Computer Graphics World

Cutting-edge graphics technology is show- ing up everywhere these days. Once con- fined to desktop workstations, high-end graphics have moved from mobile worksta- tions to notebooks, and is now filtering into highly portable devices such as cell phones, PDAs, and mobile gaming devices. Over the years, the functions of these handheld devices have been seeing a con- vergence toward more and more power- ful units, such as the iPhone, that can do everything from making a phone call, to surfing the Internet, to watching video and playing high-quality games. Indeed, these handheld mobile devices can place cut- ting-edge graphics in a person's pocket and are redefining how people work, play, and communicate. e first devices that made graphics truly portable were handheld gaming consoles. Nintendo's GameBoy was introduced ap- proximately 20 years ago, and subsequent generations have added more and more graphics power. Current-generation hand- held gaming devices, such as Sony's PSP and Nintendo's DS and the just-released DSi, have reasonably high-end graphics in a small package. e PSP can even play video, while the DSi offers interactive fea- tures, including a camera and audio player functions. One of the more compelling fea- tures of the DSi is not graphics related, but network related, in that it offers the ability to download games off the Internet. While the DSi is extremely new to the scene, in contrast, both the DS and the PSP were introduced in 2004, making the graphics technology in those devices ap- proximately five years old. While still very fast and interactive, the graphics in these handheld consoles are actually a generation or two behind the current state of the art. e real hotbed of activity in mobile graphics is happening in the mobile phone arena. ese days, mobile phones do a lot more than make calls; they've become miniature digital workstations that take pictures, show maps, provide directions, surf the Internet, play games, and display video. A lot of this new functionality is driven by faster mobile data connections. e introduction of 3G Internet connec- tivity by most of the major carriers allows for faster downloads, which, in turn, allows for richer content. Look Who's Calling Probably the most conspicuous of these new mobile graphics devices is Apple's iPhone, which is about as graphics driven as a mobile phone can get. Nearly every function in the phone is controlled by a touch-sensitive graphics display. e in- novative and intuitive graphical inter- face of the iPhone has catapulted Apple into the forefront of the mobile phone and mobile graphics market. e iPhone surfs the Internet and can read a great deal of multimedia- based content, such as videos on YouTube or through the Apple store. Apple's iPhone App store is bursting with graphics-based applications, from mapping software to graphics-driven games. ese games are quickly becoming more and more sophisticated, and most major game developers, including Electronic Arts, Sega, and Vivendi, are already producing titles specifically for the iPhone. Further- more, a new high-powered start-up called Ngmoco is devoting itself specifically to iPhone-based gaming. In fact, many devel- opers claim that the iPhone has as much or more graphics gaming power as dedicated gaming devices. While the iPhone certainly has made its mark, Apple is not the only company put- ting far more graphics power into handheld devices. Research In Motion's Blackberry has become the standard smartphone for business, and while it doesn't really shine when it comes to gaming, competition from the iPhone has pushed the company to expand the device's graphics capabilities. e fairly new Blackberry Storm now has a large touch screen in place of the keypad and a lot more graphics capability, includ- ing mapping and video playback. As with the iPhone, the trend is toward more pow- erful graphics with each new generation. Microsoft is not left out in this field, ei- ther. e company's Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system has been updated to add a lot of graphical features, such as touch- When Apple rolled out the iPhone, it took a big bite out of the mobile market with its graphics innovations. May 2009 27 Mobile Graphics n n n n The Blackberry Storm has far more graph- ics capabilities than the original version.

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