Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Vision (Clip 1, 1993)

In 1993 Andersen Consulting (now known as Accenture) created a concept video called Vision, which demonstrated the communications possibilities of the future. The clip below shows us a universal language translator, digital personal assistants, a tablet, as well as the pervasive videophone culture we were supposed to see by now.



(Thanks to the iSight camera on my Mac, the barcode scanner shown at the beginning of the video is essentially a reality. I'd be a little surprised if we didn't see barcode applications for all of our mobile phones soon.)

See also:
Connections: AT&T's Vision of the Future (1993)
Writer and Producer of Connections: AT&T's Vision of the Future
The Road Ahead: Future Homes (1995)
Starfire (1994)
Apple's Grey Flannel Navigator (1988)
Apple's Knowledge Navigator (1987)
AT&T "You Will" (1993)

8 comments:

Rangachari Anand said...

The similarities between this video and the one from Sun are striking. will you be posting more of it? I really want to see how this ends - a triumph for the woman no doubt :-)

AF said...

That translator sounds like Marvin the depressed robot from Hitchhikers Guide...

Anonymous said...

In the future my computer will sound vaguely like Hannibal Lecter?

"Your call is still waiting, Clarice..."

Unknown said...

Barcode-scanning apps for mobile phone cameras already exist.

artbot said...

Is that Ron Jeremy on the screen?

plumnbagel said...

There was an article called "Clip and Save Holds Its Own Against Point and Click" in the NYT last year (8/30/06, to be exact) that talked about the resilience of the paper coupon in a digital world.
"Digital coupons typically must be printed and physically turned in at a store. So, there is still some paper handling. The next stage, according to marketing experts, will come with the spread of digital cellphones with location-tracking and automatic short-range communication technology. Electronic coupons will be delivered to cellphone owners on demand and redeemed by whisking the phone past a cash register scanner, eliminating all paper.
“That’s going to be the nuclear explosion in the coupon business,” said Mr. Sealey, the consultant, who expects that shift to occur in five years or so.

kd said...

is a beta test like a pregnancy test? i wonder what those will be like in the future...

Fighter Jet said...

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