The key to the smartphone’s success has always been its ability to swallow up functions which were formerly performed by discrete devices. From cameras to satnav systems, the handset had extended those capabilities to a broader user base by making them part of the overall mobile experience, and so have diverted consumer spending from cameras, camcorders, personal navigation devices and so on. The latest technologies to be sucked into the smartphone’s web support virtual reality and augmented reality, extending these functions well beyond their heartland in gaming. Machine learning, computer vision and VR – these are technologies which have, until recently, been confined to very large and expensive platforms and to specialized applications. Now they are the hottest area of…