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> Could anyone in 1990 have predicted the smartphone Yes. It was called a communicator in fiction of the day. Did they get the exact details right, or every us
by Macha 5y ago
> Could anyone in 1990 have predicted the smartphone
Yes. It was called a communicator in fiction of the day. Did they get the exact details right, or every use case (e.g. replacing flashlights and music players)? No. Some of them used holograms from watches or big old handsets with a screen instead of a keypad but still big ear cups. But a portable device that could be used for voice calls, video calls, information lookup, note taking, certainly existed in fiction prior to the 90s.
- jpindar 5y agoIn the 1950s, comic book detective Dick Tracy wore a two-way wrist radio, which later included video.
- dougmwne 5y agoStill waiting for them to add a camera to the Apple Watch. Then it can be a full phone replacement for low tech days.
- heavyarms 5y agoI've been thinking this since the Apple Watch came out, but other than practical limitations (battery life) there's always this problem: have you tried to hold your arm out in front of your face and stare at your watch for a while? It's not the most comfortable position. You might have to add some extra arm/shoulder days in your exercise routine.
- dougmwne 5y agoI think a fisheye lens plus face recognition should solve that nicely. As long as you can see the watch screen, the image could be cropped, skewed and rotated to focus on your face.
- jaclaz 5y agoFor the record it appeared in 1946: https://dicktracy.fandom.com/wiki/2-Way_Wrist_Radio https://dicktracy.fandom.com/wiki/2-Way_Wrist_Radio and the video in 1964: https://dicktracy.fandom.com/wiki/2-Way_Wrist_TV https://dicktracy.fandom.com/wiki/2-Way_Wrist_TV More or less both are (fictional) "miniaturization" of existing, known technologies.