Tag: virtual reality

What mobile technology does 2017 have on tap?

A device to predict the future may not yet have been released, but industry analysts have their own forecasts.

Mobile technology truly solidified itself last year. It was no longer something new or luxurious. It became the standard and the vast majority of people have it. It is the new worldwide norm.

With a new year underway, industry influencers are weighing in with the direction they think 2017 will take.

This year’s mobile technology market will, after all, be taking a new direction. It’s no longer a matter of making itself mainstream. That has already happened. Fresh directions need to be taken in terms of both hardware and software.

Mobile Technology 2017The entire concept of “mobile” is expanding. It’s not just a smartphone anymore. Last year planted the seed for the widespread growth of virtual reality, augmented reality, smart home gadgets and even the beginnings of artificial intelligence. So now we’re starting to wonder where that leaves us. In which direction will we take all this smart tech?

Industry analysts are taking a hard look at 2017 mobile technology and have some big predictions.

Among those mobile tech forecasts are the following:

• Changes in “reality” – the stage has been set for virtual reality, augmented reality is already hot (greatly thanks to Pokémon Go) and the iPhone 8 is rumored to be heading in a mixed reality direction. AR, VR and mixed reality are all headed toward more mainstream use.

• Artificial intelligence – we may not yet have reached the point where a robot housekeepers will be moving into our homes, but websites will be getting the next best thing through the more commonplace use of AI-based chatbots.

• Mobile Internet of Things – IoT has been a hot topic for the last handful of years but this year will start to see its use in a much more standard way now that smartphones are in the majority of people’s hands, handbags or pockets. For many, the smartphone is the core of a consumer’s connected life. In 2017, they will become a component of a broader smart environment.

To a certain degree, mobile technology will become so popular that it won’t need the word “mobile” to be used in many areas anymore. Online transactions and interactions will continue shifting away from desktop. The question is whether or not 2017 will bring the world to the point that web traffic is simply assumed to be mobile traffic – no specification needed.

5G mobile technology predicted to revolutionize VR and AR platforms

5G may be the tech that will bring virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to the masses.

5G mobile technology will change the entire virtual reality ecosystem according to two Chinese tech giants ZTE and Huawei Technologies. Both of these companies, which are based out of Shenzhen, are among the world’s top proponents of 5G. This next generation mobile communications technology is expected to deliver transmission speeds 100 times faster than current 4G networks. This makes it far more ideal for VR and AR, which currently lacks the technology needed to run optimally.

5G will deliver connection speeds of 1 to 10-gigabit per second and less than a millisecond of latency.

In other words, it will take less than a millisecond of time for data to get from one point to another. Presently, streaming 3D content is slow and latency is poor.

5G Mobile Technology to Boost VR - Image of VR HeadsetAccording to Roland Sladek, Huawei vice president of international media affairs, “The virtual-reality ecosystem is not mature enough now, in terms of content and bandwidth,” Sladek added that “If you want to stream 3D content, it’s very slow. Latency is not great. That will drastically change with 5G.”

Both ZTE and Huawei Technologies forecast that when 5G mobile infrastructure is widely deployed from 2020 there will be a boom in the global AR and VR markets.

The GSMA says that 5G Mobile Technology will lead to a “hyper-connected society.”

The GSM Association represents almost 800 wireless network operators and approximately 300 companies in the wider ranging mobile network, including ZTE and Huawei. The association believes that 5G will make mobile even more important than it already is to consumers and industries like virtual and augmented reality.

The association and the two Chinese network equipment and handset suppliers are not the only ones who are predicting that VR and AR will take off in the future. Earlier this year analysts from Goldman Sachs predicted that the global VR and AR market will reach $80 billion by 2025. An estimated $45 billion in sales will be generated from hardware and $35 billion from software.

Proponents of 5G mobile technology believe that the new tech will deliver a more seamless virtual and augmented reality experience that simply cannot be provided today.