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The Road from Smartphone to Meta-Self "“ a Phone That Truly Knows Me

Andrew N. Sloss
3 minute read time.
I've always wanted a Smartphone that can be an abstraction of me. This is driven by my belief that there are people who like writing diaries and those who do not. I've been waiting for a device for the latter group, where new personal situations can be recorded and analyzed automatically. Mobile technology has been changing rapidly where operating systems are more sophisticated (i.e. Apple iPhone OS, Palm WebOS, and Google Android)  and hardware more capable (i.e. Cortex-A9). These rapid advancements have created the possibility of a truly personal Smartphone or what I call a meta-self.

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.

Anonymous
  • @Edward:  cool idea!

    I can envision the meta-self getting sophisticated enough that the device could check one's vital signs, maybe via an implanted 'medical chip' with wifi capability.   It could provide reminders and alerts, and even auto-dial in emergencies.  Could be a real asset for people with diseases like diabetes, that require strict monitoring, or pacemakers.
  • How about a phone that monitors audible activity around it to help it determine whether it would be prudent to ring contrary to its current ring settings?  For instance, if I'm in a meeting and forgot to set my phone to silent, it might recognize I'm in a meeting because it a) hears many different voices but only one at a time, and b) has heard no other phones ringing.  It could then conclude that it should vibrate discreetly, contrary to its current setting.  Conversely, if I had left it on silent and I'm in a rambunctious crowd where it hears many voices simultaneously and other phones ringing, it might presume so far as to ring loudly.
  • Perfect description! A device making educated assumptions without manual input. There are many interesting examples where meta-self could improve everyday life - can you think of anymore examples?
  • 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.
  • 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.
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