ARE YOU MOBILE?

You don't know how much you depend on your mobile phone until you don't have it. This spring my Galaxy S3 smart phone was damaged by an over abundance of soy sauce! While waiting for my replacement phone, I had to use an old Kyocera flip phone. There was nothing smart about this phone. To text I had to use the numeric key pad; it was a frustrating week, but I did have use of a phone. My household is much like millions of others; my cell phone is my only house phone. Having to use the Kyocera truly emphasized to me how dependent I am on the services provided by my Galaxy S3. That week also taught be that having a phone that is mobile is a must.

Before I get into the mobile age in which we live, let's reminisce on how far the telephone has evolved. We all know Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in the late 1870s; actually he was the first to the patent office!  Massachusetts was the first state with regular telephone lines and in 1878 the first telephone company was formed--Bell Telephone (now AT&T). The first pay phone came about in 1889. You've seen the old movies where the caller had to put the listening device to his or her ear and speak into a separate speaking device--it was clunky but it worked. Telephones evolved to rotary dialing, and in 1941 the first touch-tone system was installed. By the 1970s the cordless phone had made its appearance, and the early 1990s gave rise to the first digital cordless phones. Research into cellular phones began in the late 1940s, with the first portable cell phone used in 1973. Remember those huge bag phones? We all tried to find a way to afford those so we could be "in" but also so we could be mobile. From tin cans connected by a string to walkie-talkies to the smart phone--we digital immigrants have seen quite a revolution and evolution in communication devices.

Today's smart phones are truly smart; they are masters of multi-tasking. My phone can make and receive calls, texts and voicemails, serve as a camera, capture my email, take me to the internet for information or online shopping, and provide me with music, movies, books, social media, newspapers, magazines, pictures, etc. One handy product I can put in my pocket and take anywhere--what could be easier? My smart phone can even take the place of my desktop computer. In fact, Business Insider tells us that in 2011 smart phone sales exceeded personal computer sales for the first time ever. It appears that the digital age is moving quickly to the mobile age--the device must be portable, easy to connect, and give us access to everything.  Globally, mobile phone users (using something like my old Kyocera) still outnumber the smart phone users, but this number changes daily.

 We are changing from sitting at the desktop to reclining in a chair to use our computers.  A 2012 report from the USC Annenberg School predicts the personal desktop computer is on the way out; laptop use will also dwindle. The replacement--tablets. The tablet is a "'lean-back'" device as users sit back to use it. The "'lean forward'" nature of the personal computer makes users go to the desktop and lean over a keyboard. Tablet users take the device wherever they go. The same Business Insider referenced earlier gives statistics to indicate tablet use is steadily rising and even extending through the traditional evening prime time period. Ever use your mobile devices while watching TV?

When I first read this, I was surprised. A tablet replace my desktop and two monitors? Never! However, as I think about this, I see this is probably a realistic prediction. For hard core desktop publishing, bookkeeping, etc. I see the big desktop computer still being used--at least in my case. It's hard to beat the two monitors when designing newsletters, flyers, and other publications. I do like to sit back and use my touch screen laptop for lots of other activities, and it can be connected to another monitor or the smart TV.

When I travel, I really like to take my Galaxy tablet. The tablet has all the bells and whistles of the desktop without the size and weight. If we think about tablets, they are designed for most of our senses: we can hear audio content, see colorful, engaging content, and touch the screen. The tablet contains all the types apps I use on other devices and has a Bluetooth keyboard, so I can work on spreadsheets or blogs. While sitting in a doctor's office I can catch up on the AP news, scan magazine articles, connect with SEC football news, read and reply to email, and play games. This last activity is probably one that many of us think of when we think of the smart phone or the tablet--playing games. That same Business Insider reports shows that game apps have blasted by Nintendo DS sales by hundreds of thousands of downloads or sales since about March of 2011.

I began this blog with the history of the telephone, and I think the tablet has developed in a similar way. Just as we began with the basic big telephone we did also with the early computer. As the telephone evolved, it became smaller, portable, and multi-tasking. The early computer has gone through a loosely similar evolution from the large desktop machine to the laptop to the tablet. Smaller is not always better, but it seems that mobile is. So what's next? Greg Satell cites Kaku's Caveman Law: Whenever there is a conflict between modern technology and the desires or [sic] our primitive ancestors, these primitive desires win each time. Satell believes the next products will be "not only vastly more powerful, but also more natural and eventually disappear altogether." Intriguing thought--devices that will be so ubiquitous we won't even notice them. That reminds me--have you heard about Samsung's new smart watch!!