Why Samsung's Transparent Phone will fail. - Summary

Summary

Here is a concise summary of the text:

**Title:** The Future of Transparent Phones and Beyond

**Key Points:**

1. **Samsung is working on a transparent phone**, with patents dating back 7 years, although a release date is unknown.
2. **Use cases for transparent phones** may be more viable than for transparent TVs, offering benefits like:
* Minor safety benefits (awareness of surroundings)
* Enhanced augmented reality (AR) experiences
* Innovative interaction methods (e.g., using the back of the phone)
3. **Challenges and solutions**:
* Interference from background objects can be mitigated with tinting glass technology
4. **Broader implications**:
* Transparent phones may not become mainstream due to conflicting trends (constant connectivity vs. immersive experiences)
* The future may lie in **Mixed Reality (MR) and Augmented Reality (AR) glasses**, which could surpass transparent phones in functionality and adoption
5. **Speculative future developments**:
* Implantable technology for seamless digital interaction (topic for another discussion)

Facts

Here are the key facts extracted from the text, excluding opinions, with each fact numbered and in short sentence form:

1. **Samsung is working on a transparent phone**, as indicated by their internal projects.
2. Samsung **started registering patents for a transparent phone seven years ago**.
3. Additional patents for the transparent phone were registered by Samsung in **2018** and **recently (exact date not specified)**.
4. **Xiaomi has released a transparent TV**, which is available for demo and purchase.
5. The transparent TV features a **vibrant OLED picture** that disappears when turned off, leaving a razor-thin sheet of glass visible.
6. **Transparent circuit boards, cables, and batteries are existing technologies**.
7. **Glass can tint itself**, and transparent display glass can **adjust its transparency on the fly**.
8. The **OnePlus Concept One phone employed a technique to darken its glass**, making its cameras disappear from view.
9. A **Japanese mobile operator, Docomo, created a device in 2012** that utilized a transparent display for interactive purposes (e.g., manipulating a Rubik's Cube with one hand on the back of the device).
10. **Samsung's patents include a display that can be used on both the front and back of a phone**, potentially enabling new interaction methods.
11. **Augmented Reality (AR) is a key potential application for transparent phones**, offering a more immersive experience by overlaying digital information onto the real world through a transparent screen.