Nokia plots mobile future

Relaunched Beta Labs website lets users influence future development

Matt Chapman, vnunet.com 23 Oct 2007

Nokia has outlined a number of key technologies that it believes will shape the future of mobile internet technology.

The company's technology briefing, titled The Way We Live Next, envisioned a world where the internet is used to tap into the existing capabilities of a mobile device.

For example, Tero Ojanperä, Nokia's chief technology officer, said the camera on a mobile phone can be used to capture something and then fetch relevant information about what you are looking at from the internet.

Nokia also demonstrated 'shoot to translate' software, which captures text and translates the written characters into another language.

The mobile phone manufacturer also relaunched its Beta Labs website, adding more interactive features.

"Beta Labs shares some of the exciting new ideas that Nokia is working on and let users help shape their future development," Ojanperä said.

"A strong online community has developed around Beta Labs, especially attracting technology savvy, early adopter mobile enthusiasts."

Nokia demonstrated one of the current Beta Labs applications, which allows an S60 smartphone to work as a web server.

Mobile Web Server allows people to access content on their mobile remotely from a web browser on another device, or to allow other people to do so.

"Mobile Web Server takes the development of Web 2.0 communities to another level as, rather than centralising content from many people on a single site, it emphasises decentralisation as a way of creating another kind of community," Ojanperä said.

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