On 03/01/2013 08:31 AM, Mark Woodward wrote:
I think I was the last human being above the age of 16 to get a smart
phone. Android, of course. I think the people who claim that they are
"life changing" are using more than a bit of hyperbole. As I think
about it, it really isn't a "phone" so much as a wireless personal
computer that happens to have a telephone application. Still, its
pretty useful.
Thinking about it, it is a proper evolution from the phone. The phone
has become obsolete. Teenage girls don't spend hours on the phone
anymore. They spend hours texting. As more and more of our
communications becomes "written," the more these types of devices
become the norm. I can text and email coworkers easier than I can
speak with them. With all the various accents and nationalities,
verbal communications can be quite difficult. I can think as I write
much easier than when I speak.
So, yes. As you walk through crowds of people, every single one of
them looking at their "phone," we have certainly rounded a corner in
human communications.
It has changed society significantly. With a Smartphone, you are
virtually never out of communications range. (Unless you are in an area
not covered like a National Park). Nearly every facet of society has
been affected including warfare. Osama bin Laden was tracked down by his
courier's cell phone. In your example, above, it also gives these kids
some independence. In the old days they had a single landline in a house
shared by all members of the family, and parents could snoop. Today,
with text messaging the device is portable so while their parents can
check on the bills and usage, they can't see anything about the
individual text messages. But also the smartphone can be used to enforce
24x7 coverage by one person in an IT situation. The impact of
smartphones is world-wide.
--
Jerry Feldman <[email protected]>
Boston Linux and Unix
PGP key id:3BC1EB90
PGP Key fingerprint: 49E2 C52A FC5A A31F 8D66 C0AF 7CEA 30FC 3BC1 EB90
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