The Phone I Want

Sure, the newest phones are pretty cool. Bigger screens, faster processors, better data speeds, but there are a couple of big things that phones don't (and can't) really have that would make them the ultimate killer device for me. These things are either a) already on the market, or b) logical extensions of things that are out there.

Here's what I want:

1) A full-size keyboard. Obviously, a phone can't have this directly. It would make the phone too big to be useful. However, there are devices that use infrared technology to project a full-size keyboard onto any flat surface, such as this. If this technology could be made small enough to fit inside a standard smartphone, (say with the aperture next to the front-facing camera), that would work for me.

2) A bigger screen. Now, I don't want my phone to have a 13" screen. That's what my laptop is for. However, I still can't really get into watching TV and movies on even a 5" screen. So, why not include a miniature HD projector like this one in the back of the phone? Again, it's still too big right now, but if the components can be smaller, there is no reason not to make this happen.

3) Bigger touch screen. Combine the first two ideas, and I can see a future in which the phone has two projectors, one facing front and one facing back. Stand the phone up, and the front-facing projector gives you a large touchscreen (using the infrared technology) that you could manipulate, just like any other touchscreen device, while the rear-facing projector mirrors the screen onto the wall for viewing by others.

Also, if the components are small enough, and you can project the touchscreen onto any surface, it would do away with the need for the phone itself to have a large screen, paving the way for the phones themselves to stop creeping up in size, which is good...unless they can come up with a way to make pockets bigger on the inside.

If I could hire Apple to design my kitchen...

There are lots of technologies out there that I would love to combine to create a kitchen that would let me save money, reduce waste, and cook much healthier meals for my family. Here's a scenario:

I am thinking about dinner, so I pull up the kitchen app. The app pulls data from the RFID chips in all of the products currently in my refrigerator and cabinets. An inventory is generated of everything currently at my disposal, and sensors check for chemical signatures that indicate which foods are closest to expiration and/or spoilage.

With the list of supplies and priorities compiled, the app culls through a list of my most frequently prepared recipes, as well as scanning popular food sites for related recipes. A list of possible menu items is presented to me, along with rankings based on preparation and cook times, difficulty, and reviews by other users. Another list is also provided that offers additional recipes that could be prepared by purchasing an additional ingredient or two.

I select the meal I want to prepare, and choose the time that I want to eat. The over sets itself to preheat at the appropriate time, and a reminder is added to my calendar that will alert me when I should begin preparations. When the time comes, digital balances built into the counters will ensure that I prepare the appropriate portions of each dish.

At the beginning of each week, the inventory is updated, menu options for the following weeks are suggested, including options that take advantage of coupons and special offers from the grocery store, as well as the expected share of my local consumer supported agriculture pick-up. I can choose meals that I want to plan for the week, and a shopping list is generated.

If the kitchen could be integrated with ordering software at the grocery store, I could have my entire order waiting for me when I arrive, or better still, have the items I select delivered right to my door. RFID chips in the new items are catalogued, and the process begins again.

The End of Long-Term Parking?

Our cars are becoming more autonomous and more connected. In the next decade, there is the possibility that cars themselves will take over much of the responsibility of driving, moving and communicating with one another in swarms that reduce traffic and save time.

Cars are becoming ever more connected to the web, with social networking and mapping applications being integrated into the cars themselves, and connections over wireless broadband networks.

If the car is able to navigate without a driver at the wheel, perhaps it could park itself, after dropping us off at the entrance to the mall.

Taking this a step further, imagine arriving at the airport, getting ready to depart on a family vacation for a week. Instead of dealing with remote parking lots, shuttle buses, and hundreds of dollars in parking fees, the car pulls away from the curb...and goes home.

The car can then monitor the airline website, watching for your flight information to be updated, taking into account delays, cancellations, baggage wait times, etc.. Planning to arrive at the optimum time, the car pulls itself out of the driveway, drives to the airport, and waits in a holding area until it detects your cell phone's GPS signal approaching the pick-up area.

Why can't we make this happen?

So, I was outside this afternoon, wrestling with hoses and sprinklers, trying to do the calculus in my head to find the combination that would allow me to water my irregularly shaped lawn without multiple trips to move things around, and it hit me: There are robot lawn mowers, why not a robotic lawn irrigation system? So, here's my pitch:

The basic principle is exactly the same as a robot lawn mower (Lawnbott ) - you set the boundaries of your lawn using perimeter wire that the unit can sense.

The Irrigator-inator (TM) fills up a tank from a docking station connected to your hose, moves through your lawn spraying a predetermined amount of water per square foot. It returns to the docking station to refill or recharge as necessary.

You can program the unit to water at specific times of day, or only on certain days. Ideally, the system would also include a sensor that could be inserted into the soil periodically to test the moisture level, reducing the amount of water applied if the ground is already wet.

Add a Wi-Fi connection and a weather app, and the unit could even autonomously skip watering on days that have a certain probability of precipitation.

OK, people, let's get to it!