Phones
News Flash: Moto R&D Working On Prototypes Other Than RAZR 3!
Posted by Adrian Covert at 10:00 AM on September 19, 2008
In a panel at GigaOm's Mobilise conference today, Motorola VP of Applied Technology Fred Kitson revealed some prototype display technologies they have in the works, confirming the company has more on the mind than the damn RAZR. One phone prototype Kitson described involves an embedded projector that made use of 3 lasers that project on a wall, while another makes use of a headset display. He also made mention of home displays that could automatically detect your phone as you move into a target range, and dedicate a portion of that screen to your mobile.
Kitson expounded upon the Laser projector, saying that it could be used for collaborative teleconferencing, and "social TV," where someone can insert themselves in a friend's video feed. Other prototypes include foldable, multi-part displays, as well as lego-style modular displays that are scalable in size and shape. E-paper was another technology Kitson admitted to working with, which seems odd for a mobile phone in my opinion. Asked about when we might see some of this technology, all Kitson would say is that it's working in the lab now, and some of these will hopefully surface in the future. But hey, I'm just glad the StarTac 2 isn't their "next big thing" in the lab.

Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
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Pwnage
Posted 10:14 AM 19/9/08
I agree, down with the craprazr os, up with OS X MOBILE!!
jk, but still
Pwnage
BiZarRroBALlmeR
Posted 10:07 AM 19/9/08
Just make a better operating system.
BiZarRroBALlmeR
godwhacker
Posted 10:35 AM 19/9/08
the star tac was full of win. i would buy a star tac 2 (the wrath of tac) in a heartbeat if it was as good as the original.
and just have it make calls, no bells, no camera, no anything else.
godwhacker
Skorpius
Posted 12:36 PM 19/9/08
Believe it or not, but I'm still using the StarTAC I bought in 2000. Hit the 8 year mark in August. The antennae broke years ago, the battery is good for less than an hour of talk, but its still going. Let's see an iPhone, etc... work for 8 years straight.
Skorpius
brutek
Posted 3:35 PM 19/9/08
Old tech that is hardware based. Let's focus on software please!
brutek
Mr_Maze
Posted 3:30 PM 19/9/08
@Skorpius: Jealous. I miss my StarTac.
Also, is Kitson completely in the dark about what consumers want in their handsets? Laser beam projectors. Psh.
Mr_Maze
merebito
Posted 1:25 AM 20/9/08
@Skorpius:
And for the record, I have a StarTAC phone still too, one of those big ass black ones with the green screen and yes that was a good phone.
How far they have fallen.
merebito
merebito
Posted 1:25 AM 20/9/08
When is Motorola just going to die? They have to be the shoddiest bunch of major e-peddlers in existance.
The Razr is junky, the SideKick is sooo increadibly crappy & bug ridden, they out source their software for their substandard electronics, and don't even get me started on how terrible their DVR is for comcast.
Buyer beware, anything from Motorola is shit and WILL break it's just a matter of time.
merebito
taiter
Posted 8:59 AM 20/9/08
Why - RAZR was so cool - and youthful. It made me feel hip and it used all of the latest technology from 1995!! What is this world coming to when users can't appreciate the crappy crap that companies try to pawn on us!!
taiter