putting all our eggs in one basket with smartphones (revolution, how much, money)
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Are we becoming to dependent on our smart phones? Will there be a time when everything is operated by our phones? Do you think this is going to cause more problems, then solving them?
I was reading something about how BMW wants to make the drivers cell phones the key to the car, and that got me thinking about all the problems that I have with cell phones, and how much it would be a hassle it would make things.
A phone, obviously
A camera
A video camera
A GPS
A newspaper
A music player
A travel planner
A file cabinet
An alarm clock, stopwatch, and timer
A Rolodex (Use that term to anyone under thirty and expect a blank look)
A guidebook
A sleep machine
A flashlight
A level
A magnifying glass (I'm 55 and, dammit, I squint at the crossword puzzle now)
A calendar
A library
A radio
A pager (Another item from my past)
And the list goes on and on. Mind you, should I lose my phone, everything is backed up to the cloud. A quick visit to the AT&T store would set things right, pronto. But if an EMP exploded over North America, wiping out smartphones everywhere, we kind of have bigger problems than not being able to summon Uber or listen to REM or play solitaire in an idle moment.
In truth, as I point out to my permanently grumpy father-in-law, it's not a phone. It's a minicomputer. In that sense, have we become too reliant on our computers? Maybe, but only if all technology goes away.
Are we becoming to dependent on our smart phones? Will there be a time when everything is operated by our phones? Do you think this is going to cause more problems, then solving them?
I was reading something about how BMW wants to make the drivers cell phones the key to the car, and that got me thinking about all the problems that I have with cell phones, and how much it would be a hassle it would make things.
Yes, definitely. If I lost my cell phone, I wouldn't even be able to call my own children because I have no idea what their numbers are. Sad but true. Luckily, if I had or could borrow a computer, I could access them in "the cloud", but you get my point.
Yes, much as we may love them, we are far too dependent on them. With me it's more the laptop than the phone but I would be lost without this technology. I use it as a map, to look for a restaurant, for travel reservations, for information on how to unclog the sink, to read the news, to read a book, to watch a video, it's unending.
I've noticed that I can't even relate to someone who doesn't use a computer or a phone. I don't know what to say to them. Yet many people (older than I am!) never got into computers and they are fine. They have full lives doing more than I do--things like art and reading actual books. They're out doing things while I'm sitting here looking at facebook or returning texts.
Maybe somebody else can provide some more insight but I've been thinking about this lately and wondering how much further it can go or if we should maybe go backwards a little bit. It seems that we are rapidly putting a great distance between our current lives and how it was just 15-20 years ago. What next?
All of those I have a backup for in one way or another. If I'm walking the dog late at night, or hunting early in the AM, I have a different flashlight other than my phone. If I want to take nice pictures, I use a camera, but if I'm just snapping a pic of something in the yard for a Craigslist add or whatever its great. Rolodex? That's backed up to the cloud, I also will write down numbers just in case. I came of age in the smartphone revolution but still know Mom and Dad's home and cell #'s, I know my wife's number, etc...
A lot of other things qualify as neat Gee-gaws but aren't really something I'm dependent on. I use the iHealth function to see how far I've walked, but I don't really need to know that. Its just fun. And could be accomplished with a cheap pedometer.
Actually, the thing I'm most "dependent" on is youtube, for when I'm doing a DIY project; I never was able to really glean much from a Chilton or Hanes or This Old House book.
The only thing that would really hamper me if it totally went down would be navigation. I don't have any maps anymore. I know how to use one but haven't had one since 2010 or so.
I've always felt that too much was relied on technology, including cell phones. I use my phone for only two reasons ~ calls, and the alarm. That's it. I don't even text because I hate it. I have no desire to check email, surf, store pictures, grocery lists, start cars, GPS. Most of that stuff can wait until I'm home in front of my desktop, and some things I prefer to do the old way.
I've contemplated ditching it and going back to a pre-paid flip phone. Unfortunately I paid $400 for the damn thing just a year ago and now it's worth on Craigslist maybe $150 on a good day. I would have to really have to have a bug up my a*s to do that at this point. The old one I had was still working fine after 3 years. All it needed was an $80 battery replacement. I honestly had no idea you could replace the battery in an iPhone until all this controversy a couple months ago about Apple slowing down the phones on purpose.
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