'Because-We-Can' Technology

Why do some gadget makers insist on announcing products that sport absurd features nobody would ever want to actually use?

Take, for example, Samsung Electronics' new "3D movement recognition" SCH-S310 mobile phone announced yesterday.

The phone's claim to fame is a sophisticated built in "accelerometer," which can detect and recognize patterns when you wave it around. You can "program it" to dial "mom" when you wave it around in the shape of a sandwich, etc.

The technology that enables this magic won the company 22 patents. Samsung Electronics President Lee Ki-tae talks about the technology revolutionizing gadgets, and paints a picture of a world of electronics without keypads and controls. Just a world of people frantically waving their arms around trying to get their stuff to work.

Samsung: Impressive technology, but get a grip! Nobody wants to waive their phone around every time they make a call.

This is yet another example of technology productized "because we can," not because anyone wants it.