The Dawn of the Supersmartphone?

According to respected analysts smartphones (tablets too) represent the future of computing. The user adoption figures for these mobile devices is nothing short of staggering, thanks largely to Apple and Google’s Android. Their more portable form factor and streamlined, intuitive user interface design has already revolutionized the way we use the web. According to Morgan Stanley 2015 will be the year were these mobiles devices will become the foremost way we surf the internet. Already many major websites, such as Amazon have introduced tablet-optimized versions with user interface designs that, arguably, possess better usability than their standard desktop counterparts. Characteristics of these mobile inspired user interface designs include cleaner, less noisy UI design with bigger buttons and less fat, if I may call it that.

Two aspects that may be considered major drawbacks of mobile devices are screen size and, more significantly, processing power. With tablets screen size is not that much of an issue as with smartphones, which require more thoughtful user interface design to make the most of the smaller screens combined with our fat fingers. The other limitation is in processing power as dual-core 1Ghz CPUs with their 1.5 gigaflops are only as powerful as the fastest computer from 1985! Chip company Adapteva has unveiled the Herculean 64-core Epiphany IV chip capable of 70 gigaflops at a miserly single watt of power! This could herald the day when mobile devices are able to incorporate the most exquisite and processor hungry user interface design elements that we have become accustomed to on our desktops.