Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
When I fi rst wrote this topic, I could not have imagined the smartphone
technology and culture we have today. Mobile devices invert the spatial
relationship between people and computers. Even in the world of laptops,
the position of the body was dictated by the device (VR is, of course, a great
exception). Game controllers like Wiimotes, the Kinect, or dance mats also
changed our physical relationships to devices, but not quite in the same
way. Yes, we can use our bodies to make input in games and software that
use such controllers, but we can't take them with us. Smartphones have
created stunning new possibilities for interaction design.
Looking at the technology gives us a sense of the complex array of
capabilities in our hands. The typical smartphone incorporates a bunch
of different kinds of radios. The primary radio is used for voice and data
transmission (3G, 5G, etc.). GPS (Global Positioning System) is a receive-
only radio that looks for data from at least four satellites to compute the
location of the receiver. Bluetooth radio transmits and receives information
within a short range (approximately 100 feet). NFC (Near Field Commu-
nication) radio works in a range between 18 inches and 3 feet and is used
primarily (today) for digital transactions.
Sensors within the smartphone include an accelerometer that senses
movement and gravity, from which tilt can also be computed. The accel-
erometer means that the phone itself can also be used as its own “control-
ler” (see, for example,
Starwalk
). Add-on sensors can measure things like
temperature, humidity, and air quality. Probably the most important sensor
in a smartphone is the camera. Besides enabling people to shoot and share
photos and video, the camera opens the way to the use of things like image
recognition software. That capability, in turn, is essential in building Aug-
mented Reality applications.
We have notions that we call “citizen scientist” or “citizen journalist”
that describe people who capture important stuff by smartphone in real
time that might make a real difference. Yet these folks are marginalized, de-
spite the hype. “We cannot confi rm the video.” “We cannot verify the pho-
tograph.” Well, probably, yes you can, if you want to use the same standard
of cellphone tower triangulation as a location identifi er. And, maybe, yes
you can, if you analyze the video and see it hasn't been fi ddled with. This is
not rocket science. The emanations of folks using our amazing technology
are celebrated when we see it as the “Arab Awakening,” and denigrated
