Samsung Galaxy S IV Release Date: New Smartphone Will Have Space-Age Eye-Tracking Technology

Culture

In the same week that Apple's stock is down, Samsung sent invites to a March 14 event that is likely to unveil the new Samsung Galaxy S IV, just in time for Apple's expected March release of the next iteration of the iPhone 5. 

Recently leaked screenshots of the Samsung Galaxy S IV show a clean upgrade to the bestselling S III, but the feature to pay closest attention to is the eye-tracking software which will follow you eye movement to scroll and pause on web pages. If your thumbs become released from the tedium of scrolling a page while you read, then you could be using your phone without having to necessarily hold it in place you could put it on a stand like a tablet, and Samsung Galaxy S IV's giant 5 inch Super AMOLED display makes that a no-brainer. 

Both Google Glass and Samsung's focus on the end user being able to control their devices without direct touch is a clearly developing trend as consumer technology evolves, and one that Apple has attempted to accomplish (sort of unsuccessfully) with Siri. Voice identification is far harder to perfect, given the nuances of tone, inflection, colloquialisms, and the multitude of languages as a whole. Using the eye's motions to track how users interact with the screen is a faster and more intuitive experience, and one that will become a guaranteed highlight of the world we live in.

This is just peeling the surface on the many ways a person physically interacts with technology, which up until now has usually involved entering a command into a keyboard or through using a mouse, which to be clear, was first designed for average Joe consumers by Apple. The Minority Report-style environment that senses your distance and customizes messaging isn't very far away, with Intel recently announcing a webcam-powered TV that tracks your face as you walk by an advertisement. Our refrigerators have already been ordering groceries online without us, and now we have Smart Thermostats that adjust our home's temperatures after "learning" our activities.

The end goal for all these technological advancements is to help us automate processes that use our cognitive power so that we are freed up to think and do other things. Up until now we have had to manipulate our environment (turn on lights, open doors, etc.) but as technology becomes more and more automated, our environment will be engaging with us.