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Smartphone colonising my life

simon adebesi

simon adebesi

Member
My first Smartphone had implications for the other appliances in my life but my recent upgrade to a Desire HD has signalled the real onset of a form of electronic colonisation in my life. The phenomenon occurred to me in bed, shortly after retiring for the evening, when I noticed a surprising and at-first inexplicable resentment of my radio alarm clock. Thinking about it for a moment I realised I no longer wanted my alarm clock by my bed. Of course, my DHD is not the first phone I have had with alarm functionality. But it is the first phone I have had that has instilled in me the aggressive urge to consolidate all my electronic needs onto one device. Why should I use an alarm clock when I have my phone charging beside the bed? I thought. What is the point of sullying the area with unnecessary leads and clutter when my beautiful, portable phone does it all for me?

This thought brought with it the realisation that my phone was doing everything in its power to push everything else out of my life. The most obvious and immediate casualty, and one that demonstrates that no appliance, no matter what status they hold in your life, is truly safe, is my IPod: with the purchase of a 32gb SD card, the executive decision was taken that I would no longer carry around two gadgets, when one did the job. Obviously it has the added advantage of ensuring I do not miss phone calls when I am listening to loud music. The other obvious redundancy was my camera, although there will always be a time and a place for a dedicated camera and camcorder on special occasions, given the higher quality on offer, so perhaps in that instance redundancy is going a little too far. My old camera has been kept on in a consultant capacity.

The most tragic victim of the Smartphone
 
Back in the late 90's, there was a lot of talk about convergence of voice and data. I don't think anyone anticipated that the result would be the smartphone. It pretty much is a convergent device that is not only limited to communications, but also includes functions of a camera, GPS, and others.

Although my smartphone can do many things, it still has not made my laptop and other devices completely obsolete. My smartphone still cannot play all the games my laptop can. My laptop is still my preferred device if I plan on doing heavy editing and data entry. My clock radio is still by my bed. So far, my smartphone cannot play my local AM radio station as the alarm. However, it has replaced my wrist watch. Since my watch stopped working, my smartphone adequately took over that function. Plus, I never have to adjust the time on it.
 
Good thing you don't have an iphone and miss work or whatever due to its alarm problems :)
I haven't replaced my alarm clock or other devices yet because the phone doesn't yet do anything better than they can. For example the simple alarm clock app just mimics an alarm clock, its not integrated with the calendar, I want the alarm clock to integrate with my calendar so it doesn't alert on holidays or vacation days or whatever.
 
Eugene said:
Good thing you don't have an iphone and miss work or whatever due to its alarm problems :)
I haven't replaced my alarm clock or other devices yet because the phone doesn't yet do anything better than they can. For example the simple alarm clock app just mimics an alarm clock, its not integrated with the calendar, I want the alarm clock to integrate with my calendar so it doesn't alert on holidays or vacation days or whatever.
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Does your existing alarm clock do that now? :confused:

To the OP, Very nicely written! You should submit it to PC world or another similar magazine :)
 
Current one has a calendar sort of, it just knows the day of the week and won't alarm on weekends.
On Korganizer (KDE Window manager on Linux) can make the calendar reminder run a script and I had a script that looked at the category of vacation or holiday and would not alarm then. Once google gets more advanced the phone should be able to do it. Needs copy/paste or duplication of an event somehow and categories.
 
Very well written. I don't, however, see the next generation of tablets and phones killing the laptop. For students, something with a real keyboard is always going to be key (although they are making tablets with kayboard docking stations now which look quite promising). The laptop has too solid a niche IMO. The thing is that since the inception of the internet, computers sort of shifted to entertainment powerhouses withou themselves changing a whole lot. We are now having devices tailored for entertainment that can utilize this internet as well. Prior to the internet, how often were we useing our home computers? Much less frequently than many people did over the past 5-10 years. We are shifting back to that, I think.
 
Eugene said:
Good thing you don't have an iphone and miss work or whatever due to its alarm problems :)
I haven't replaced my alarm clock or other devices yet because the phone doesn't yet do anything better than they can. For example the simple alarm clock app just mimics an alarm clock, its not integrated with the calendar, I want the alarm clock to integrate with my calendar so it doesn't alert on holidays or vacation days or whatever.
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As has been pointed out, you can't exactly ask for your phone to do something your alarm clock can;t and for that same reason claim you alarm clock is better. I highly doubt your current alarm clock integrates in the way you mention. That said, all it takes is an app to get what you desire. Can you load apps onto your alarm clock?
 
lordofthereef said:
Very well written. I don't, however, see the next generation of tablets and phones killing the laptop. For students, something with a real keyboard is always going to be key (although they are making tablets with kayboard docking stations now which look quite promising). The laptop has too solid a niche IMO. The thing is that since the inception of the internet, computers sort of shifted to entertainment powerhouses withou themselves changing a whole lot. We are now having devices tailored for entertainment that can utilize this internet as well. Prior to the internet, how often were we useing our home computers? Much less frequently than many people did over the past 5-10 years. We are shifting back to that, I think.
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I wonder if current smartphones could run something like dragon dictate. Train it to your instructor's voice at the beginning of class and let it take the notes for you.
 
lordofthereef said:
As has been pointed out, you can't exactly ask for your phone to do something your alarm clock can;t and for that same reason claim you alarm clock is better. I highly doubt your current alarm clock integrates in the way you mention. That said, all it takes is an app to get what you desire. Can you load apps onto your alarm clock?
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I already pointed out that current alarm clock can recognize weekends and not alarm. Wife's has a dual alarm so it can have go off on two different schedules.
My point was that the android alarm is no better than a stand alone alarm clock so whats the point is replacing it if its not better.
 
Eugene said:
I already pointed out that current alarm clock can recognize weekends and not alarm. Wife's has a dual alarm so it can have go off on two different schedules.
My point was that the android alarm is no better than a stand alone alarm clock so whats the point is replacing it if its not better.
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If you have an Android phone, the Android alarm already is better than a standalone alarm clock in some respects. The Android alarm does not take up additional space unlike your existing alarm clock. If you get rid of your alarm clock, you end up gaining additional space on your end table (or where ever you currently place your alarm clock).
 
Exactly, I dont understand your reasoning, Eugene. It doesnt have to be better, it just has to be equally good, to warrant replacing the bedside clock. What is the point in having two things doing separate jobs when one can do them both just as well - and I suspect in most instances better. If there isnt an app now that can be a little intelligent with setting the alarm then I am sure someone will develop one soon enough.

I take the point being made about the laptop, and I was being a little tongue in cheek (you might have noticed), but I honestly think the laptop's days are numbered. Granted, the tablet is not going to be easy to write an essay on for now, for example, but all it takes it a bluetooth keyboard and hey presto. The other obvious area for massive improvement that can make smaller technologies far more viable for this sort of thing is voice recognition software. How long before you can dictate extended paragraphs and have it processed into passably accurate text that can be edited easily into good prose? It isnt coming in the next few months, admittedly, but it is surely coming.

Tick tock tick tock.
 
I completely agree with what you are saying in your original post, Simon (and wonderfully worded, at that). I used to complain that my purse was full of electronic gadgets that I didn't think I could do without- iPod, phone, camera, my handy mini-dictionary (yes, I did carried one around and when you carry a purse you can get away with it) and my ebook. Now, all of that is nicely packed into one lovely little package and the HTC Desire Z is something I'm quickly learning that I cannot do without. Good thing is, I can now carry a smaller purse! Which to my husband's chagrin, still doesn't warrant finding things in under 20 seconds.
 
Agape said:
I completely agree with what you are saying in your original post, Simon (and wonderfully worded, at that). I used to complain that my purse was full of electronic gadgets that I didn't think I could do without- iPod, phone, camera, my handy mini-dictionary (yes, I did carried one around and when you carry a purse you can get away with it) and my ebook. Now, all of that is nicely packed into one lovely little package and the HTC Desire Z is something I'm quickly learning that I cannot do without. Good thing is, I can now carry a smaller purse! Which to my husband's chagrin, still doesn't warrant finding things in under 20 seconds.
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I like your name Agape!

"All you need is love, love is all you need" :)
 
well written and enjoyable to read!

I agree with all you said..

have you seen the phone at CES that has laptop docking station? laptop.. tic toc
 
Agape said:
Good thing is, I can now carry a smaller purse! Which to my husband's chagrin, still doesn't warrant finding things in under 20 seconds.
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Yeah. It sucks when the phone in my wife's purse rings and I have to dig through a lot of crap just to find the phone. I tell her to put the phone in one of her side pouches so it is easy to access, but she never does. :)
 
the fact that the husband tells wife X.. wife will not do X...
have one of her friends suggest the same thing... guess what?
 
I love Android and smartphones. Now only if the batteries on my phones could last for as long as I need them to, to do all the stuff I want to do.

I do carry a lot of spares around but it would be nice if I didn't have to worry about battery life at all.
 
Just in case anyone is interested, which is admittedly probably a long shot, there was a fightback of sorts from my laptop last week. My media player was unable to play something, but my laptop had no problem with it at all.

Although used less than it months gone by, it is still able to stamp its authority on a situation when the going gets tough. Its versatility is matched only by its dependability. As I plugged the laptop into my TV I thought of this thread, and I fancied the laptop, if it were capable of conscious thought, must have felt pretty smug at that point.
 
cant we all just get along?
i hate it when my appliances give me attitudes!
dont they know... they can be replaced!
 
Having upgraded to a Note a few weeks ago I am going through some of these emotions again - though actually very little has changed in terms of new technological redundancies. The Note doesnt do a great deal more than the Desire HD did, as far as things I use are concerned anyway. But it sure does the things it does better. I think when you are consolidating your gadgets into one, you need a certain amount of girth to make it work - this screen makes using the laptop even less necessary.
 
The next stage of this process is well underway, smartphone payments, either via Pingit in the UK, or Google Wallet, or numerous other apps. And then there is Bitcoin. The digitalisation of money is well underway, and then there is one less thing to carry, and one more thing for the phone to do. Not that I have abandoned my wallet just yet.
 
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