The mobile world in 2016

‘Mobile devices are now like Swiss Army Knives,’ said Robbie Melton, vice chancellor of mobilization and emerging technology at the Tennessee Board of Regents. ‘You can transform your mobile device into various tools, such as a medical and fitness device, a compass, a scanner, a camera, a construction/carpentry tool, a fashion tool, a musical instrument, a cooking aid—as well as access the entire world of books, newspapers, games, translation and so forth.’

In fact, the smartphone is now a little piece of technology that we rely on to track our sleeping patterns so that we can wake up at the optimal time of our sleep cycle. We use our phones as gym companions, who nudge us to get off our butts when we haven’t burnt enough calories for the day. We use our phones to find dates, to allay the loneliness born out of this hyperactive modern lifestyle that’s ironically hyper-connected and hyper-detached at the same time. We use our phones as literal navigation systems. We use our phones to plan our working and social lives. The list of activities we use our phones for daily is truly endless.

How far the mobile has come in such a small period is nothing short of incredible. The question now, however, is what’s next? We’ve seen mobile technology push the limits of itself—we’ve seen just how capable mobile devices are on their own and as a part of a larger, interconnected network linked into computers, tablets, televisions and cars. ‘As our devices become even smarter in regards to our choices, desires and preferences, our mobile phones become the ultra-simple ‘remote control’ for our lives, simplifying an enabling all of our daily transactions,’ Dan Lebermman from Tech Crunch writes.

Mobile Trends To Keep An Eye On

So where does mobile go from here? Well to us, this is one of the most exciting questions going around. With the new year just dawned, we thought we would take a look at three mobile trends to keep an eye on heading into 2016 and beyond.

1. Wearable Technology

When talking about mobile devices, we’ve got to keep in mind that mobile doesn’t directly mean smartphone. Mobile means exactly that—mobile, and wearable technology has never looked so cool.

First of all we’ve got the obvious wearables like smart watches and smart glasses. Beyond smart glasses though, we’re talking things like smart rings smart denim (with Levi Straus and Google teaming up to make a swipe-able jacket and even smart necklaces.

Ultimately, the landscape of mobile devices is broadening and becoming its own interconnected ecosphere, a development that’s only set to continue on in 2016.

2. Mobile Payments

This is probably one of the less exciting prospects of mobile’s future, but it’s one that has to be mentioned because it’s a trend that can’t be ignored. And hey, it will mean the days of losing credit cards and then waiting patiently for them to arrive is over—which is pretty cool.

It’s only inevitable that soon enough, mobile wallets will become the norm and almost replace the need for a physical wallet altogether. Apple Pay and Google Wallet are of course the big players in this field, but there are other contenders playing their hands too (we’ve written a bit more on mobile wallets here).

Nevertheless, considering most smartphones are either run by iOS or Android, it’s safe to say that Apple Pay and Google Wallet will be highly integrated into devices, and accessible via inbuilt fingerprint swiping tech.

3. The Internet of Everything

Imagine if your smartphone was almost literally a remote control for your daily doings.

Imagine using your smartphone to control the volume on your stereo, change the channel on your television, turn on your lights, lower the temperature on your air con, start your car… well, although these things seem like they’re out of some 90’s sci-fi film, it’s a real possibility.

In the coming years we’ll start to see a lot of this interconnectivity take hold and swim into our lives without us even realizing it. As it becomes more common, and so cheaper, I’d start to expect this shift to happen sooner than later.

Final Word

Although for many of us it feels like only yesterday that mobile phones couldn’t fit in your pocket and were capable of only the true basics—sending SMS, making phone calls, and playing highly pixelated games—yesterday was a long time ago. Long since then mobile phones have shed their old skin several times.

Even since the days of the very first smartphone, mobiles have evolved into little devices that are now almost as capable and powerful as your average PC. The smartphone is now a critical item for the modern person to navigate through his or her modern life. We feel lost without it.

2015 showed us the power of mobile devices, and innovation that we had never seen before. Just what does 2016 have in store? The future is bright... watch the space for more on the future of mobile trends.