Are You Smarter than Your Phone?

We live in an era of smart stuff.  Our televisions remember our favorite shows, our automobiles remember and adjust the seat to fit us, and our microwave ovens pop every kernel of popcorn to perfection. And then there is the smart phone. I remember those heavy black rotary dial telephones. They didn't have many automated features and they didn't have the time.  You actually had to call a certain number and a nice female voice would tell you how nice it was to shop at some local business before announcing the time.  She always  gave the time in the briefest manner. Never "20 minutes before eight"or "20 'til eight" but seven-forty. And never "quarter after six" or "quarter past six" but six fifteen. She had a very nice voice. and sometimes I would call just hear her voice. But I was young then and had a fixation on Annette Funicello. Now I can see Annette in full color on my Samsung Galaxy SIII but somehow she looks different. I think I'll check out Carly Foulkes.

Do you remember the old portable phones? Boy, were they cheesy! We saw a lot of them in old TV shows.  I had a boss once that had a phone in his car that had dial-up.  Then we had those huge hand held things that very few people could afford.  Of course now folks on Medicaid can get a cellphone. 

I was somewhat reluctant to purchase a cellphone.  There are times when I don't want to be disturbed. With some cellphones you can lose all anonymity   There are times when I don't  want to be known. However, with some encouragement of my spouse, I became a part of the cellphone owning hordes. She convinced me I need one by using the old "What if I need you and you're not around" argument.  Now I carry a smartphone, and it's always within reach. Now it's as much of my everyday life as the belt which holds up my trousers. 

By definition a smartphone is a portable phone that is built on an operating system with advanced computing and connectivity.  In other words, these phones are not just for talking. To truly utilize the power of the smartphone you must use certain applications or "aps".  This is cell phone jargon for programs.  The aps have made me a true fan of smartphones. Here are a few of the ways I use my phone, and this is by no means stretching the capabilities of it. 

Evolution of the cellphone

While visiting a son in Phoenix he requested his Mom make him a banana pudding. We knew not where to find bananas in Phoenix, but by speaking the word "bananas" into the phone a kind voice directed us to the nearest Safeway store.  While in northern California we used the GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) feature to determine our location and dictate a route.  While on vacation in Turkey we used our smartphones to update our Facebook pages with photos and comments. At one attraction photographs were not allowed, but I was able to make sketches on the screen of my smartphone and used the drawings as illustrations on my blog. We frequently check our email as well as airline flight schedules. Photos and video shot with our phones are often used in my YouTube videos, on Picasa or Flickr, and/or in our Blurb or Shutterfly books.  At the gym I plug the earbuds into my phone and listen to my favorite music on Pandora or tunes downloaded from the internet. This list of uses is by no means complete, just some of my favorites. Literally thousands of applications are available. 

The technology of a smartphone is awe inspiring. The same technology in a smartphone is used for automatic pilot in airplanes, controlling military drones, anti-theft devices for our automobiles, and a host of other applications. 

 Am I smarter than my phone? Probably, but sometimes I'm not sure how!