Mobile Phones of the future

[Scarecrow]

I'm sure I've brought this topic up before but I couldn't find it.

Does your Traveller universe have mobile phones? Or an internet for that matter?

I know we have no idea what information technology will look like 40 years from now, any more than the Traveller writers could envisage an iPhone and the internet, however there's no denying that now that that technology is a reality, that level of personal connection to global, stellar or even inter-stellar information will, I think always be around.

So how will the personal information and communications device of the far Future work?
vid-camera, vox/vid-phone, texting, e-mails, file transfer, entertainment (music, movies, TV etc) gaming, identification, payment, funds management, remote conferencing and access to an information and data network that fills the servers of a myriad planets. We already have this (with the exception that our internet covers only one planet)

Will they still be hand held devices, pocket sized, or tablet sized. How about a fold out, customiseable keyboard with a large holographic screen?

Will they have a 'roaming' coverage service, the best and most reliable of which is provided by the TAS and comes discounted as part of membership?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Crow

 

[Cryton]

In MgT the mobile phone seems to be the Comm (CRB pg 90). It requires a planetary communications grid and is even said to include such extras as cameras, Comp/0 or better, and more depending on its TL. Also in the category, but not requiring a planetary communications grid, is the tranciever. Seems to be the same as a comm, but with its own broadcast ability.

 

[aramis]

Many worlds have standard data nets, IMTU. Most use the same external interface protocol for IISS access, and allow civil Travellers access to it. The internals vary widely. Any world of TL7+ is likely to have a data net. You might not be able to interpret the data correctly, but the net is there.

 

[whartung]

I wish I had a copy of it, but in the late 70's/early 80's, there was a promotional booklet put out by HP basically talking about a world with an ubiquitous handheld. And it did most of what we have them do today, save it didn't really have a touch screen.

But it was pretty far forward looking.

Improvements to handhelds will be things like far better speech recognition such as speech in a noisy environment, dealing well with your pauses and "uhs" and "umms" that they deal with so poorly today. Better grasp of context.

The handhelds will offer transcription and summary services. Taking a drawn out video mail from your Mom to say "Mom just calling to chat, she was at what looks like a shopping center". This helps deal with the dichotomy that speech is better than typing, but reading is better than listening for many use cases.

Handhelds are transitioning in to a role of tokens of identity. We just passed a law in California allowing photos of insurance cards to be legal for proof of insurance, this way you can simply photograph your insurance info on your handheld rather than carrying Yet Another card. Handhelds are already being used for presence (you walk in to a store, the store knows that You are there), credit card transactions, boarding passes, etc. They will slowly get more and more official I think. What's the difference between the magnetic strip on your D/L and a bluetooth burst from your handheld?

There's the whole augmented glasses/eyesight meme that folks are working on. That too will be a game changer, though I do not believe people will have it "always on", I think the information will simply be too distracting and could well cause them to be banned while, say driving. Imagine getting a twitter feed and stock ticker alongside your morning commute in your peripheral vision.

But I can see a gesture (such as a eye/head gesture -- bend head back, look upper right) to enable the display for example. So you'll be looking in a store, and you just lookup and the "world" is now augmented and annotated. 3 blinks and it all goes away. Control is still an issue so you're not consider a barking lunatic talking to nothing in the middle of the street.

We will continue to have latency issues, ideally response times for queries will improve, I'll let information theorists contrast bandwidth, data capacity, and power issues.

Simply, it will be much like it is today, it's use will be even more casual because it will be even faster and more responsive.

 

[Enoki]

IMTU it is a "perscomm." That is short for Personal Computer cOMMunication device. It is a combinaton cell phone, computer, GPS map system, and at higher tech levels offers holographic displays, pull out full size keyboards, language (both verbal and written) translation... including being able to scan a document like a menu or take a picture of a sign and translate it.
It can also act as a camera and video recorder. It can be linked to a pair of glasses that give a heads up display of the data including such things as pointing out stuff in the viewer's range of vision like a resturant up ahead (including its menu if on line), stores and sale information, stuff about persons (in some cases) like very basic "That person is armed with an XYZ gun under his jacket..." A TL 12 -13 pair of cutting edge glasses of this sort start to become nearly invisible when worn (using something like a optical camoflauge system to hide them) and when linked with a optical scanning device in them the Perscomm can be in your pocket and in use. This means if you were say in a resturant you can read the foreign language menu translated on your glasses and even get a language prompt on how to respond to the server in the local language however badly you may mangle it.... all done essentially real time.


It is sort of the quintessential personal assistant in a hand-held device with it being able to do more and more as TL goes up. I would suppose it also is something of a status symbol depending on what you have and where you are.
These become available at TL 9 - 10 and above.

 

[CosmicGamer]

So how will the personal information and communications device of the far Future work?

You answered your own question:

I know we have no idea what information technology will look like 40 years from now

Will they still be hand held devices, pocket sized, or tablet sized. How about a fold out, customiseable keyboard with a large holographic screen?

Why not all of the above, just like now. I like for there to be some variety from system to system IMTU. For example one place typically uses a comm wristband a little thicker and wider than a plastic hospital band. Earbud/com dot for a more private session and interactive holographic display capable too. Another system typically uses a devices that appear as as jewelry like a necklace or earrings. Not for any stealth reasons. Nobles wear custom made versions. Entertainers show off versions by the latest designers. There are fashion shows that show off the coming seasons sensation.

Will they have a 'roaming' coverage service

By roaming do you mean some continuity between systems? Based on descriptions in multiple versions of Traveller it seams there is some standardization between systems, at least for electronic mail.

 

[Limburger59]

I figure that within minutes of an X-boat transmission reaching a starport, the public information is available on the equivalent of wi-fi within the starport. Depending on law level and government type, a percentage of that information may be available on the balance of the planet.

It is up to the governments to decide what devices work. That expensive comm dot may best be left in your desk drawer on board ship. Outside the fence it may be limited to police/military personnel...

 

[Timerover51]

It about Tech Level 6 or higher, I figure something like we have now. If 4 or 5, telephone/telegraph. If lower than 4, break out the radios for a PC party. Also, if a low population world, probably no complete world coverage.

 

[BytePro]

I have no set rules and it varies by system and planet, but 'connectivity' plays a significant roll in my games. The ingame tech helps 'keep the party' connected - which I think is very important.

Here are some of the futuristic differences I have used in my CT 'verses:

TL8-9*
Jewelry form - wrist watch, glasses, rings, necklaces, belts, pins, etc.
Also clear flexible sheet.
Waterproof and rugged.
No plugging in to power.
Use projection (2D).
Movement interface (Kinetic style).
Acoustic bone conduction.
System wide (satellite and beyond).
(*All of these exist today to some limited extent! )

TLA-B
May be embedded.
Direct optic/auditory nerve feeds, inc. recording.
Holographic projection.
Advanced bio monitoring.

TLC+
Extensive biofeedback interface.
May be 'sprayed on' (including optic/audio pickups).
No network needed.
Thru planet transmission. (On solar body - beyond atmo requires relays).
Multi-wave for space transmissions.
'Solid' holographic projections.
Advanced bio regulation (endocrine/heart/shock suppression/etc.)

 

[Fritz_Brown]

In designing my ATU, I have actually placed communications in the polity description. I include whether or not radiowave comms predominate, info about any universal information grids, etc. Since, by definition, interstellar polities tend to be TL 9 and up, most have a lot of radiowave comms. However, there are some that use mostly landlines among the common folk and so on.

I think almost any world with a global information grid will probably charge something for you to connect to it. A communications grid, as well. Your devices will have to be protocol-flexible or you will have to have an Imperial standard. (No such possibility in my TU, since there is no monolithic polity.) In an OTU setting, you might have some comm megacorp from which you can buy a sector-wide plan that allows you to connect anywhere with an A or B starport, perhaps.

 

[Timerover51]

The advantage to land lines, especially fiber optic ones, is that it is a lot harder to snoop them compared to radio wave based systems. So I can see fiber optic systems continuing into the future, especially where secure communications are required.

 

[DaveChase]

TL 11 I have the comset. It is the size of blue tooth ear piece with a head band. It has 2 times the range of TL 10 personal communicatiors. It is voice operated.
24 hours constant use, 48 typical regular use. Uses a docking station to recharge or standard computer USB port.

TL 12, I have the comdot. It is 1/2 the size of No.2 pencil eraser and can either be placed in your ear or somewhere between the ear, mouth and neck. It works as a pesonal communicator for voice only. Used alot in ships, and work areas instead of radios.
24 hours constant use, 48 typical regular use. Uses pulse wave to recharge so if you ship or area has pulse wave recharing it is unlimited.

TL 13 I have the comset. It is the size of blue tooth ear piece and can come with a head band if desire. It has 3 times the range and can project on to a solid surface no more than 1 m from it a screen. It is voice operated.
24 hours constant use, 48 typical regular use 80% voice only. Usage time drops by 4 hours per addition hour of video projection use beyond the initial 4 daily hours. Uses pulse wave to recharge so if you ship or area has pulse wave recharing it is unlimited.

TL 14 Similar to TL 3 comset but double duration and projects up to 3m video.
Can have the handuse version with only 24 hours use and 1m video, along with either a special clear nail polish or finger tip gloves for manipulation projects. Equal to 1/2 power hand held computer.

TL 15 Similar to the TL 14 with 80 hours duration (voice use 80%) or 40 hours continious video. Equal to a hand held computer in power (low end version). No need for special nail polish or gloves, but each user has to train the set for hand manipulations. Takes about 8 hours (+1 hour for number under 7 on the die roll.)

Dave Chase

 

[SpaceBadger]

Pretty much everyone of appropriate TL IMTU carries a comm that is at least equivalent to a modern smartphone. It may or may not look like a smartphone - may be in the form of a wristwatch "with benefits" (but still tells time!), or one of those bluetooth ear-phones (w holo projection as needed). Most people and places don't have the whole "augmented reality" thing IMTU, bc that is a bit beyond my personal "singularity" of what I think I comprehend well enough to weave into the story.

These comms don't all hook into anything like our current cellular network in most places, because I think that as more and more gadgets have wireless network connections, there are going to be real bandwidth problems if all are connecting through cell towers. Instead, most comms and other wireless devices are very short range, connecting to some appropriate router-type device nearby and from there into whatever higher level network is needed for whatever function is being used.

So, for example, ship crew will have comms that connect wirelessly to a very-short-range router in whatever compartment they are in, and that will connect to the ship's network. When in port, one of the things included in the parking bay rental is a connection for the ship into the port network, and from there into the planetary network. While walking around town, there are open routers wherever you go (of course you have good encryption on everything to fight eavesdropping). On primitive planets w no local network that is compatible w this system, either someone in the party (or everyone in the party, just to be safe) carries a router with enough range to connect back to the ship, or they have one in their vehicle.

I dunno, maybe some communications engineer will tell me that all of that roaming from router to router would be a worse problem than the bandwidth, but that is how I am seeing it for now.

 

[Icosahedron]

IMTU there is a widespread cultural aversion to 'cyborgs' much like the aversion to Psions, and for much the same reason - fear of what you can't control. There is also a traditional aversion to invasive surgery as a result of apocryphal horror stories of botched procedures. Not everyone abides by these cultural norms, 'minor' procedures are accepted, and in fact, much like today's plastic surgery, you get what you pay for - go to a Harley Street surgeon and pay a few megacredits and you can get a really nice job done. Go to a backstreet clinic on a nudge and a wink and you're rolling dice - literally.
The presence of implants may not be outright illegal at the average LL, but it can substantially delay your passage through customs...
These features of MTU limit the technology that you're likely to find in communications and other systems. Implants are possible but rare, and anything rare suffers from a lack of supportive infrastructure.

MgT has it right, IMO, that there are two types of Comm - a universal comm (mobile phone), requiring repeaters and satellites that are present (if imported) on most TL6+ worlds and all C+ starports, and a private comm (two-way radio) that can link a small shore party to each other and to their ship. TL will determine whether these need a repeater in a vehicle or base camp to achieve orbital range.

As others have said, the actual form of the communicators can vary from handhelds, through jewellery, to the rare implant. Once you have a comm, you are automatically linked to the public net (www) as soon as you enter a starsystem (blanket wifi access is included with your rental) and any newly arrived ship is updated with the latest data feeds. The public net is empire-wide. There are, of course, a variety of subscriber nets, some of which may be local.

I'm not a comms or computer geek, so I don't go into gritty detail about exactly how the devices interface, they just do what the Ref wants them to do and don't do what he doesn't want them to do. :smirk:

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Yes, timerover, landlines can be very appropriate. Some societies just don't seem to take to them once they have a more "free" setup going. Sucks to be them when the magnetic storm comes along........

One bit on information grids and data dumps. Cherryh's Alliance universe actually pays the ship to dump its data into the network, then charges them to upload all the local data. It makes sure that (in particular) market data is kept up-to-date across the routes. So, every bit of data from the last station the ship put into is dumped into the new station, which will get added to the info the next ship leaving takes with it. It's actually a commodity in which the crews trade. (Some info you leave out of the net for that very reason - you might corner a market.)

As to communications - how many of y'all have pay phones (or equivalent) in some of your worlds? In the modern west we have mostly seen them disappear with the advent of cellphones. But, watching some old movies, I could see possibilities as to how they might still be useful in a hi-tech environment. Thoughts?

 

[Vargas]

Landlines have an infrastructure cost to both set up and maintain so I think in the case of worlds that are being colonized, as opposed to having grown their own tech from the ground up, the emphasis will be on mobile networks. They can be "dropped in" much more easily and would incorporate encryption for privacy. Keep in mind that even fiber networks can be tapped. In fact it could be done miles/klicks away at a switching center as opposed to in proximity to the person communicating.

And while not for a Traveller game, personal comms in another consists of display contacts, an earbud and a credit card sized computer tied into a planetary data net.

 

[DaveChase]

Any world that has been through a major war specially one that has had a space battle attack their planet, will have some form of land lines buried in the ground.

To easy for others to tap into the wireless commo

Dave Chase

 

[whartung]

Any world that has been through a major war specially one that has had a space battle attack their planet, will have some form of land lines buried in the ground.

To easy for others to tap into the wireless commo

That's mostly a military need, not a civilian one.

Landlines will remain the dominant method of transmission of the highest bandwidth data, but wireless may well reach the point of being "fast enough" for the bulk of civilian uses. The infrastructure costs, both time and Cr, are dramatically cheaper for a wireless solution.

As for monitoring, encryption will either be sufficient or it won't. Can't really say one way or the other. If it is, while the messages may not be decipherable, there's still location information and traffic patterns that can be monitored. So, wireless is still vulnerable to some intelligence gathering.

If encryption is not reliable, then it's not just a wireless issue, it's a societal communication issue. That would be a much more curious thing to think about. Military encryption is reliable, and unbreakable, so that won't be an issue. It's just simply too difficult to manage for general civilian processes.

We'll see if quantum techniques can hold water for the long term.

 

[samuelvss]

Implants are possible but rare, and anything rare suffers from a lack of supportive infrastructure.

MgT has it right, IMO, that there are two types of Comm - a universal comm (mobile phone), requiring repeaters and satellites that are present (if imported) on most TL6+ worlds and all C+ starports, and a private comm (two-way radio) that can link a small shore party to each other and to their ship. TL will determine whether these need a repeater in a vehicle or base camp to achieve orbital range.

As others have said, the actual form of the communicators can vary from handhelds, through jewellery, to the rare implant. Once you have a comm, you are automatically linked to the public net (www) as soon as you enter a starsystem (blanket wifi access is included with your rental) and any newly arrived ship is updated with the latest data feeds. The public net is empire-wide. There are, of course, a variety of subscriber nets, some of which may be local.

I'm not a comms or computer geek, so I don't go into gritty detail about exactly how the devices interface...

Very well put, IMHO. I would put a couple of caveats in there. IMTU, which is actually my clearest read of the OTU, the Imperial necessarily reaches out to the extraterritoriality line (the EL), and no farther. Imperial criminal jurisdiction reaches all of all member worlds, as a minimum standard, and especially for extradition, but because something is not prohibitted under Imperial law, does not make it allowed under local law.

Thus, while my Comm may work in every Imperial starport, if I am far out of the EL in a high Law Level Repressive Dictatorship, then I may very likely not have access to the normal IISS data feeds. Now, on a lot of Imperial worlds I will, but it's not a given. On some worlds, private communications may be disallowed, or highly regulated; (e.g.: I need to rent a government comm unit, which I must keep in my possession, and not allow others to use).

Also, there is something like an internet, IMTU, but it is of course fed only by the speed of jump. A Library program is a dynamic system: whenever a ship comes out of jump in a system, its Library program "synchs" with the starport's (A, B and C), and even passing ships of Imperial registry running a Library program, where an A,B or C starport is unavailable.

IN and IISS ships have a similar, secure system for general intelligence and operation information and communications; this system also monitiors, logs and (with IN and IISS secure access) reports systemwide ship signals and communications.

In sum, then, there are Imperial standards, which reign systemwide, and out to the EL's, but the cultural and legal climates of the member worlds reign outside the EL's, and tend to have influence on the cultural practices inside the EL's.

 

[mike wightman]

I have a memory or reading an article about African countries that have a mobile phone telecom network but no landline system.

It was cheaper and easier to install microwave towers for the wireless network than it would have been to lay all the cabling...

I'll try and find a link to the story.