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As an engineer I’ve worked and observed the mobile world for over 18 years. The first mobile product I worked on was called the AT&T EO 440 Personal Communicator. The EO 440 could be called the original Smartphone. It was based on a Hobbit processor from AT&T and it used a standard analog mobile phone to provide the wireless communication. To give some time perspective it came out a little after the announcement of the Apple Newton (another revolutionary mobile product powered by the first ARM processor).
The EO 440 ran an Operating System called PenPoint from the GO Corporation which provided a pen based gesturing input system, where documents could be embedded, faxes could to be sent and received, and access to the analog phone service was available. The EO 440 provided all the basic building blocks for the future but lacked content and all-day usage on a single battery charge. Both the EO 440 and the PenPoint Operating System pushed the relative technology boundaries for the time. It was an interesting product but one which has long been forgotten. Up to now, including the EO 440, all UIs have been modeled on digital equivalents of paper diaries and calendars, with the addition that applications can be downloaded from a service provider - to me I want a device that goes far beyond this concept, a device that learns about me and provides feedback in a new form.
Mobile meets Cloud
Meta-self, an abstraction of me where the premise of the device is more around expert systems and learning rather than digital equivalents of paper based technologies. This device learns about you the owner and doesn’t necessarily require manual input of data. Where the backend or hidden thinking part of meta-self occurs in the cloud (using the computational scale of the data center) and the mobile device becomes the personal all-day visual input and output device. This means that both the cloud and mobile computing worlds become interleaved to form a self aware device. This meta-self can track where I go and record what I do and when I do it privately – I can query the device and ask questions beyond the scope of a simple calendar entry. For example, by automatically recording GPS and location information the data can be merged into the cloud based Calendar which in turn provides instant directions for your next appointment without manual inputting.
The collection of advanced technologies are starting to align in the mobile world including all-day battery life i.e. always connected, cloud computing i.e. distributed data, internet i.e. Web2.0, ultra efficient multiprocessors i.e. Cortex-A9, multi-touch, advances in AI , and smartbooks, the concept of having a device that is an extension of one’s self starts to become a possibility. Today we are just starting to see newer ways to enter data via GPS, voice recognition, and multi-touch. I believe this will only accelerate. Check out the application called Sherpa by Geodelic for an insight on how this technology is emerging. Once the data is collected data centers can analyze and sort the information into a new form which fundamentally morphs my mobile device into an advisor and companion i.e. a meta-self.
What do you want your phone to learn from you?
Andrew Sloss, Consultant Engineer, ARM, He is interested in future software technologies and trends. In particular, Andrew looks at how software can make use of low power devices in new innovating ways. Andrew is an author, Fellow of the British Computer Society, and currently holds the chair of the ARM Bindings Sub Team for UEFI.
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8 Comments On This Entry
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Lisa 
28 June 2010 - 05:37 PM
a meta-self device is an intriguing concept from the point of view of convenience but rather scary if you consider potential for invading personal privacy. I don't think I'd want my every movement, conversation, purchase, and so on, out there nicely organized in the cloud available for hacking or even legal access (e.g. via court order). But maybe I'm just more of a diary person.
Andrew N Sloss
29 June 2010 - 02:17 PM
Thanks Lisa, Great points! I agree privacy will be a big challenge. The concept of meta-self will fail if people feel that their information can be compromised. In this blog I was attempting to focuses on the potentials but you are absolutely right privacy and security will be critical. The question back to you is what would give you the confidence to store your meta-self in the cloud?"
Lisa
29 June 2010 - 09:35 PM
I was thinking about this application today while grocery shopping: I would love an app that tracked my shopping and could learn the patterns of purchases (how often I buy milk for example) so that the meta-self app could build a list on the fly of what items I am likely to need now or in the near future. No more grocery lists to make (and forget). that would mean perhaps a barcode scan capability or maybe a feed from the store's checkout system.
As far as security goes I would want to be able to control all aspects of what is tracked (no automatic opt-in) and have the data itself encrypted of course, and have it identifiable as "me" only via a key or ID that's not tied to my real identity. And also have ordinary access to the data secured, preferably with a "something you have / something you know" type system. For example, only readable from a registered device, and also password protected.
As far as security goes I would want to be able to control all aspects of what is tracked (no automatic opt-in) and have the data itself encrypted of course, and have it identifiable as "me" only via a key or ID that's not tied to my real identity. And also have ordinary access to the data secured, preferably with a "something you have / something you know" type system. For example, only readable from a registered device, and also password protected.
Andrew N Sloss
30 June 2010 - 03:26 PM
Exactly! The grocery-list is a good example where you could opt-in to start automatic tracking. Information is already being partially tracked today but it hasn't been personalized or made useful to individuals. This is where I believe a combination of mobile plus cloud computing has huge potential (for developers and consumers) - Would you agree?
On the security side you mentioned wanting the default options to be off until you decide to opt-in and you want the various options to be available to the consumer - as a consumer I personally want lots of control. I particularly like the idea of registered devices.
On the security side you mentioned wanting the default options to be off until you decide to opt-in and you want the various options to be available to the consumer - as a consumer I personally want lots of control. I particularly like the idea of registered devices.
EdwardCoffin
30 June 2010 - 11:50 PM
I'd like my phone to be like a discreet and competent personal assistant that observes my habits, then adapts itself to use these observations to make suggestions.
For example, it could use location tracking to get to know the places I usually go to and how I get to them, and correlate the different routes I travel with events in my calendar and with days of the week. It could then predict where I would be later in the day, and do things like offer suggestions that take advantage of this. A concrete example would be to remind me to take some soon to be due library books with me (before I leave home) if it thinks I will be passing by the library. It could notice I have an item in my todo list that mentions a business from my address book, and if I happen to be passing nearby, it would suggest that I stop in and take care of that errand.
For example, it could use location tracking to get to know the places I usually go to and how I get to them, and correlate the different routes I travel with events in my calendar and with days of the week. It could then predict where I would be later in the day, and do things like offer suggestions that take advantage of this. A concrete example would be to remind me to take some soon to be due library books with me (before I leave home) if it thinks I will be passing by the library. It could notice I have an item in my todo list that mentions a business from my address book, and if I happen to be passing nearby, it would suggest that I stop in and take care of that errand.
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