A user interface that would enable illiterate people to more easily use a smart cell phone

One of the functions that I hoped, early in my thinking about the ideal cellphone, would be developed is a user interface that enables users who are illiterate to use the cellphone for functions that, while available, require reading and writing text.

I thought of the user interface being created based upon a language of symbols or pictographs rather than an alphabet.

Well Microsoft has  assisted in the definition of  a model for a text free interface that cellphone operating system creators can adopt and incorporate:

http://research.microsoft.com/~indranim/text-free.htm

I had a particular use of  a text free user interface in mind. In Pakistan after the earthquake in 2005, there was consideration given by some aid groups to providing as many cellphones as could be funded to victims of the natural disaster as a new approach to improving the effects of international medical interventions.

Some means of providing  the medical aid recipients with an incentive to continue to follow the recommendations for, as examples, clean water and sanitation practices and children's vaccinations schedules.

A cellphone might be that incentive because cell phones are highly regarded and, when possessed, cared for with great intent.

The idea behind this plan was that the cell phone could also enable communications between families, support increased and more effective economic activity, provide a portable means of storing and carrying valuable documents, and facilitate health care and health maintenance by allowing health authorities to contact affected individuals to remind them of health care options and obligations.

But a large majority of the effected populations in northern Pakistan were illiterate. So any such cellphone would require a text free user interface if it were to meet all the requirements the aids groups had envisioned.

Why shouldn't the ubiquitous cellphone include sensors that would detect..well... whatever

The cellphone is the probably perfect container for a number of functions in addition to communications because it is the one digital device that more people carry with them at most times. The cellphone's utility as an instant means of communications with people and web sites makes it very attractive as the repository  for additional auxiliary functions. In other posts to the blog, I have described cellphone functions that go beyond just being a phone to include the device as a remote car door opener (like a key fob), an ATM card, a bar code reader which would permit comparison shopping on the spot, a video camera that can provide live video to a web site for instant citizen journalism, and almost an endless list of other functions. So why not as a universal set of sensor of bad things such as Sarine gas, or other theorists threats or polluted air or whatever. Read about a technology that could enable this function: But more important than sensors for external threats may be simply sensors that monitor your individual health. Although there are no very large studies confirming the value of constant monitoring of bodily functions, its is likely that for many classes of illnesses (and health) continuous monitoring may facilitate individualized treatment plans. So expect sensors that perform many different functions to be incorporated into the ubiquitous cell phone. Here's  a quote from an article by the Director of IBM India's research lab: "Doctors will get enhanced “super-senses” to better diagnose and treat you: In the next five years, your doctor will be able to see, hear and understand your medical records in entirely new ways. In effect, doctors will gain superpowers — technologies will allow them to gain x-ray-like vision to view medical images; super sensitive hearing to find the tiniest audio clue in your heart beat; and ways to organise information in the same way they treat a patient. An avatar — a 3D representation of your body — will allow doctors to visualise your medical records and click with the computer mouse on a particular part of the avatar, to trigger a search of your medical records and retrieve information relevant to that part of your body, instead of leafing through pages of notes. The computer will automatically compare those visual and audio clues to thousands or hundreds of thousands of other patient records, and be able to be much more precise in diagnosing and also treating you, based on people with similar issues and make-up."