that practical? Personally, I’m not convinced that they ever could be.
No matter where I see see-through smartphones or gadgets, all I can think about is how impractical they are. Do they look cool? Hell yes they do! Maybe it’s because characters like Tony Stark are the only people I ever see holding such devices, but yeah, I think that see-through devices look pretty nifty. But I also think they’re rather loose with the information. I mean, it's see-through. Even if you were to assume that security would be completely up to par by the time a see-through device came out (it would kind of have to be, wouldn’t it?) I don’t really know how a see-through device would truly benefit the user at the end of the day. Being able to see through the phone would seem like more of a distraction than anything. I much prefer a solid background on my phone. And maybe that’s because it’s all I know, but when I think about actually owning a see-through phone of my own, I don’t exactly see the appeal over what we already have.
I’m still pining for better battery life right now, and unless I can only get insane battery life in the form of a transparent battery and smartphone, a see-through phone isn’t something that I’m hoping manufacturers will focus on anytime soon. Even if and/or when battery life for smartphones gets better, I’m not sure that a see-through smartphone would ever be popular beyond fictional stories.
So, readers - see-through phones: what are your thoughts on them? Is this something you would like to see sometime in the future, or do you think this is only an idea that works well in the movies? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!