The latest iPhone came out. Steve Jobs died, Google announced their latest phone, blackberry breaks. But what is the the price of all this ubiquitous technology.
The smart phone changed my life and without doubt everyone else who owns one as well. Personally for me taking the 2 hour commute to work every morning was a harrowing experience, until I actually got an iPhone – I was never bored. When I was delayed or missed a bus I instinctively reached for my iPhone and suddenly life wasn’t as grim as I had once thought.
But now adays i find it nearly impossible for me to sit and not have my phone within arms reach for me to check the latest news the latest tweet I couldn’t resist checking the screen to find out what some random acquaintance was doing and if they too were also having dinner.
Smartphones have certainly made my life a lot easier but have they made it better? they’ve made the internet akin to a limb – the backlash and anger regarding blackberry just shows how long ago it seems when the internet was chained to a desk in a room in our homes or local libraries. Now its alive and living in our pockets.
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No Boom
March 28, 2011 by Asim
I can’t take tablet “computing” seriously, as it is just basically glorified Mobile phones without the phone bit. But it is a tech growth area, the majority of my posts including this are done via my own tablet pc the nokia n900 (its actually a phone too). Regardless, there is now a huge market available for tablet pc and every phone manufacturer on the planet seems like they want a piece.
Something that flew under my radar was the RIM Playbook, RIM better known for the blackberry are now entering the tablet market with something that doesn’t do anything that’s over and above what is currently on the market. Joining a long list of tablet manufacturers, with another “me too” product.
Apple are market leaders for a reason, no doubt in small fact for the way they market themselves. Saviours of humanity is what I see them marketing themselves as, and it resonates with the marketplace. I had never in my life seen people line up outside shops to buy technology before, now its a regular occurrence when the latest apple product comes out. A fashion statement as well as saviour to humanity has given birth to an almost religious fever to Apple products and enthusiasm for the brand.
It will take a lot more to usurp Apple from their position than another run of the mill product where there is no boom for the buck.
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On Maps
February 7, 2011 by Asim
Remember maps? Those things printed on paper that depicted an area which could be read and interpreted. You may be more used to their digital cousins, Internet Route mapping and GPS units.
I may sound archaic but I miss using maps to find and plan my routes I used to at least get a sense of accomplishment whenever I made it somewhere safely. There was always an element of pride when figuring out problems for yourself now with GPS coming as standard, its like taking any self of accomplishment along with the need to think out of driving.
I am a hideous driver at the best of times I can barely drive, the dude who passed me was insane that day so you’d think I’d love GPS but I can’t even tie my shoelaces when someone is talking to me let alone listen to directions while driving.
My inability to drive aside, I do feel technology is being used to great lengths to remove our needs to think and fend for ourselves. We are blindly following routes as they are mapped out for us, I’m reminded of stories of people driving into rivers and people driving on train tracks because they listen to their GPS saying “Turn Left Now” and people blindly obeying.
Maybe one day a week I’ll attempt to live Amish style just to see if I can fend for myself. I’ll probably fail.
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Holiday Irks
January 2, 2011 by Asim
I do get easily irritated, its a damn irritation. If I have to fly anywhere by the time we land I’m the most irritable dude on the planet. That is all thanks to the fact that I’m afraid of flying. Flight simulator 98 + a flight where the wing caught fire = a nervous passenger. My hatred and fear of flying aside, one thing above all else irritated the hell out of me while I was in Egypt and in Italy earlier last year.
Hearing the word “facebook” being used in dozens of foreign languages. Everything from Spanish to Finnish to Dutch, I heard so many fellow tourists use the word. It was usually followed with variations on the word profile or update. You’re on holiday, who knows if you’ll ever see or experience what you are doing again? Yet all you are worried about is your damn facebook profile picture and/or status update.
Facebook is a great tool but its like we’re all becoming slaves to it.
Category Inane Chatter, Science and Technology, Via n900 | Tags: | 2 Comments
High Tech?
December 28, 2010 by Asim
My love hate relationship with technology continues. It is absolutely fascinating what has happened in my lifetime alone. We’ve went from the Original Metroid
released in 1986 -a side scrolling action game released on the NES- . To these ever increasingly complicated and visually stunning games and consoles. New and innovative ways of actually controlling the action on the screen. The wii, the Playstation move the Kinect.
To things like the birth of the public Internet, its insane. We’ve made these massive leaps and bounds in a very short space of time, the stuff i’ve seen is fantastic, what the next generation will see over the course of their lives will be mind blowing.
I pulled out my old -and only PDA- my Palm Tungsten T, that after getting a charge still works after 8 years. I remember I saved up for months and months to be able to afford it. It was the shiz I got 16mb of Memory, voice recorder, bluetooth & an alarm clock for my money.
I barely used the thing once I got it but still, now my mobile phone is more high tech than my first 3 computers combined.
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