The Blackberry: I Didn’t Know What I Was Missing
Tuesday, 09. 29. 2009 – Category: Dial611
It seems a new cell phone is coming out every two weeks these days, and I’ve never been one to keep up with the latest and greatest in mobile technology. Any basic phone would do because I just needed to make calls while I was on the go. The biggest reasons that I hadn’t been in the market for a new phone are because of time and expense. I didn’t want to take the time to learn how to use a new phone with all kinds of fancy features. I was sure that it would just take up more of my time when I’m already pretty busy. Plus, my old phone was in good condition. It worked, so why spend money on a new one?
My…
Needing Credible Sources in the New Data World
Thursday, 09. 17. 2009 – Category: Dial611
As I mentioned in my previous two articles on smartphones, more and more data is becoming easier to access wirelessly. And while access to this information is great, it does come with some inherent dangers to our lifestyle. But beyond just personal dangers, there already is and will continue to be a concern for credibility in this new data world.
Wave one of the digital credibility issue has come with the Internet and e-mail. There was a tremendous amount of content suddenly available at our fingertips, with news and research that once took days or months to obtain now only a search away. However, the credibility of the sources behind the content were suspicious at best, as anonymous opinions and flat out false content was mixed…
The Danger of Being Too Connected
Monday, 09. 14. 2009 – Category: Dial611
As a society, we are more connected than we have ever been. With social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook reaching millions of Americans, we have instant access to data. Soon, as I discussed in my previous article, that access will be mobile—making us experts anywhere, anytime. But is all of this connectivity worthwhile? Do we really need to know each piece of breaking news as it happens?
More importantly, what are we trading away for this instant access?
Deteriorating Interpersonal Communication: Let’s face it–when faced with talking with someone or sending them a message (whether via text, tweets, postings or e-mail), we increasingly choose the latter. And while we like to rationalize that it is out of politeness so as to not intrude, the result is…
What Happens When All Data is Mobile
Wednesday, 09. 2. 2009 – Category: Dial611
Just a few years ago, smartphones barely existed in the wireless industry. Research in Motion’s Blackberry was a leader in the space, but its product was focused on business clients who wanted to stay in touch while out of the office. Flash forward to the present day, and even the casual mobile user has expanded their use beyond simply making phone calls. Texts, e-mail, downloads and web surfing services have all grown tremendously.
With the introduction of user friendly devices like the iPhone and the Palm Pre, and the expansion of Research in Motion into more personal devices, children and parents alike are now seeing smartphones as more of a need than a want. This means more connectivity, more applications and more data at everyone’s fingertips.
But…