The popularity of the mobile
phones is constantly on the rise like a snow ball. There are
numerous reasons for that and they are well beyond mere
communicating with each other. The
development of the cell phones and technology in the past decade
along with social and cultural processes as well as sharp
decrease in prices contributed to their phenomenon success.
Cell phones have long become a symbol of
status as well as a fashion statement. Some manufacturers have
started to produce special designed phones for women. Other
models are designed with interchangeable facades to cater for
the youngsters. A lot of young people are transferring their
instant-messaging habits to their cell phones.
The integration of so many different
functionalities and technologies into the cell phones is more
impressive and beneficial than the all-in-one office devices
that integrated a scanner, a copier, a fax and a printer into a
single compact space saving multifunctional machine.
The current generation of G-2.5 technology as
well as the very near future G-3 units that are starting to
emerge right now will carry in it so many functions which are
mind blowing. These new Cell phones are going to be a multimedia
center, a mobile office, a navigation device GPS (Global
Positioning system), a computer with fast Internet access, a
text messenger, a high resolution camera and video, a watch, a
calculator, a PDA, an MP3 music player, TV and a Wallet! Yes, we
will be able to pay with it for things we today pay with coins
like vending soda or coffee machines as well as for parking
space, trains and buses tickets etcˇ¦. It has become our ˇ§Swiss
Army Knifeˇ¨...
In Israel they used the cell phone to send SMS
message and approval for one dollar donation payment for needy
children. I guess that in the future it will be a legitimate
tool for voting in contests and may be even in Elections.
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, an
executive for a wireless company noted that ˇ§in Slovakia, people
are using mobile phones to remotely switch on the heat before
they return home,ˇ¨ and in Norway, ˇ§1.5 million people can
confirm their tax returnsˇ¨ using cell phone short text messaging
services. Paramedics use camera phones to send ahead to
hospitals pictures of the incoming injuries; ˇ§in Britain, it is
now commonplace for wireless technology to allow companies to
remotely access meters or gather diagnostic information.ˇ¨
Construction workers on-site can use cell phones to send
pictures to contractors off-site. Combined with the individual
use of cell phonesˇXto make appointments, locate a friend, check
voicemail messages, or simply to check in at workˇXcell phones
offer people an unknown level of convenience. (Source: The New
Atlantis ˇV Article by Christine Rosen).
Other interesting applications are providing a
locating service of your friends, or in other words if one of
your friends is very close to where you are right now an SMS
massage can alert you of this fact.
Cell phones and Dating Services
Several companies now offer a way to flirt and
meet people anonymously. These services offer cell-to-cell
texting and PC-to-cell texting. (Text-messaging phones also can
receive messages sent over the Internet from a PC.) Companies
including UPOC (Universal Point of Contact) and SMS.ac allow
users to fill out a profile as they would at any dating service
(some dating sites are dabbling with texting) and then search
for an ideal match. Profiles can include photos and can be
accessed either with a picture-enabled cell phone or through a
PC. Say you want to meet a 20- to 30-year-old man in Orlando who
is interested in hiking. Do a search and three names pop up. You
can send one a text message without ever exposing your phone
number
Cell phones as safety devices
One of the main reasons the cell phones have
become so wide spread nowadays is that besides convenience it is
perceived as a security and safety aid, Parents provide their
children with mobile phones in order to track their whereabouts,
to make sure they arrived safely to their destinations, to give
them a mobile phone to report in real time when in any sort of
trouble.
Many women feel much safer in the street
knowing they can call for help when in need. |