OPINION:
EARLIER this
week I read a story about people swapping in smartphones for ‘dumb’ phones.
I had heard of
this trend happening among hipsters and despite being an inner-city dwelling
bearded man, I could not get on board.
To my surprise,
this story had less to do with hipsters and more to do with the supposed
practicality of owning inferior technology.
In the article, Jon Duhig, the head of digital at a
design and innovation consultancy in Sydney, said he recently swapped his
iPhone 5 smartphone for a Samsung C3520 flip phone.
His main
reasoning behind the swap was durability, which was demonstrated when he asked
the reporter to drop the phone.
Also included in
the article was Nick Fuentes, a cross fit trainer who shared similar
sentiments.
The 22-year-old
said he traded in his iPhone 5 for a basic Nokia 208 in October last year after
growing tiresome of smashing his smartphone screen during gym sessions.
While, I admit
smartphones possess a fragile touchscreen, it seems counterproductive to
regress in technology for that reason.
Especially when
there are ample phone cases on the market that guarantee to make your
smartphone’s indestructible.
As Technology
Editor, I am obviously a huge ambassador for technological advancements and I
feel it my civil duty to explain five reasons why everyone should own a
smartphone.
MAPS
Whether you are
travelling, living in a new city or just looking for that trendy new restaurant
we all know navigating unknown streets can be difficult.
However, with
most smartphones possessing full GPS capability, navigation can easily be
mapped out with the touch of a few buttons.
Using the
smartphone navigation system will also allow you choose walking, driving or
public transport options and is often a cheaper alternative.
If you are not
sold on the maps, have fun lugging around a heavy street directory on your next
adventure.
INTERNET
BROWSING
Mobile phone
technology has become significantly advanced since the first model was launched
in 1989.
Most phones now
come with a pre-installed web browser and offer a lightweight and fast
alternative to traditional computers.
To meet the high
demand of smartphone users surfing the net, a wide variety of sites have been
tailored to be displayed in a mobile friendly format.
This means
within seconds, you are able to search the internet with ease to find
up-to-date information about any query you have.
If you are not
sold on the internet browsing capabilities, have fun going to your local
library and searching through outdated encyclopedias.
CAMERA
As smartphones
become omnipresent, more work goes into enhancing the capabilities.
One of the more
impressive features on new smartphones is high resolution cameras with the
ability to capture stills and video.
The ability to
not only capture high quality images, but share them with the world on the same
device means they’re quickly making traditional point-and-shoot cameras
redundant.
If you are not
sold on the smartphone camera, have fun capturing photos with a bulky
point-and-shot camera before downloading them to your computer or taking them
to be developed.
LONG
DISTANCE COMMUNICATION
Smartphones come
with ability to download a number of social media and communication apps that
make it easier to keep in contact with friends and family across the globe.
My sister lives
in London and we are constantly keeping in contact using a number of free apps.
By using Viber,
I am able to text or call her without having to worry about hanging up after
four minutes for fear of an outrageous phone bill.
If you are not
sold on long distance communication, have fun taking out a second mortgage to
pay your phone bill or waiting weeks for your postage to come in the mail.
APPS
While I have
already touched on a couple of apps in this article, they are only the tip of
the iceberg.
Smartphones
offer the ability to download apps for almost any purpose imaginable.
Whether you want
to become more organised, get fitter, learn a new language or do your banking
on the run, there is an app for you.
I don’t even
need to continue with my “if you’re not sold” line here because the proof is in
the pudding.
No comments:
Post a Comment