Smartphone makers are constantly using tricks to attract customers. In any case, it was so before. Now wild experiments with chips in smartphones have subsided a little: companies realized that it is definitely not worth going to extremes, otherwise, the fans of the brand will twist at their temples and refuse to buy. Some of the features have been refined and improved, while others have sunk into oblivion. It may have been very beautiful, but not at all practical in everyday use. Today we are going to talk about strange features that, fortunately, have not taken root in smartphones.
We tell you about the unusual technologies that we tried to implement in smartphones
Contents
Smartphone docking station
It could be a bright future, but something went wrong
I first learned about such a gadget when the Microsoft Lumia 950 was born. Manufacturers really took a desperate step to somehow attract buyers. If I’m not mistaken, the docking station came almost as a gift when buying a smartphone. Everything worked very simply: connect your smartphone to it and use it on a computer monitor using a keyboard and mouse. The need for computers would disappear. Later, Samsung released a similar docking station, calling it Samsung Dex. But already in the Samsung Galaxy S21 line , a wireless connection to the monitor appeared, as a result of which the need for a docking station disappeared.
Dual Screen Phones
The idea was so cool and interesting that, in my opinion, it was ahead of its time. Remember the YotaPhone or Meizu Pro 7: they had additional screens installed on the back of the device . The second screen made life easier and reduced energy consumption: it helped out in situations when you need to watch notifications or take a selfie with the main camera.
A dual-screen phone is a cool solution that, for some reason, was not appreciated by consumers.
A second screen could be the perfect solution to an age-old problem: smartphones could become truly bezel-less by getting rid of the front-facing camera. Alas, the idea was not supported, and smartphones with two screens disappeared. Except, of course, folding devices, but that’s a slightly different story.
Retractable camera on your phone
Chinese manufacturers release smartphones regularly and can afford to turn on the imagination: a retractable front camera is a cool idea, but it has not become widespread. This approach helps to get rid of the front camera cutout, but it has a few drawbacks.
The retractable camera is an unusual solution, but something is clearly wrong with it.
- Reliability: Despite assurances from manufacturers, the durability of such a mechanism is questionable. In the long run, anyway.
- Lack of other modules. As a result of the installation of such a mechanism, manufacturers for some reason remove important functions. For example, the Honor 9X Premium received a pop-up camera, but was left without an NFC module.
- Lack of water protection. Due to such an unusual camera module, many manufacturers do not put water protection in smartphones.
- Unusual appearance. Let’s face it: it really looks strange and, perhaps, even ridiculous. A traditional front camera is more convenient and does not irritate the eyes, and we are not ready for retractable cameras yet.
Augmented reality on your phone
Remember how much hope there was for AR technology? They promised a real revolution in mobile gaming . In general, there were so many hopes that now everything will be completely different. Unfortunately, augmented reality has not gained popularity, although the same Apple is trying to implement it in the most ordinary applications: roulette, Cards.
Augmented reality looks interesting, but has not yet received practical use
Unfortunately, there is very little practical use: you cannot find out the exact dimensions using AR, you still have to use a regular ruler. Perhaps someday augmented reality will become really useful and interesting, but so far there is a feeling that even the developers do not know what to do with it and where to apply it, although they are constantly talking about this function at various presentations.
Voice dialing on the phone
Voice dialing is perhaps one of the most overlooked features
The first thing with which I associate voice dialing is an episode from the famous TV series where the main character says to the phone “ Dial Lily ”, and the device dials Billy . Perhaps this is all you need to know about voice dialing! Jokes aside: the function really amazed the imagination, thanks to it, voice assistants appeared , as well as a dictation function that simplifies typing. Unfortunately, dictation is impressive only the first time you use it: then you realize that corrections will take longer – it’s easier to type something yourself or send a voice message .
Smartphone control
Trackballs and optical joysticks have become useless with the advent of touchscreens
The cherry on top of the crazy gadgets cake in a smartphone is the optical joystick. You probably remember HTC Legend and Blackberry smartphones, in which you installed this funny feature. With the advent of capacitive touch screens, the optical joystick has lost its functionality, and an LED indicator for missed calls has been added to it. It was convenient to use such an element in cursor mode. In addition, touch screens, although they have a number of disadvantages, are much more convenient than this way of navigating through the menu.
And what strange functions in smartphones that did not gain popularity, do you remember? We are waiting for your stories in our Telegram chat !