The World on your phone
We tend to look at how much the World has changed since the information age brought on fast and increasingly faster computers, along with fast and increasingly faster internet connections. I guess with all the fast changes going along in the world of computing and computer peripherals, we neglect other changes going on in other day to day objects. Televisions are becoming sharper and with much better image quality, as well as lighter and offering a world of different functions. Kitchen appliances, like refrigerators, for example, have become smarter with the use of chips and can now perform more complex functions, like advanced energy saving or even letting you know when you’re low on a given food product. Cars are also getting a whole lot smarter. What used to be a fully mechanical system is now being increasingly replaced by an electronic smart system tied to its own on board computer that can improve fuel economy, monitor the car for any problems or safety issues and increase efficiency.
But one of the objects that has changed the most is the telephone. It’s almost comical now to look at the old rotary disk phones and think that people talked to an operator instead of just dialing the number. How could you trust that you could make that business call on time, let alone conduct a conference call back then? With the improvement of land lines and of telephone technology, especially with the introduction of the digital telephone, things started going along a lot more smoothly. And of course, the mobile telephone was the ultimate invention when it comes to the world of business and otherwise too. Having the option of being within reach at all times in the day, wherever you are, is one of the most beautiful things to have happened to the busy business man that has to be on call at all times.
But now cell phones have taken yet another leap. Smart phones, like Blackberries and the iPhone allow you to turn your phone into a multi functional tool that allows you to do a lot of things. One of the most impressive functionalities that I found for the iPhone was a teleconference application. To think that a little phone that fits in your pocket can replace an entire teleconference call center in that it schedules the calls, makes them and connects all the people in the call, while at times also allowing for video conference, kind of still blows my mind.
