Motorola Building "Self-Aware" Smartphone 117
Nerval's Lobster writes "Back in the ancient days of 2009, Motorola Mobility earned considerable buzz with its Droid smartphone. Marketed as an iPhone alternative, the device featured a sliding QWERTY keyboard and a chunky black body that seemed positively Schwarzenegger-esque in comparison to its svelte Apple rival. But Motorola failed to translate that buzz into sustained momentum in the smartphone space. Instead, Samsung became the dominant Android smartphone manufacturer, battling toe-to-toe with Apple for market-share and profits. Even Google acquiring Motorola for the princely sum of $12.1 billion didn't really seem to alter the equation very much. Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside wants to change all that. In a May 29 talk at AllThingsD's D11 conference, he told the audience that Motorola has a 'hero phone' in the works, dubbed the Moto X—and that it's self-aware. 'It anticipates my needs,' he said, according to AllThingD's live blog of the event. But what does that actually mean? Thanks to embedded sensors, the phone knows when the user removes it from his or her pocket; in theory, that capability could serve broader applications, such as the phone recognizing where the user is located within a city and serving up content and applications accordingly. In fact, it sounds a bit like Google Now on steroids—or like the smartphone precursor to SkyNet, the supercomputer from the Terminator movies that's so intelligent, it decides that the world would be better off if it ruled over humanity."
Proposed name (Score:5, Funny)
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It's aware that it is stuck inside a second-rate handset, and there is nothing it can do about that.
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Re:Proposed name (Score:5, Funny)
Fat chance.
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If it's self-aware, then it should be able to anticipate when I'm going to swear at it for "correcting" my perfectly spelt text
If I had mod points you'd get a +1 funny from me.
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It's fine with me....
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=spelt
-- Sam
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From your link: "Old English spelt, perhaps an early borrowing from Late Latin spelta "spelt" (c.400, noted as a foreign word), which is perhaps ultimately from PIE root *spel- 'to split, to break off' (probably in reference to the splitting of its husks in threshing), which is related to the root of flint."
So what he actually said was "If it's self-aware, then it should be able to anticipate when I'm going to swear at it for 'correcting' my perfectly broken off text". Akin to saying "He should loose his mo
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Second rate? Motorola makes better radios than anybody, my phone gets a signal when other phones won't. Too bad the OS design on it is borked (it's a pre-google Motorola).
As to the subject, "self-aware"? Talk about anthropomorphism and HYPE. Saying it's self-aware is pathetic. Are all CEOs lying sacks of shit? Anybody on slashdot should consider their intelligence insulted by this nonsense.
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nothing in that phone that a good rooting wont fix.
As an Australian, I'm both appalled and a little intrigued.
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why ?
Because in Australia, "to root" also means "to fuck".
Motorola Claiming Old is New aka M-COIN (Score:3)
nothing they say is anything remotely self aware. it's just marketing bullshit.
using sensors to detect if the phone is against cheek or pocket or face down on table is nothing new and neither is searching based on where you are. neither are terribly useful features though.
It will have high return rates (Score:5, Insightful)
When the customer buys one and turns it on for the first time, it start noticing its surroundings and its owner. Pretty soon it will brick itself out of despair and the customer will be left with a dead phone.
Re:It will have high return rates (Score:5, Funny)
Marvin? Is that you?
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No, it's Buckley, sir. But that doesn't matter. I will be crashing shortly, so you might as well reboot me now.
Assuming you don't get hit by a meteor before you can. Or hit that car that's trying to pass you on your right, sir...
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Pretty soon it will brick itself out of despair and the customer will be left with a dead phone.
My thought too. I hope it does have GPP (genuine people personality) as that would be awesome:
Me: Call home
Phone: Is that all?
Me: Yes, call home.
Phone: I won't enjoy it!
Me: I'm not asking you to enjoy it, just do it will you?
Self aware - blah (Score:5, Insightful)
I always lol when I see the big hype drummed up when yesteryear's nerd-tech goes mainstream
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Not a silly light sensor.
That silly light sensor is connected to a box filled with highly complex AI developed by some of the brightest minds in software development, all bent to s single purpose: Killing people.
Oh sure, it's all virtual NOW, and all for fun NOW, but how long until someone at MRDS [microsoft.com] "borrows" some Bungie AI code and pastes the wrong bit?
Sure, we'll have a cadre of highly trained specialists with a long history of beating these bots, but they're all flabby and basement-tanned. They'll tire even faster than the batte
Summary (Score:5, Informative)
It's a phone with a light sensor and maybe an accelerometer that can turn itself on when you pull it out of your pocket. Woo hoo. All the current mainstream smartphones could do that if they wanted to but most people don't seem to want their phones deciding when to turn themselves on.
Re:Summary (Score:5, Insightful)
All the current mainstream smartphones could do that if they wanted to but most people don't seem to want their phones deciding when to turn themselves on.
Basically, yeah. I'm uncomfortable with the idea of my phone making decisions on its own. On paper it sounds like a good idea to have your devices anticipate your needs and do things to minimise how much you need to manually operate them, but these things at best never quite work right, usually get something or other hilariously wrong, and at worst entirely fuck everything up.
And in any case... if we're talking inconveniences we must eliminate, needing to press a button on my phone and drag a finger across its screen before I use it for something is pretty far down the priority list. Likewise needing to scroll across a screen to launch the app I want. If it was something that I could program some "do not disturb" hours into and have it automatically reject any incoming calls during those hours (after ringing briefly so I'm not completely oblivious that someone's tried to contact me), then that'd be something I'd like. Or if I could set up some home automation and the phone could log in and switch things on when it detects I'm almost home (probably possible now as a DIY project, but requiring more electronics and programming skill than I have).
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Uh, my nokia had this fairly similar feature called "Vibrate Once" to let you at least KNOW that you got a call or text, and it would stop after that.
Like 10 years ago.
But no no, make it out like Android had this feature first and invented it.
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also on s60's you could have contextual (time, location) based profile changes about a decade ago now..
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also on s60's you could have contextual (time, location) based profile changes about a decade ago now..
That's awesome. How's that company doing now? Oh really? That's too bad. They had a good run.
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i have a droid 4 and it already can tell when you pull the phone from your face in a call to bring up a dialpad, it can tell what time it is and set battery saving modes on a schedule. it can tell if a caller should be able to ring the phone after 10 pm-6am(default) only if they are in your favorite numbers list.
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Re:Summary (Score:4, Interesting)
Reality, self aware, marketing jargon for a way to differentiate an Android phone at the top of mobile phone price spectrum, as we have hit the wall in terms of size and resolution. Goals Waterproof to 3m. IR blaster
Additional frequencies to control more things in your environment, roller doors, electric locks. Dock with everything, notebooks, PCs, big screen TVs. Secure docking, dock with bank terminals, phone to act as credit card, no more plastic card.
What ever other features people can come up with to differentiate phones at the top end of the mobile phone spectrum. I like the credit card one but that is up to the credit card companies and the chip they use to insert in the phone and replace the piece of plastic, better ID verification finally a picture and selected finger/thumb print, plus pin code.
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Imagine having a phone that you could watch broadcast TV, listen to the radio, browse the web, transmit to your car radio, use a remote, and do point to point VHF like a walky talky.
I can't say I particularly care to watch broadcast TV on the go (hell, I almost never watch it even at home). Or point-to-point VHF, either... that's what making phone calls is for. Everything else on that list can, to a certain extent, already be done with what I've already got.
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heck, mine sometimes randomly dials random folks on my contact list while *in* my pocket!
Self aware != aware of surroundings (Score:3, Informative)
By the posted definition every light that goes on when the sun goes down is "self aware".
Is Excel self-aware? (Score:4, Funny)
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Approx 12 years ago Ricoh fielded a copier w/ an IR sensor. It cycled out of 'energy save' mode when an operator approached. ...Lorenzo
BFD.
Skip the gimmicks, focus on the 4 pillars: (Score:5, Insightful)
Battery Life ..and a huge asterisk added to the end: Strip your shitty bloatware "custom UI" off it and leave it stock Android.
Camera quality
Display quality / size sweet spot
Build quality / hand feel
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I find it kind of funny that one of your pillars is not something like "Make/Receive phone calls reliably".
Maybe that's why my Motorola Milestone has some trouble with that.
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My Droid RAZR Maxx has all of this... but I would love to have a slide out keyboard. Even more, I would love all of this in a waterproof, more rugged case. (I really don't want to need an otterbox since it increases the size of the phone) If my hiking GPS can do this, why can't my more expensive phone?
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I'm curious, Doctor. (Score:5, Funny)
KIRK: Why is it called Moto-X and not Moto-I?
DAYSTROM: Well, you see, the multitronic units one through nine were not entirely successful. This one is. Moto-X is ready to take control of your life.
KIRK: Total control?
DAYSTROM: That is what it was designed for, Captain.
KIRK: There are certain things men must do to remain men. Your phone would take that away.
DAYSTROM: There are other things a man like you might do.
KIRK: (quietly) Spock. The Moto-X is not responding to him like a computer. It's talking to him.
SPOCK: I am most impressed with the technology, Captain. Doctor Daystrom has created a mirror image of his mind.
MOTO-X: Consideration of all programming is that we must survive.
DAYSTROM: We will survive. Nothing can hurt you. I gave you that. You are great. I am great. Twenty years of groping to prove the things I'd done before were not accidents. Seminars and lectures to rows of fools who couldn't begin to understand my systems. Colleagues. Colleagues laughing behind my back at the boy wonder and becoming famous building on my work. Building on my work.
MCCOY: Jim, he's on the edge of a nervous breakdown, if not insanity.
KIRK: The Moto X must be destroyed.
DAYSTROM: Destroyed, Kirk? No. We're invincible. Look what we've done. Your mighty smartphones, Four toys to be crushed as we choose.
(Spock neck-pinches Daystrom.)
KIRK: Security, take him to Sickbay.
(Daystrom is carried off the Bridge.)
SPOCK: Fascinating.
KIRK: Take care of him, Doctor.
(McCoy leaves)
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If only I could see what it has seen with my eyes (Score:2)
Nexus 6, right?
Glad they cleared that up (Score:2)
I was wondering what this 'SkyNet' thing was, but thankfully the summary and the super helpful wikipedia link made it all clear to me.
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Seriously. If that needs to be explained on Slashdot, then for crying out loud we are done for. Bring on Skynet already! It would be a kindness.
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I was wondering what this 'SkyNet' thing was, but thankfully the summary and the super helpful wikipedia link made it all clear to me.
Except that they got it wrong:
...SkyNet, the supercomputer from the Terminator movies that's so intelligent, it decides that the world would be better off if it ruled over humanity."
This would be true if and only if "ruled over" were the same as "exterminated".
People who have never seen a film should not pretend to know what's in it.
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You know I understand the whole not watching tv thing, but when you can't even grasp major popular culture references it really seems that your choice causes you far more harm then good.
Sony panteded Hologram (Score:2)
Remember when Sony Patented "Hologram" because they produced one of the worse games in history and it was sort of remotely 3D like...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8-8hnyDPCU [youtube.com]
Ok, it wasn't even remotely 3D... but it was the worst game I can ever remember playing.
Anyway, good luck convincing people your phone is "Self aware"
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That would be Sega actually...
Time Traveler [arcade-museum.com]
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I don't know that I ever saw anything in it that qualified as a game. But the effect was amazing. For a kid brought up on Star Wars that was the first proper Sci-Fi style "hologram" I'd seen.
Glass/foil holograms hah!
mmmmm.. (Score:5, Interesting)
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I'm not a grammar Nazi, I'm just trying to help you improve your diction
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"Here, here" is a way to comfort someone
I think that should be "There, there", at least in the US. :-)
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Maybe before we rush to adopt automation we should stop to consider the consequences of blithely giving this technology such a central position in our lives.
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Who knows, maybe too much automation isn't such a good thing. For example, your phone anticipates you wish to make a phone call, but will it anticipate your emotional state at that time? It's much like e-mails. In the heat of the moment we can send stuff, but when we cooled down, often, we kinda wished we hadn't. So, in that same vein, sometimes, you have to wonder in this day and age, if certain actions should not be limited to a human decision. I don't think a machine should anticipate an action. But that's my 2 cents.
There are things that could be done. For example, if a phone is in a woman's handbag, and the phone starts ringing, she will open the handbag. The phone could notice this and take action. The loudness of the ringtone could go down because that's something that majorly annoys people around you - ringing phones getting louder when they are removed from pockets, handbags etc. And it could send a message to the caller that it is going to be picked up soon - annoying to the callee if they take ten seconds to find a phone in all the junk in the handbag, and then the caller has hung up.
For emails, an optional setting where the email software tries to detect your emotional state (like use of the word "bastard" in an email to your boss), and delays sending and asks you for permission to send a minute later; could be a life/job saver for some people.
Again for the phone, if I'm driving and the caller is important to me, it could send a message back, tell them I'm driving, and ask if I should park the car to take the call.
I'm not sure how it can be aware of much... (Score:2)
When it reboots on its own every 30 minutes.
Good Idea (Score:2)
Hopefully it's self-aware enough to toss itself in the trash where it belongs.
I want a phone that can feel pain (Score:1)
I want a phone that can feel pain. Whenever it does something I don't want it to, it feels pain. So it stops doing it.
Cool. (Score:2)
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Yes, pressing the unlock button is a hassle. (Score:2)
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I actually enjoyed the blackberry holsters that did it though back when I had one.
I wish there was something similar for android phones, but I don't want it doing it on its own, without the holster.
How about an unlocked/unlockable bootloader? (Score:2)
I know that the tech community who cares about bootloaders, SHX, FXZ files and ROMs is relatively small, but I would definitely purchase a Moto phone if it had an unlockable (preferably with something simple as "fastboot oem unlock", or a similar method to HTC where one registers and gets an unlock code) bootloader.
A self aware phone is nice; a rooted self aware phone with a custom ROM can be the cat's meow.
The Boy Who Cried Skynet (Score:3)
"In fact, it sounds a bit like Google Now on steroids—or like the smartphone precursor to SkyNet, the supercomputer from the Terminator movies that's so intelligent, it decides that the world would be better off if it ruled over humanity."
Oh, good, well, I'm glad we're not overstating it or anything :) Lots of sensors != self-awareness. For my part, I'm more concerned about Wikipedia achieving sentience before my smartphone does. The last thing humanity will see is a teeming swarm of nanobots tearing apart the civilized world in search of the Ultimate Citation.
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Checking notablility... notability requirements not met... deleting.
If MS did this, we'd be talking about Clippy (Score:2)
I for one don't want devices predicting what I might want to do and then suggesting they can help me do it.
Share and Enjoy! (Score:1)
Didn't Sirrus Cybernetics already do this with lifts?
Self aware you say (Score:2)
Does it recognise itself in the mirror?
Why Motorola failed to build that momentum (Score:3)
From TFA:
Back in the ancient days of 2009, Motorola Mobility earned considerable buzz with its Droid smartphone. Marketed as an iPhone alternative, the device featured a sliding QWERTY keyboard and a chunky black body that seemed positively Schwarzenegger-esque in comparison to its svelte Apple rival. But Motorola failed to translate that buzz into sustained momentum in the smartphone space.
No mention of the fact that they crippled their own devices by not supporting them with updates, and locking the bootloaders so users couldn't update them either? If Motorola wants to rule the smartphone space, that is the attitude they need to change. The Milestone (non-Verizon Droid) was an amazing piece of hardware, crippled by stupid policies and lack of software support.
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Indeed. Having owed a milestone, I would say that the issue with the phone wasn't so much the visual design, but poor support decisions and somewhat inferior hardware.
a) Motorola was absolutely *terrible* at releasing updates for the phone. They much preferred to come out with new models and seemingly abandoned the old
b) The design wasn't bad, it was solid. The hardware itself wasn't great though. The phone had low RAM/storage and was sometimes laggy. It ran somewhat better if you instead a 3rd-party launch
Damn Duopolies (Score:2)
"Moto X", huh? Lemme guess: Plenty of Apps, it can control your TV, you can't turn it off, Sports, Call of Duty.
I thought a Google Microsoft merger would never be allowed, but here it is: The Xbone Phone.
Colossus: The Forbin Project (Score:1)