Microsoft (Nokia) is working on a successor to the Lumia 1020, codenamed
McLaren, that will pair a massive PureView camera on the back of the
smartphone with a bunch of other sensors to provide a new range of
interactive gesture controls — including Kinect-like finger movements
above the screen, but also new “gestures” like automatically enabling
speakerphone if you place your phone on the table, or muting the call if
you place it against your chest. The phone is destined to launch in
November in the US, and it probably won’t be a carrier exclusive.
This data comes from a variety of leaks, including Evleaks (which has a
strong track record), The Verge, and WPCentral. According to their
sources, Nokia has been working on a phone called McLaren. It will be
the spiritual successor to the Lumia 1020, with a large PureView camera
on the back (and the same bulge, too). Exact specifications aren’t known
at this point, but a November launch means there’ll probably be a
Snapdragon 801 or 805 SoC inside. The camera might get a small bump in
megapixels, but it would probably make more sense to reduce the size of
the sensor slightly (and thus the size of the bulge).
And then there’s all of the other sensors. According to the handful of
sources, this tech — dubbed 3D Touch — has been in development for a few
years. This means it probably uses Nokia’s own sensors/software — or
something like Leap — rather than
borrowing fromMicrosoft’s Kinect. (Or who knows, maybe Nokia and
Microsoft have been working closely together for longer than we
thought.) The Verge is reporting that this technology will be exclusive
to Microsoft’s (Nokia’s) own Windows Phones, leaving other OEMs out in
the cold (at least initially).
Windows Phone 8.1
As you’d expect, 3D Touch allows you to interact with a Windows Phone by
waving your fingers above the screen. Moving your finger down towards a
tile will cause it to “explode” like the Zune MixView. Swiping your
hand over the screen might dismiss alerts. There will be other sensors,
too — apparently 3D Touch will let you use the sides of the phone, such
as swiping back and forth to zoom in and out. 3D Touch will also let you
hang up a call by putting your phone in your pocket, or enable
speakerphone by placing it on a table. It isn’t clear if this will
require new sensors, or if it can just be done with the normal gyros and
accelerometers. Obviously the Windows Phone operating system will need
to be updated to cater for all of this new functionality.
Microsoft is obviously hoping that 3D Touch will be enough of a
differentiator that it will get people to invest in a flagship Lumia,
rather than the Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, iPhone 6, orthe upcoming Amazon
phone (which will also have 3D features!) The Lumia 1020′s 41-megapixel
camera made some waves, but users quickly found that a great camera is
nothing without a capable OS and strong app ecosystem. Windows Phone
8.1 definitely takes a few more steps in the right direction — and maybe
the addition of 3D Touch will be enough to push potential buyers over
the edge.
This news is months old, yet the article appears to have been published just last week??? MS/Nokia was originally slated for release about now, but MS/Nokia killed the McLaren when the 3D Touch technology wasn't deemed ready. Delaying the technology was a wise move, but killing the entire device was not. Now MS/Nokia is left without a flagship in their current lineup (the 930/Icon was marketed as such, but in a cost saving move, they chose a display that killed the critical Glance functionality, which by definition prevents it from being a flagship).
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