There's a vocabulary update for Unicode, the standard for the characters (letters, numbers, symbols, etc.) we use on our computers and gadgets all over the world, ensuring that everyone is using characters that are universally recognized.
The Unicode Consortium, the ruling body governing Unicode, has released Unicode Standard 7.0, which includes 2,834 new characters -- 250 of which are brand new emoji.
Even those who've never heard the term emoji have probably used them. Emoji are, of course, tiny pictures rendered as text symbols, and are most commonly found as optional keyboard keys on smartphone texting apps. If you've ever inserted a smiley face into a text message or an email, you've used an emoji character.
The 250 new emoji include some useful additions that users will welcome, such as "Admission Tickets," "Building Construction," "Waving White Flag," "Wastebasket," and "Film Frames."
The collection also includes some unexpected new emoji like "Fax Machine," "Trackball," "Chipmunk," "Man in Business Suit Levitating," and "Raised Hand with Part Between Middle and Ring Fingers" (aka, Star Trek's Vulcan salute). The character certain to get the most headlines is the "Reversed Hand with Middle Finger Extended." That's right, you'll soon be able to flip the bird in your texts.
Unicode may be the standard for characters, but it's up to individual companies to decide how to implement them. In other words, Apple, Microsoft, Google, and others may choose to add all 250 of the new emoji, but the final appearance of each company's set will be different. One company might choose simple monochrome symbols while another might use cartoonish, full-color illustrations. Yet another could go with more photo-realistic images. On top of this, no one is required to adopt Unicode's recommended characters at all. It's entirely voluntary, and those who do use them may opt to not use them all.
In addition to the new emoji, Unicode 7.0 includes "new geometric symbols, arrows, and ornaments originating from the Wingdings and Webdings sets." Outside of universal symbols and emoji, there are new symbols for Russian and Azerbaijani currency, 23 lesser-known alphabets used in Asia and Africa, enhancements to Indic writing, phonetic symbols for sounding-out German dialects, a 150-year-old shorthand system called "Duployan," and some 3,000 pronunciation guides for Cantonese.
Should major companies choose to adopt Unicode 7.0, it will be some time before the new emoji make their way to your phone or computer. Font updates can be a time-intensive process.
