I’ve been inspired. This posting over on the mobiface blog has offered what it thinks is an ideal travellers phone…. I think we may be able to do better… so I started drawing it, and actually I think we can come up with the perfect phone for travelling – between all of us we know what we need – and we have enough enough mobile people around to know what’s achievable.
So here’s the deal – let’s use this page – leave comments and I’ll update this post – and use this flickr group I’ve created to upload your drawings – and we’ll see how far we get, then, if I can pull it off I’ll get the little black book out and see if we can’t get some feedback from one of the manufactures…. this is going to be fun.
This is my first stab at it
Technology: (updated)
- 8mp+ camera on back
- lq camera on front
- very loud speaker (possible use as a siren?)
- emergency aaa battery slot / multiple charge options – inc mini usb
- 110/230v 50/60hz and unregulated 12v dc supplies
- whole back should be a solar panel
- should work all over the world on all networks
- dual sim?
- exceptionally long battery life (dual mode? good battery vs performance?)
- hq / medium sized screen to view maps – should be anti-glare for reading on – perhaps e-ink
- GPS / DGPS
- External GPS antena plug
- wi-fi and bluetooth – easy to manage in power settings / hardware?
- LED Torch
- Hard Drive
- Video playback & audio playback
- Sat phone compatibility (plug in external antenna)
- Pico Projector
- Projected keyboard?
- PLD/ Spot device (personal locator beacon)
- OS based mapping (not internet)
- 2x mini usb to attach peripherals
- normal sd card slot
- audio & video recording
Design: (updated)
- made from very hard, durable ‘flexable’ plastic – not metal – perhaps from a hard rubber?
- ‘grippy’ sides
- easy large buttons
- dust/wind/rain proof
- easy menu navigation, even in bright/low light
- screen / settings change in low power mode
- Light of some sort – flash? led torch?
- d-ring
OS: (new)
- Should be hackable
- Should allow access to an app-store
- Full PC OS / small cut down version?
Apps: (new)
- ZeOutdoor list here.
- Internet
- Skype
- Translation / phrasebook
- Guide
- iPhone navionics app
Okay over you… what else should it have – let’s start with building out the requirements and those of you with a design bent can use the flickr group to upload designs…..
I like it, but feel the need to add in a:
* screen suitable for guidebooks/reading (thinking light/glare as well as pixels for kerning/comfort)
* maybe rubber rather than plastic? (Like a “rugged” phone)
* wifi / bluetooth that can be turned off
* two or more power inlets from different manufacturers
And preferably it’ll have a hackable OS, or one that connects to an app store of some description.
def. some sort of app store compatability – good for use with a translator/pronunciation application.
maybe also a little led torch?
Skype is a MUST too… call costs whilst travelling round different countries are ridiculous. Currently my no.1 barrier to using a mobile on my travels.
Got it – yes that makes a lot of sense – I wonder if it should be a rubber cover over the plastic? Or perhaps that really solid rubber stuff?
LED torch – definitely.
App store compatibility – perhaps the OS should be Android or the new version of Symbian meaning it could work with both the Google Store and the Ovi store? Which would be better?
Wi-fi/bluetooth – easy to turn that on/off from the hardware rather than software?
Two power inlets – what about just using miniUSB as a standard?
Screen – perhaps it needs to be bigger as well as anti-glare?
How about listening to some music and watching some videos for when you’re bored at the airport.
It should also have a lot of memory to include all you travel guides so that you don’t have to carry yhose heavy books with you anymore.
I’ve done the exercise of imagining the best outdoor/travel apps that would make your iPhone perfect for it. Here is it :
http://blog.zeoutdoor.com/2009/09/les-15-meilleures-applications-iphone.html
Really solid rubber is the way to go.
I’ve only used the Apple store, so have no idea about the economics of development that effect the other two.
The reason I posit multiple chargers is so you can scab power off anyone if you conveniently lighten your luggage by forgetting a charger.
Wifi/bluetooth controls in software, for certs.
Screen = bigger? Probably. But maybe I’m just in love with my iPod touch.
And … can it be waterproof? That’s what’s killed two of my last three phones.
Matt, interesting idea, although a bit behind the times mate, I was sat there reading your list thinking my phone already does all of these things. It’s an HTC Touch Diamond.
OS = Windows Mobile, but easily hackable, people have been doing it for years.
App Store = OK, not so easy to go to just one place, but Google for almost any app and you find loads for FREE.
GPS = Built in
Wifi/Bluetooth = already there
Big touch screen = yup
I’d like to stretch my ideal traveller’s phone a bit further. I’d like full PC functionality in a tiny box. They’re getting close, but so far no-one seems to have built everything into one single phone.
So, in my ideal travellers phone what else would I like to see?
Software:
OS: Full PC OS, not bothered which really.
Hardware:
Built in pico projector; how good would it be to project what’s on your screen onto any surface, great for showing photos, planning routes, you name it.
Multiple USB ports; Bluetooth is fine for connectivity, but it saps power, for plenty of things wires are fine.
Solar panel; new transparent panels mean it could be on the front, where it’d see the sun most.
Sat phone capability; just lug in an antenna, and voila.
So really, it’s a tiny PC with add-ons.
You can’t be serious can you?
Are you going to reintroduce stone tablet writing while your at it.
Sorry but just seems so obvious with everyone who has bought an iPhone (or smart phone) – it’s already here, confirmed with No. people forking out their cash for the real deal, and will already have a new and improved version before you lot reach the bronze age.
okay that lot updated in the post – really starting to get some good broad ideas now.
Pete – as much as I love my iPhone it’s no-where near the perfect traveling phone, it’s not tough enough, it drinks battery and doesn’t have anywhere near good enough signal reception – unfortunately… I do love my iPhone :-/
Alex – yes I see where you’re going. I took the Samsung Q1 with me to Morocco on the bike (http://www.flickr.com/photos/journeytomorocco/1350935637/) and it was spot on for the tech I needed to write and keep in touch – but it was a little too big to get out all the time and a little too flashy, I wasn’t comfortable getting it out in a lot of places – so in this case I think we’re looking for a traditional phone format with more than your usual abilities – love the sat phone idea though – I wonder what circuits would be required….
Craig – definitely waterproof!
Wonder if it needs a touch screen?
I see where you’re going on the multiple charger options – wonder what the most popular charger is? Perhaps it’s the Nokia? So a mini USB and the standard Nokia?
I find it easier to come up with solutions when I understand the problem. However, I’m unclear what’s meant by “traveller” here, and what their needs are. So, here are some questions to help me understand what you’re thinking about.
When you say “traveller”, do you mean “eager tourist” or “adventurer”?
Does this thing need to be waterproof? Would it help if it floated? Should it be driving dust proof? Being-sat-on proof? Being-in-a-bag-of-tourist-goodies proof?
I presume you’re not advocating a touch-screen, given the buttons. But should it be usable with big gloves on? In sub-zero conditions? In 100% humidity?
Should the display be readable through Polaroid or other sunglasses?
Should it work across North America (given their bizarre diversity of networks)?
Should it be field-repairable (like a Land Rover)?
Should it be able to act like a walkie-talkie with other handsets (i.e., no network required)?
Should it work on the high seas? At 35,000 feet?
Should it have anti-theft features?
Should it be rechargeable without access to mains power or shops selling batteries?
Should it support machine translation?
Should it support remote traceability?
Should it support aerial boosters?
Should it look too crappy to be worth stealing, even in Congo or Detroit?
Should it boot and acquire signals quickly?
Some great suggestions coming in from other sources – The ThornTree over on Lonely Planet has a few that I’ve added above – read the thread
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?newPost=true&messageID=16295544�
also Simon over on Facebook has this to say:
——————
Simon Thompson
Built in PLB/Spot device. Waterproof. Small d-ring to attach it to your person. DGPS. Sunlight viewable or e-ink. Dual SIM to allow overseas cheap SIM use. Decent mapping i.e. OS not google. Ability to run/charge on consumer batteries, 110/230v 50/60 Hz and unregulated 12v dc supplies. Internet and email + Skype + WiFi. Ability to turn cruft off to maintain battery.Oh and the Iphone Navionics app.
——————
I’m going to pull all of these together this morning, do one more drawing and then I think the next step is to create a survey asking the questions raised by Frank + what people think of / rate the tech and the design.
My gut feeling at the moment is that we’re heading to a range of devices rather than just one.
I agree with a lot of stuff here, but I have to say that as soon as I saw “grippy sides” I thought of the Homer Car. 🙂
On the charging front, I believe, at the request (read threatened possible legislation) of the European Community that the major manufacturers have signed up to a universal standard, the idea of course being that we won’t all need hundreds of chargers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/17/universal-mobile-phone-charger
It’s to be based round the mini-usb port, which makes sense, as a number of phones use this not just for data transfer but for charging off your computer’s USB port too.
No doubt in a few years we’ll see little USB sockets in vehicles next to the now almost defunct cigarette lighter, to enable all sorts of charging possibilities.
And Matt, I mean something far smaller than that HUGE great thing in your photo, something with a true phone form-factor, but with the processing power of a netbook (it’ll come I’m sure) .I guess you’d not seen the virtual keyboard, so here’s a link http://www.virtual-laser-keyboard.com/. No, I have no idea how it works either.
And I’m wondering why people want hard-drives in their phone. They’re prone to damage, use a lot of power, and take up a lot of space within. Solid State Drives are the way to go, look at how cheap SD cards have become.