A few months back we covered Microsoft’s vision of 2019 concerning technology, now it’s Nokia’s turn. Nokia’s vision of 2015 focuses on portable devices which features technology we’re on the verge of obtaining.

Overview of Features

Social Networking:

Face recognition software: When a mobile device is facing a crowd, the device is able to identify where your friends are (headshot of friend, phone number, when they last met, even pictures of you with each other.) By 2015, Nokia’s vision of gathering data will be much more advanced then it already is, leaving users with the ability to truly connect with anyone.

Connecting:

Music Sharing: I’m not sure how legal this feature is, but apparently the ability to listen to your friend’s music will become available.

News Fetching: Not only will the mobile devices be used as a common GPS, when driving to work, news stories related to your interests will be read out to the driver.

Hardware:

Because mobile devices are becoming more of a computer then a phone, the idea is to be able to use the device wherever you’re going. To do this, Nokia believes that data will be stored on a small sim card that can then be inserted into different devices. For example, if you’re riding a bike, you’ll be able to insert the sim card into a smaller device perfect for the outdoors. In a nutshell, there will be different designs for different users.

Summary

Nokia’s vision seems almost so realistic that it could be done even before 2015. Companies like Foursquare are already figuring out how to connect random people with each other. For example, say you’re at a bar, using foursquare, you can see the interests of people around you using a mobile device, so connecting with people of the same interests will be much easier. Nokia’s concepts certainly aren’t anything that can’t be reached by 2015, but the direction they see mobile devices going in, is right on target.

On February 17, 2009 Swiss’s auto company Rinspeed released the world’s first car whose body adapts to the number of passengers in the car. The car is called iChange because with a push of a button  the rear end of the car slides up. The iChange can go from a sporty one-seater to a luxury three-seater.

The teardrop shaped concept car is extremely aerodynamic so it’s good on gas, and uses less electricity from it’s electric motor.

In seconds a streamlined one-seater sports car transforms into a comfortable car with ample room for three. The trick: At the push of a button the rear end of the teardrop-shaped car magically pops up. “We have designed and built an extremely flexible vehicle. In it we have brought the themes of versatility and continually changing energy demands to their logical conclusions.” The result is a streamlined, lightweightzero-emission car with dramatically reduced energy consumption.

The basic idea behind the ‘iChange:’: The energy demand of a vehicle depends mostly on its weight, the type of engine it uses, and its aerodynamic properties. The engineering-services company Esoro that traditionally builds Rinspeed concept cars has built an extremely lightweight car weighing in at only 1’050 kilograms. To power the car, the Swiss specialists chose an electric motor. The idea of the pop-up rear end was conceived to account for the sizeable effect aerodynamics play in fuel consumption.

Hopefully this is the start of a new automotive era. With cars like the iChange, it’s clear that the only cars that are going to compete are the one’s who are coming up with innovative ideas. I can’t wait to see this on the streets.

via [pressportal]

Real estate in urban areas is not only pricey, but space is a rare commodity. The pictures below show a West London home which combined their modern garden with a practical parking space. Is this what we’ll see in the future, or is this idea nothing more than an expensive one-time idea? I wouldn’t be surprised if we see these in wealthier urban neighborhoods. Not only does it free up space, I can guarantee you that no one will break into your car.

via [freshome]

We haven’t seen a new design in Sony’s PSP for years, but this new design shows an interesting example of what the future could look like. This mock-up was designed to have two thumb sticks, a camera,  and a OLED display that stiffens when powered up. An interesting design that would give Sony the rights to the largest display in the portable gaming world. My only problem with this is that the buttons are missing, besides the L and R on the backside, and it seems hard to hold. With a few modifiactions, this could be a serious contender the Sony should look at for their PSP 2.

Designer:  Tai Chiem

via [yankodesign]