Why Your Next Phone Might be bendable

            When looking towards the future of technology in 2012, you or I might expect such advances as further development of voice recognition by our phones, mobile payments becoming the mainstream form of payment, and maybe even touch controls replacing the mouse or keyboard on computers.  But for people like Pete Cashmore, a self proclaimed tech-watcher who is employed at CNN, expectations are higher than ever.  Pete says, in reference to what he believes is to come in the year 2012, “what I'm most excited about is something far more audacious: flexible phone screens.”  Yes, you read correct, flexible screens, as in you can bend your phone screen in any given direction and not only will it continue to work, but it will not break.

            This idea of a flexible screen, however optimistic, is not too far off from a possible reality.  In fact, the mobile phone company Samsung has already developed a prototype phone with a fully bendable screen.  The initiative behind Samsungs’ progress for this type of phone contains many facets.  For one, being the first phone company to introduce a full bendable screen would differentiate Samsung from its competitors, giving them a competitive advantage over other phone companies like Blackberry and Apple.  Also, having this competitive advantage will give way to Samsung becoming an industry leader and trendsetter for years to come.  Another initiative for Samsung to create this type of phone is because they recognize the customer’s needs and wants for a more durable phone.  And with a full flexible screen, breaking your phone by dropping it will become a thing of the past.

            When looking for outside research on both Samsung’s futuristic prototype, I found that, according to International business Times, the new Samsung Galaxy Skin, which allows the itself to bend as little as a one inch in diameter from itself, will indeed be released in 2012.  Within this same article, International Business Times proclaims the phone is uses very little energy, but manages to possess a brighter than normal screen due to the phones AMOLED screen display.    

            In reference to any counter arguments, one could argue the limitations of the device, is the device itself.  While the phone aims to encompass many electronic devices in one, its screen size may prohibit exactly that.  In effort to replace items such as the tablet, this phone may fail simply because the screen is not big enough for what may needed to be viewed or edited.  With that said, a paradox arises.  We want small, paper thin phones when we want convenience, but we also want a screen big enough to watch movies, edit PowerPoints, and write full length documents.  Another argument one could raise is the look of the phone itself (Picture below).  While the screen appears to be everything we could ever want, the base of the phone is quite large and bulky.  With this look, many prospective buyers may be turned away from purchasing the phone. 

             In my opinion, Samsung is taking the lead on the next big breakthrough for the phone industry, effectively changing the realm of phones as we have come to know them.  I believe this initial prototype and phones like it that are sure to follow will set a new standard for phones and phone users – giving us more durability at a cheaper price.  Finally, I know it is early, and no releases have been made, but I would argue that what this type of phone will accomplish for the industry as a whole will prove to be more beneficial than the jump from simple buttons to touch screen.  
             With 2012 right around the corner, and phones becoming thinner than ever, the excitement of new phone possibilities is only going to grow.  Having to wait for future’s time to pass may be one of the most difficult, but well rewarding tasks for phone enthusiast and customers every.  Setting our sights on the futuristic phones that lay right around the corner truly makes one wonder just how far we’ve come from the antenna raising days of the 90s, and how far we have yet to go.

My Article: Why Your Next Phone Might be Bendable, can be found at : http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/31/tech/innovation/flexible-screens-cashmore/index.html?hpt=hp_bn6

Here is a video, not by Samsung, but rather Microsoft on ideas they have had for flexable phones and smart devices :

http://mashable.com/2011/10/27/microsoft-near-future-video/

International Business Times Article referenced above : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8790189/Flexible-Samsung-phone-to-be-issued-in-2012.html