Size matters – more now than ever before

It is fast-approaching crunch time in the debate over what size is the right size for a mobile device to be small but perfectly formed. 

That is because an explosion in MCommerce will take place over the next 18 months or so, according to research by Morgan Stanley. This  will require mobile devices to be big enough and powerful enough to function as a PC. 

They will also need to run complex software and display High Definition images, but some sections of the industry suggest these devices will also need to be versatile enough to be a convenient-sized mobile phone.   

Development of cloud computing should mean that running software on small devices will not be a problem. And already, Big Tech is producing devices with screen resolution superior to those of HDTVs.

So far so good. But the hardware will need to be big enough to allow for typing and enjoyable video viewing. But that could conflict with the public’s aversion to holding a dinner plate to their ear when they want to use the phone.

Whoever finds the best affordable solution first could reap the substantial spoils of first-to-market advantage.

Big bucks come in small(ish) packages

There is a lot at stake. The industry predicts that by 2015 mobile phones will be used more than any other device to access the internet with trends pointing to $630 billion-worth of smartphone transactions.   

Experts reckon that phone transactions for digital and physical goods currently account for about 20% of online sales. Cash transfers by Near Field Communications (NFC) for tickets, parking fees and such like is growing but the sale of physical goods is thought to be the biggest future driver for MCommerce. 

(But watch out for Apple’s potential influence. Currently, its devices do not allow for NFC but that will surely change. Public sentiment towards smartphones may also cool if their super-convenience for identity theft emerges as a significant problem.)

A further difficulty in making accurate predictions is the presupposition that by 2015 there will still be a distinction between phones and other mobile devices. That ain’t necessarily so.

Is that a phone in your pocket, or....? 

Apple launched its iPad Mini earlier this year and straight away there was speculation the device may be too big because it should be a precursor to a phone-enabled version. Samsung, Apple’s biggest rival in recent years, has brought out a 5.5’ screen on its Note II placing it somewhere between the Mini’s 7.5’screen and the iPhone’s range of 4 – 4.5’ screens. Many other big players are favouring larger screens too. 

Google Glasses. A possible solution
to the screen real estate problem.

And therein lies the rub (or the pinch and the pull?). Large-screen telephones are inconveniently big, ugly and still cannot provide a pleasurable viewing experience despite their hi-res screens. The Mini, on the other hand, is not pocket size. 

A potential solution is to revive the wireless earpiece or perhaps have a retractable hardwire earphone installed on larger devices. But this still does not address the problems of having a pocket size device with sufficient screen real estate for pleasurable image viewing and convenient typing. 

Google Glasses and Eye Tap are touted as possible solutions. Media reports say Google Glasses are due on the market next year at around $1,500, though some sources dispute this. However, these will still not address the keyboard problem.

The answer’s out there

The answer, however, may well be out there already – and available on Amazon for just $100 second hand. The Celluon Magic Cube is a compact apparatus that connects to most mobile devices, creating a projection keyboard and multi-touch mouse, often wirelessly. 

It is still a bit bulky but it points the way to a future in which mobile viewing and using will be off-device while making calls and simple interactions will be conducted on smaller phones. Now that would be smart.