Post date: Mar 13, 2016 7:47:48 PM
Blog Post for March 13
Reflecting on mobile technology: what do we expect from our mobile devices, and how have they changed our daily lives?
If like me you have had more than one smartphone, and switched from Apple to Android (and maybe back to Apple), you have probably either said or heard the statement that technology changes rapidly, and so must we. However, on closer examination, does that statement stand up? We have certainly seen a lot of change in the past decade and yet, are there some technology assumptions we now make about our mobile devices that seem to be here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future?
I see at least six things that we expect, regardless of whether our devices are Apple or Android:
First, we demand to be online 24/7. Our smartphones have spoiled us: we cannot tolerate empty spaces of time while waiting for our dinner to arrive, or at a doctor’s office waiting for our appointment, or stuck at the airport waiting for our plane. And for those of us who also tote around a wifi tablet, we expect to find plenty of free Wi-Fi out and about in our communities, and on the road: restaurants, libraries, coffee shops, public buildings, rest stops and more.
Second, we love social media like bees like flowers. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr are all apps on our smartphones and we are on them a lot. We are uploading photos, liking and sharing our friends’ posts, and posting links to cool articles about new movies or books or series on Netflix. We are also using social media to reach out to others with similar political beliefs, supporting the same causes like breast cancer or combatting cyberbullying, and we are increasingly shopping based on recommendations of friends or ads on Facebook.
Third, as more of us use our smartphones to shop, more stores and businesses have mobile apps—which gives us an incentive to use those apps to find coupons, new products, and special features like recipes, suggestions for how to use products, and calendar-driven updates.
Fourth, we are using those cameras on our smartphones to capture funny license plates (please don’t drive when you do this), snapping a photo at a family gathering, reminding ourselves of a product we like while out at a store, or capturing video. Many people change smartphones to get an upgraded camera, and as they do, more of us leave our traditional digital cameras behind.
Five, beyond that, we love to WATCH videos on our mobile phones and tablets: yes, cat videos on Facebook and other people’s adorable grandchildren interacting with other kids, or puppies and kittens. We also are watching news clips, Netflix and Hulu shows and movies, and lots of YouTube.
Finally, size matters! Most of us remember our very first iPhone and chuckle at its tiny screen: my husband and I switched to the Samsung Galaxy after two iPhones, and one of the biggest reasons was the screen size. When I switched back to an Apple iPhone 6, I noted that it looked more like my old Galaxy than my old iPhone. Now, my husband has amazed me by announcing he is going to go look at phablets, the oversized phones that are not quite tablet sized, because he thinks he can benefit from having one device instead of two. Currently, he has an iPad2 for an e-reader, social media, and email plus his Samsung Gallery. He wants to see if he can upgrade his phone to a Samsung Galaxy Note and get a mini mini tablet in one.
We are coming up on Spring Break and let’s pretend you are going on a trip. I’m stuck at home with a big black boot, but normally we would be packing up for a few days in St. Paul at a wonderful Library Technology conference. So let’s think about how my mobile devices have changed the way I prepare for trips now. Beyond the clothes, shoes, makeup and jewelry, I generally debate about which jacket/coat to take and then the electronics! When two geeks travel, there is bound to be baggage, and by that, I mean laptops, netbooks, smartphones, chargers, and lots of cords and charging cables.
About a decade ago, I took a medium sized black bag with multiple pockets and my Toshiba 17 inch laptop to a teacher’s conference and came home with a sore shoulder including a big bruise and aching arm to show for it. It was too much to drag around the large hotel and conference site. So I decided to take my much smaller Dell Netbook to St. Paul when we first started going to Libtech a few years later. While I liked the smallness of the netbook, the keyboard was rather small, but I was able to take notes during the sessions as well as check email.
My husband also took his laptop along, but left it back in the hotel room so he could check his email and keep up with what his libraries were doing. I remember hunting for outlets in our rooms at the various hotels, and more than once taking along our own power strip to be sure that we had enough outlets for all of our devices. Two laptops, two smartphones, and an iPad make for a lot of charging cables.
I wasn’t the only one at Libtech toting a netbook; on breaks, we looked like Geeks hooked on electricity, as we scattered, looking for available outlets to recharge our netbooks by lunch. I decided to switch to using a very light rolling bag the size of a backpack to give my shoulder a break, and it worked well. Maybe two years later, there was an explosion of the early iPhones and iPads and still lots of netbooks and a few ultra-light laptops. In the last few years netbooks have disappeared and in their place are a few ultra-light laptops but mostly tablets, both Apple and Android. In addition, people were using their smartphones to take pictures, tweet, get directions to restaurants, and more.
With major improvements in battery life, more apps, and better cameras, smartphones have taken on an even bigger place in our daily lives and routines, on the road, or not. If the car doesn’t have a GPS system, we use our phones to navigate, check the weather, send and read texts, use apps like YELP to find a restaurant or gas station, stream music, count our steps, track food, update social media, take pictures or video, check email, listen to audible books or read an e-book, and perform countless other functions.
Suddenly, the good old days of the old fashioned flip phone without internet access do not sound so good anymore!