Intel Sees Promise For Mobile Barcodes And Physical World Connection

From ZDNet Intel Reveals Its Vision For Mobile Phone Evolution

Intel has set its technicians working on a new initiative that it hopes will get mobile devices piggybacking on other devices its user may come across, as well as making use of the increasing number of sensors--such as cameras and GPS--within the device itself.

The terribly-named Carry Small Live Large plan is one of the company's "four or five big bets" for upcoming technology trends, with engineers working on new methods to use the applications available on mobile phones in ways that aren't dependent on the form factor of the device itself.

The Carry Small Live Large scheme is also looking at ways to utilize the data generated by the range of sensors included within mobile devices. According to Kahn, one of the oldest mobile sensors--the camera--has some of the greatest potential.

"That sensor could take a look at a barcode and give you information on the product, it could be connected to a database that you're looking at as a tourist", Kahn said. For example, by allowing the user to take a picture of a building in a foreign city, and using location information from the phone's GPS combined with the image taken by the camera-phone to find the building on a database and then deliver data on it back to the user's phone.