Intel, Nokia and Finland’s University of Oulu have recently announced that they have partnered up to develop a joint research center which will be used for creating software for 3D and virtual reality experiences on mobile devices. The Intel and Nokia Joint Innovation Center has been officially opened today, and it will employ around two dozen professionals. The center will also become the latest member of the chip maker’s European Research Network, Intel Labs Europe.
The team of professionals working in the new lab will research new and compelling mobile user experiences that could ‘leverage the rapidly increasing capabilities of mobile devices’. For short, ever since the touch UI showed up, manufacturers discovered that they could provide devices which could be used more naturally, without complicated input and menus. So the people at Oulu are now working to create interfaces that are more similar to interactions in the real world, aiming to provide more natural and intuitive experiences. The two companies compare the innovation they are trying to achieve to that of modern 
games and movies which have become more immersive with the help of realistic 3D graphics.
In February this year, Intel and Nokia released the open-source MeeGo operating system. An early version of the OS was sent to developers at the end of June. The two companies also mentioned during a conference call that they envisioned 3D and virtual reality software running on a wide variety of portable devices including smartphones and tablet computers. MeeGo is said to provide the best flexibility for developing new 3D experiences on mobile devices.
“The University of Oulu’s focus on future telecommunications solutions as well as electronics and photonics made it the perfect location for the Intel and Nokia Joint Innovation Center,” says Justin Rattner, Intel chief technology officer and director of Intel Labs.
The team at Oulu is also thinking about the possibility of displaying a 3D hologram of the person a user is talking to on the mobile phone. So far, this type of device has only been found in sci-fi movies, but I must admit that the idea sounds pretty good. Despite how futuristic it sounds for the moment, there are plenty of devices out there that were inspired from Star Trek or Star Wars movies to name just a few. (who would have thought three years ago that we’re be holding an iPhone in the middle of the street, surfing the internet and oddly moving and tapping our finger around the screen to zoom in or scroll down?). If the lab manages to come up with a way to display a 3D hologram, the companies believe that consumers will feel more involved and engaged with their mobile experience.
The new lab will be located at the Center for Internet Excellence at the University of Oulu. It will work closely with the Oulu Urban Living Labs. The university is well known for its work which includes electronics, photonics and telecommunications. Obviously, implementing 3D and virtual reality in mobile devices could be quite a big thing for Nokia and Intel. It would help set the two company’s products apart from other mobile devices currently found on the market. Also, something tells me that Nokia is enjoying holding on to the nr. 1 mobile phone manufacturer spot worldwide and not so eager to give it up for the Android platform or Apple. If the company is to remain the leader, those affordable mobile phones it’s selling in emerging markets might just not cut it anymore, and it may be time for some serious innovation from the part of the Finish manufacturer.11
