In the Palm of your Hand

    
There is no doubt in anyone's mind that technology is changing at a rapid pace. Unless you have been living under a rock it is not hard to see that the times of yesteryear have long since passed. We have gone from television that were, maybe, 10" x 10" in circumference to televisions that could be 70" wide. It is absolutely incredible how far we have come from having a computer that was thousands of dollars and heavy as a washing machine to one that cost a couple of hundred dollars and you can hold it in your lap. So, if we have made all of these improvements in the television and computer world, why not make those same improvements in the phone world? Good question!! And by gosh, those improvements have been made! Who would have thought that over the years everything would be completely wireless? Most cellular devices are now completely wireless. I remember when I first got DirecTV at my house I was ecstatic. Growing up I lived in, what some people like to call, the boondocks. We could not get cable so when I was about 5 or 6 years old we got a satellite. What a remarkable time that was; then came along the brilliant invention of the cell phone. I remember when I first saw one. My dad got a "bag phone" in his truck because he traveled (still does) a lot during the summer months. From all that clutter on the floor to being able to have one that he can hold in his hand, put in his pocket and take it wherever he goes. It is absolutely miraculous when you think about it!

Not only can we make phone calls whenever we want to or wherever we are you can also do pretty much anything you want on your cell phone. Who could have imagined the day when you could pay your bill, purchase a book from Amazon and watch the highlights from the baseball game all within a span of 10 minutes, and on the same device? No matter how cool Zack Morris' phone was it could not do all of that snazzy stuff. I cannot see you, but I wonder how many of you out there are reading this blog on your iPhone. Have you ever thought about how much we do with our mobile devices? It is kind of a scary thought if you really really think about it. What would you do, if God forbid, you were not allowed to use your phone for two days? I can hear all of you screaming, "I would DIE!" That may very well be the case because we have become so dependent on these gadgets. I can think of one example and lucky for you I can use one of my own experiences. In February I had my phone stolen at a local bowling alley (I won't name the business). I was phoneless for about one week. Let me tell you, I felt like I would die. The worst part of it was thinking I could lose all of my contacts. Next worst thing, "What if I lost all of the levels I have completed in Candy Crush?!" Is anyone else completely addicted to that game or is it just me? Luckily, I did not lose all of my contacts nor any of my completed levels in Candy Crush. If we are all honest with ourselves we could go without an iPhone. We would all be okay; we're not going to curl up in a little ball and wither a slow and painful death just because we cannot update our Facebook status every 10 minutes.

I just mentioned Facebook, which now has me thinking of a study I just read. I saw a listing of some of the top sites that are used through mobile instead of the desktop. Do y'all know what website was not on there? Facebook. Weird right? The number one website was Pandora. I absolutely love Pandora! I cannot even begin to tell you how many channels I have on that thing.

The more popular the smartphone become the more websites will be viewed on them. I believe it's the simplicity of it all that draws people to it. Basically, you are carrying around a portable computer at all times. Do you want to listen to music and play a word game at the same time? No problem! For this device the world is, literally, in the palm of your hand. It is one of the most amazing gadgets of our time and I can only see the mobile world growing. I say this because I can see how much it has grown in the last three years since I did my internship. I interned at the Mobile Department at CMT and was responsible for creating ringtones and sending out text blasts. I can only imagine how much more work would be involved in it now! If you don't have a smartphone, I highly suggest you get one! Being able to have all of your favorite things within a touch of a button is a lot of fun!

 

Not only is it your cell phone, but it is completely yours (in every sense of the word).  That is such a bonus feature!  It is completely your own and no one else's.  The older phones had the standard ringtone, but now you can have whatever ringtone you wish.  No matter where you are people will know what kind of music you like, but it would be nice if sometimes they were put on silent.  Have you ever thought about your phone in that way?  Your very own personal portable device.  It is specialized for you, by you.  For example, look at the picture above.  Fleetwood Mac is in the background.  Now, I bet I do not need to tell you that I'm a big fan of Fleetwood Mac.  That is what is so cool about all of this new technology, it is fitted to suit your personality!