The pace of technological advancement in the mobile phone industry is nothing short of astonishing. Ten years ago, mobiles were just about making calls. Today, they are cameras,
video cameras,
portable media
players, and so much more. How else might mobile phone technology advance in the future?
High-speed Internet connections on mobiles make it possible to watch TV and also play interactive games.
The problem is the size of the picture. Who wants to watch a movie on a 5-inch screen? The solution will be built-in projectors. Televisions may soon become a thing of the past thanks to technology that will allow people to create a big-screen experience on their living room wall with their mobiles.
Another new
development is the flexible screen.
Scientists have already developed the technology that would allow mobile screens to take on various forms.
Imagine being able to roll out the screen from your phone so it is closer to the size of a laptop, then roll it back up to fit in your pocket. This kind of technology could make laptops and desktops obsolete.
Mobile phones will also replace our wallets, turning us into a cashless society. Technology will turn our phones into credit cards, IDs, keys for our cars and homes, and more. In some countries, many users already purchase products with their phones.
Smartphones will also inform us of goods and services we might like wherever we are. We will need to be comfortable with having large amounts of information about our lifestyles on our phones for this to happen.
But this is already the case for people who regularly use social networking websites.
Looking further into the future it is certain that smartphones will incorporate nanotechnology, allowing us to use our phones to scan our food for harmful toxins, for example. In short, the smartphone of the future will be the ultimate do-anything gadget. In the words of Eric Schmidt, Google's chairman and CEO, "it will be our alter ego - fundamental to everything we do".
Read the article and choose the correct option (A, B, C or D).
1 The reason people may use TVs less in the future is
A smartphones will have bigger screen displays.
B TV programmes will be made especially for smartphones.
C smartphones will be able to project images
onto walls.
D TV programmes will all be watched on PCs.
2 Smartphone screens will soon be
A unbreakable.
C expandable.
B rigid.
D exchangeable.
3 In the future, cash could become A more valuable.
B no longer necessary.
C used in only some countries.
D made of plastic.
4 In order for our phones to suggest goods and services to us, we would have to A make changes to our lifestyle.
B join a social networking site.
C provide location details.
D sacrifice some privacy.
5 The nanotechnology of the future may
A replace smartphones.
B release harmful toxins.
C be used in a number of gadgets.
D revolutionize smartphones.
5x2=10 marks
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