Video on your cell phone – mixing work and play

Imagine observing a surgery live while you’re on vacation. Imagine being able to review functionality on a new model of spectrophotometer without having a salesperson present.

Motorola has handed out sample models of a new cell phone with a video camera in it. And they’ve given free rein to a professional cinematographer just to see what he can do with it. These short films viewable online give you a good idea of the clarity this new technology can achieve. Not sure how splitting the screen into 6 or 9 slightly different views works–or if it has any function other than artistic…

A media observer says “cellphone marketing will become even more personalized than the Internet.” Imagine getting a custom-made-for-you television show–say a technology review or a travel guide–delivered to your phone when you ask for it. It’s kind of the AAA (auto club) model of come in here and we’ll draw a “triptik” for you while you watch–only you don’t have to go to the storefront.

I know how much I enjoy having an embedded digital camera in my PDA–half the time I carry the thing more for the camera than for the information content–since if I’m going to be actually working, I’m starting to bring my laptop with me. (Tried implementing the use of a portable computer a little bigger than a PDA, but have never succeeded in getting the thing to work properly–so I gave up the idea of buying a folding keyboard for it.)

So maybe it’s going to be a race to see who gives us truly everything-in-a-box first: our laptops, our cell phones, or some entirely new device that’s lurking in the minds of the technogeeks out there.

Where will you be going when you can carry your office in your pocket?