Do I love technology? Yes. Would others refer to me as a techie? Yes. Would I call myself a nerd? Yes. Do I understand the current buzz around hi-end mobile phones? No!
I have been vocal in the past regarding aspects of modern technology that I see no real advantage or beneficial use for other than ridding your wallet of excess ballast. My opinions on the iPhone are well known to anyone that I have spoken to since it’s tech spec announcement. However, I am surrounded by fellow techies who are embracing this temporal shift in communication technology. Paul and Brian are big iPhone aficionados and I remember them looking a little puzzled when I expressed my views on Apple’s latest release.
Today I see that Bernie is still enjoying his N95 and advocating its built-in GPS features. The media of the past month is full of iPhone and Nokia reviews, publicity and scandal. In fact I think if I checked my feed reader for the blogs I follow I would be hard pressed not to find some positive mention of some new phone release. So, why is the whole world gone phone mad? Have people found the holy grail of being able to walk while not looking where they are going or have they just found the elusive time to stand still that they claim they don’t have and as such require new mobile devices?
Okay I hear the grumblings already: we could be on a train or a passenger in a car or some other form of transport. Sure but if you’re in one of these things GPS is probably not a concern of yours, the photos that you put on the device are already fresh in your mind. If a friend is driving, you shouldn’t be distracting them with visual captures of your life. In fact, I would guess that 90% of the time, that little mobile unit is buried safely in the coin and key infested regions of your pocket and that’s why the phone case and screen protector market exists. Sure GPS, touch screens, new UI design and all these other things are cool but I really don’t see the need for them in a phone, touch screen perhaps at a push but anything else is just a little too much for the mobile user who doesn’t have a mobile power plant. Yes, I was the person who said separates and not midisystem, the one that said that computer engine management for cars would be the end of mechanics and a whole host of other horrible visions of the future. However, do you know what? Most modern cars can’t be fixed easily without plugging into their OBD2 ports. Most music enthusiasts pay mega-bucks for separate hi-fi components because all-in-one just doesn’t cut it. We’re all leaning toward cheap and cheerful gadgets that last the momentary unit of enjoyment or pride. Lots of people have Nokia phones, remember when voice dialling was included? Remember playing around with it? Remember discovering you could only include a certain number of voice keys for your phonebook and never using the feature other than to show friends?
Without being too dismissive of all this newfangled technology, I will concede that some integration is good. I do enjoy having a high quality camera in my phone for the one shot in every 3 months that I use it to capture something I wasn’t expecting or didn’t set out to find. As for everything else, I just don’t get it. Perhaps some of you can try to convince me with something I’m missing? I still enjoy technology, I just bought a Wii 
, but mobile be-all and end-alls, please explain…
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