Bend your Smartphone into a Smart Watch!

Yes, you heard it right. Samsung have been reported to be working on a new display for their smartphones that is made from plastic, meaning it can bend.

With the continual improvement of our gadgets, there are always strange ideas circling around the market and you can decide whether this idea will join them. Picture it now – you have finished your last phone call and instead of the traditional, popping your smartphone into your pocket scenario, you bend your phone onto your watch fitting.

It might sound a bit insane, but the concept has already been designed. A Designer from South Korea, Jeabyun Yeon, has showcased his concept of a bendable smartphone which can transform into a watch, fitting nicely onto your wrist. The concept is 6.1 millimetres thick with a 4.3 inch display, which can flex on to your wrist.

It has been given a name too – “Limbo”.

The South Korean designer, Yeon, has explained that the smartphone’s body could be made from a plastic and silicon hybrid-type material. The idea of “Limbo” may sound like an interesting concept that could appeal to some tech heads but how practical will it really be?

Many people like the feel of a watch on their wrist but a lot of other gadget users will always check the time on their phone instead of using a wrist watch. Combining the two could work but it will end up being bulky and you may get a whole host of people staring at you. Another thing to consider is, what with all of the gadgets you already have including a laptop, tablets, and music players, is the ‘Smart Watch’ another gadget that you want to carry around with you and charge when it runs out of battery?

It might also be worth mentioning that not only is Samsung working on a new flexible plastic screen instead of the usual glass, but so is Apple. The technology giants have been noted for working on their own form of flexible screens. So, it could well mean that we will all have flexible smartphones in the near future.

What does "Second Screen" mean?

Imagine your regular night in front of the TV, your wife wants to catch up on the soaps but you want to know what’s going on in the football as you placed a bet on the score, you’re not a big fan and you don’t need to watch every second of the match but it would be good to know, as the match takes place, just how much you are in with a chance of winning. Your wife has kindly allowed you to channel hop during the breaks of her soap, but this is not a guarantee you will see the goals as (oddly enough) the footballers don’t wait until soap advert breaks to score, so you may or may not see the up to date scores.

This is where a second screen could help – you can fire up your iPad, iPhone or any other tablet or smartphone (or even laptop). You can then use dedicated sites or apps that will show lists of football matches with up to date results and scores and chances for you to see re-runs of the goals that may have won you lots of money with your bet!

The real power of second screens is to allow you to be interactive with the TV Program you are watching, there are very few programs that do not have their Twitter name or hashtag showing during the opening credits. This means that you, as a viewer, can discuss what is going on in the show, if you agree with something, if you are shocked by something or if you have something to share with other viewers of this program.

You will also find with some programs that you can go to their website and learn more about the characters in the program or more about the topic they have touched on, this can all be done on your second screen without you having to miss out on the program itself.

Basically a second screen is any device you can use to complement rather than replace your viewing – so pretty much any smartphone, laptop or tablet. A second screen not only allows you to interact with the TV programs you love, but it allows you to engage with this TV program and personalise your entire experience.

TV on the Go

As TV and media channels become increasingly on-line many of us can claim we have not sat and watched the TV for months, when in fact we have watched TV programs but just on our laptops or mobiles. It is now possible for us to watch TV on the go, whether we are waiting for a bus, on a lunch break at work or tucked up in bed. It is now loads easier to stay entertained while you’re on the go.

There are mobile catch up services such as BBC iPlayer, Hulu and Xfinity TV that have Apps available for your iPhone so you can watch what you missed while you were at the pub with your mates. Then there are other services that can cost a couple of pounds a month and you get unlimited access to your favourite TV programs, past and present.

You can also stream live TV from your home signal to your mobile phone, wherever you can get signal. You can watch exactly the same thing on the train journey home that your wife is watching on TV while curled up on the sofa.

It’s not something you’d want to do all the time as it can become costly, but you can buy your favourite programs through iTunes. You can then watch them whenever you have an Apple device to hand. It’s similar to the idea behind a Kindle, but you’re building up a library of films, instead of books.

It seems that Digital Video Broadcasts are soon to come to our phones, the theory being that you will be able to pick up ‘real’ TV broadcasts on your phone by using a built in antenna. Sadly Nokia are the only company to have introduced Digital TV Receivers into their handsets, but we are sure the rest are to follow.

TV is definitely now a lot easier to watch on the go!