This looks old fashioned, but is actually an iPhone accessory!
Telephones are, arguably, the most changed piece of technology that we currently use in our society. This is ironic considering that with all the changes made in the history of telephone use, one could still use an original phone model, provided it’s plugged into a land line jack.
Most of us have moved on from the type of phone you plug into the wall, other than to charge the batteries. Cell phones, Satellite phones and IP phones connected to the Internet have helped us move away from that one place the phone was plugged into.
As a youth I read about Dick Tracy and his wrist radio – that was what many envisioned as the future phone, and I too thought that would be the perfect telephone to take with me everywhere. I am glad that’s not what we got in this new future.
Now we have Smartphones. They make and receive calls, but that’s only the beginning!
They can send and receive email or do text messaging when an email is too much. They can take pictures and then edit and publish those pictures to the Internet, email them to friends or send them to a printer to frame and display on your favorite desk or mantle.
Convenience is just the beginning, and saving money is next:
- Download coupons you carry in your phone for the store.
- Scan barcodes with your phone camera, and search for the lowest price at stores near you or on Ebay and Amazon.
- Retrieve discount & loyalty cards from your phone, at the cash register.
Do you like to travel?
- There are apps you can use as a GPS (many are free), and get the same kind of directions you get from a car model GPS.
- Traveling up and down I95, then the I95 exit guide can tell you what services, store and food opportunities are there.
- Visiting Walt Disney World, then see wait times for rides and times for shows and events without all of those paper guides you put in the wrong pocket when you need them.
- Traveling anywhere becomes more fun when you know where you are and what is around you.
- Like to try new restaurants but you want to know if it’s worth the risk, then check to se what others have said because there is an application for that.
Parents with kids, do you know where they are? Smartphones can show you on a map within inches. Need to change dinner plans and the kids aren’t home, send them a text or even better, video chat with them face to face. That is one of my favorites as my son is in Iraq. While it doesn’t always work, when it does I use Skype or Facetime or even Yahoo Instant Messenger on my phone to talk to people via their computer, Smartphone or some other mobile device.
Using one of the many utilities on my phone, I can write notes, memos, lists and even record a voice memo when I cannot type because I’m driving or don’t have time. There is a calculator, a compass, a calendar to set reminders and alarms as well as a clock with multiple time zones.
If none of the examples above suit your needs, there is a store where you can download more applications. From quick news updates to the down-low on the financial markets, weather apps to get your forecast or see the radar maps of storms. Games, games and more game are available and while you may not say you like games, there is solitaire (my 81-year-old mother’s favorite), Angry Birds (very addictive and one of my wife’s favorites) and many classic arcade games like pong and Pac Man.
Music fans can listen to their collection where ever they are, or tune in one of many radio stations, even smart services like Pandora. You can turn your phone into an instrument and record your own songs. Become a DJ and run everything from your phone. All these possibilities, and more that haven’t been thought of yet, are coming to a pocket or purse near you.
But, back to the original question: Am I smart enough?
I would say yes to anyone.
It may take some classes (there are many available), or you might even have to have your grand-kids show you how.
But, consider this: if you are reading this you already use a computer and that’s all they really are – very small portable computers. With Internet and telephone combined together, the Smartphone will make you smarter about living with convenience.
Need to replace a part? Take a picture and go show the sales person at the store or have it to refer to when you get there.
See something you want to know more about? Just take a picture, scan a barcode or send a message to someone with a question.
Now, keep in mind that there are many different products that call themselves Smartphones, and one of those will be the answer to your needs. Maybe you need a Blackberry for work or because all your friends are hooked on the “Crackberry”. Opinions vary widely, so I’ll share mine…
For the older members of my audience, there is only one choice, and that’s an iPhone from Apple. My reasoning is simple: as we get older (at least most of us), our eyes suffer a slight loss of acuity due to macular degeneration. Meaning we need help seeing our world with reading glasses, Bi-focals or a magnifying lens.
The Apple iPhone has a screen called a retina display. It has more than twice as many pixels (the little color dots that make a picture) as any other phone and that makes it easier to see. Many companies make and sell similar products and most cost a little less but they are cheaper because they are not as good.
Finally, is it time to get rid of that old phone and the bill that comes with it? Yes, and though there will certainly be a new bill that starts coming with the smart phone and it’s not inexpensive, you will also certainly start doing things differently as a result.
Join us on this new journey into the future, and get smarter!
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