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The Swiss Army Phone of the Future

It is sometimes hard to remember that it was only 15 years ago that the first cellphones came into existence. Moreover, they were big, bulky, expensive and of limited capability. Today, the average $79 cellphone serves as a phone, address book, MP3/TV player, camera, Internet browser, and video recorder. What else will they be able to do in the future?

For starters, as I explained in this piece a couple of week’s ago, the cellphone of the future will likely serve as a low-cost diagnostic technician that can tell you everything from if your breathe is bad to whether the pollen count is reaching such a level that your allergies might kick in. Beyond this, cellphones are likely to become an even more dependable security blanket for people. They already serve as a useful instrument in the event your car breaks down on the freeway, but two articles from today’s Internet offer additional glimpses into how cellphones of the near future might function. Audi is now installing cellphones into its cars that will snap a picture of the the thief in the event your car is stolen, and in Japan women are now downloading recordings designed to ward off “gropers.”

Such applications are just the beginning. It has been said that the average dentist can diagnose 156 diseases just by looking at your mouth. In the future, your cellphone might not be able to accurately diagnose that many diseases, but it’ll probably get pretty close. I also think in the near future your cellphone will be able to accurately assess the level of stress in your voice and automatically dial the nearest police office if you yell for “help.” Who knows you might even be able to spray mace from your cellphone in the future.

Regardless, it is not hard to imagine how the cellphone will soon become the 21st century equivalent of the Swiss Army knife—a tiny device that can do a lot of different things. As we move toward a digital cash environment, I am confident that you will even be able to buy a beer using only your phone within the next few years. Now, if we can only get the phone to also open that bottle of beer then we’ll really be cooking!

Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future trends, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and associations.

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