I enjoy speculating about the future of mobile technology, but putting my predictions down on paper is a bit risky. Instead, I’ll provide a mix of predictions. Some of them are pretty certain, based on Microsoft’s roadmap for Windows Mobile devices. Others are pure speculation on my part, based on my more than 10 years of involvement with handheld computing and wireless communications. So with that in mind, come join me on a trip into the Windows Mobile future.
Faster more efficient displays will come in new sizes and shapes
When Microsoft announced the release of Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition software, the most exciting new features were the OS’s support of dynamic switching between portrait and landscape viewing modes (Figs. 1 & 2) and its support of new screen sizes for Pocket PCs and Smartphones. Second Edition Pocket PCs will support VGA (640x480 pixels) (Fig. 4) as well as the traditional QVGA (320x240 pixels) screens (Fig. 3). Second Edition software gives developers the ability to create Smartphones with a larger QVGA screen, as well as devices with the standard 176x220 pixel screen. Finally, the new software will allow for the development of handhelds with 240x240 or 480x480 pixel square screens (Fig. 5). This will support the creation of tiny clamshell devices such as two-way pagers and e-mail-centric cell phones, which should provide heavy competition for RIM’s Blackberry series.
Figs. 1 &2: Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition software allows Pocket PCs to dynamically switch between portrait (left) and landscape views (right).
Figs. 3 & 4: Second Edition software supports displaying Pocket PC screens in the traditional QVGA mode (left) as well as full VGA mode (right). However, VGA mode only works on devices that have 640x480 pixel screens like the Toshiba e800 series.
Fig. 5: The Second Edition software will also support the development of devices with 240x240 or 480x480 square screens. Devices with these resolutions have not been developed yet, so we modified an existing Today screen to give you an idea of what they might look like.
While Microsoft made it clear that Second Edition will only support the specific screen sizes mentioned above, it is a good guess that future versions of the OS will support even more diversity in screen sizes and shapes. Certainly there is some demand for the half-VGA (640x240 pixel) display found on the near abandoned mini-notebook format known as the “Handheld PC.” Personally I would like to see an 800x300 screen that would accommodate Web pages designed to display on desktop PC monitors.
You can also expect faster and more capable displays on future devices. Most current Windows Mobile handhelds have a single CPU responsible for all device activities, including input, running programs, and displaying the screen content. The approach reduces the number of chips needed in the device, but it also reduces the computing power available to run applications. This, in turn, reduces the device’s ability to render full motion games and video.
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