I wake up on an average day of classes and realize for the umpteenth time that I have overslept for my first class. I jump out of bed, pull on the same pants I wore yesterday, grab my backpack and run to class. I reach into my pocket for my cell phone to check the time on the way only to realize that it’s still in my apartment. Immediately I stop and look back at the path behind me and realize I have gone too far to go back for it now. In the back of my mind I realize that until I get it I will feel naked, what if someone’s trying to contact me, what if I need to contact someone else, what if I need to know the time and there’re no clocks around? Does this sound familiar to you?
I’m one of the estimated 256.4 million Americans that use a cell phone on a daily basis and at this point I simply can’t function without it. I have no doubt that the cell phone will eventually be the ultimate convergence device. In my opinion it has already laid the groundwork necessary for being the only source of media you ever need. I use a Voyager by LG, this is considered to be a “Smartphone” meaning it has basic internet capabilities and uses a 3G network. I hypothesize that in the foreseeable future cellular technology can only go one direction and that is up, creating smaller, faster and more powerful phones. The reason is that it’s something that we already carry in our pockets and only have to buy a better version.
Technophiles aside, people tend to be reluctant to adopt a completely new technology because of various reasons, price often being the most prominent. Cellular technology however, is different in that you don’t need to buy an entirely new technology, only get a better version of the product you already use every day. This means that a new feature added to already existing cell phone technology is adopted at a much faster rate.
There are however, some detriments to such fast adoption. One of the major problems with such dependence on cellular technology is that people have a tendency to use cell phones while driving and pay less attention to the road, creating a much more dangerous environment for other drivers on the roads. Laws have been passed in some states (
I would argue that some day cell phones will be the basis for the ultimate and final convergence device, which will likely be nothing like our conventional ideas of cell phones because of the pace at which the technology is developing. The problem is that people are abusing the technology and in some cases endangering themselves and those around them.
Cross, Ginger Wigington (2008). The impact of an auditory task on visual processing: Implications for cellular phone usage while driving. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering. Vol 69(2-B).
3 comments:
I would have to agree that technology is emerging so fast, that one day your cell phone will be your phone, computer and possibly even a little television combined into one device. It is very unfortunate that some people who choose to talk or text on their phones while driving are endangering other lives around them just because that person needs to just call someone to just say, “hello” amongst other various things. The fact that we feel so lost without our cell phone if we forget to take it with us and rely on such a device to make our daily life more enjoyable is kind of pathetic. Technology and the cell phone has changed our lives drastically, but how far will technology eventually go?
Maupin.39
After reading your opening paragraph I know exactly how you feel. My cell phone is as big a part of my body as the clothes that I wear! It seems that cell phones are getting more and more advanced and coming close to becoming the ultimate convergence device which is really exciting. I have a Blackberry and I do everything on it. I can email, send text messages, go on the internet, set an alarm, and even call people! I rarely go online to check my email anymore because it is sent directly to my phone. The sooner the cell phone becomes the ultimate convergence device the better in my opinion.
-Joseph Weinberg (weinberg.45)
All small devices that people use on a day to day basis are going to eventually be an all in one device. People tend to use mp3 players, cameras, internet browsers, email and watch tv on a daily basis. Wouldn't it be great if we could do all of those functions using a small hand held device? This is where the future is going for hand held devices. We already see a combination of all of these in some devices but alot of the time it isn't a very powerful device in the fact that the camera isn't professional quality, or the internet doesn't run as smooth as on a real computer. There are definite spaces for improvement with these devices but I'm curious to find out if there are already devices that can do these functions? I feel like the government puts a limit on technology so they can constantly make money off of the "new" technologies that have probably been in circulation in the military for multiple years.
posted by snyder.704@osu.edu
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