The process alone to starting this paper used many different types of technology that I use on a daily basis. It took turning on the computer, bringing up Microsoft Word, and turning on the internet radio (for my personal enjoyment!).Trying to think back to a day when I did not use modern technology is next to impossible. I guess if I had to name one day when I did not use it, it would have to be the day that I was born! Frankly, I do not understand how the Amish people can survive without it. Everything that people (well, with the exception of the Amish) do today revolves around computers and other technological devices. My daily routine is using an alarm clock to drag my butt out of bed, turning on the television to catch what the whether is forecasted to be, checking my email, using skype to keep in contact with my good friend from Germany, texting the boyfriend on a cell phone, getting on the internet to look up music videos, and checking who commented me on Myspace. It is all one big fast paced, chaotic, entertaining, world of technology. So, when I have to narrow it down to one piece of my favorite most used technology, it could only be one thing… my iPhone!
Ahhhhh, the IPhone. What a wonderful invention isn’t it? So many devises wrapped and packaged into one tiny, itty bitty, phone. It is a phone, an alarm clock, an agenda, a calendar, the internet, a notepad, an address book, an iPod and GPS system! Whew! That’s a lot, but wait! There is more! If you download an application from the Apple App store it can do so much more! My iPhone personally serves as a device to play games on such as my favorites Tap Tap Revenge, Oven Break, and Flood-it. With over thousands of apps, there is certain to be an app for every type of person out there. These apps are not just games. They also have apps that send out a location of where you are at to a friend for directionally challenged people such as me. For people who are not quite punctual and are late to movies, they have a Fandango app. A useful app that I found for this class was none other than an app for WordPress. Actually, one of my later blogs was written off my iPhone. With so much on one piece of technology, I am going to break this essay down into sections of how I use my iPhone the most.
Before we move on further, I would like to take a glance of how the iPhone came to be. Looking around it is obvious how far the invention of the phone has matured since 1876 (ideafinder.com). You can look at the picture at the bottom if you do not believe me. I am sure that Mr. Alexander Graham Bell was awakened from the dead, had a heart attack after he had seen the iPhone, and was laid back down to rest in peace. Let’s move on a little ways from the first telephone. Take a look at the first cell phone in 1984…”weighed 2 pounds, offered just a half-hour of talk time for every recharging and sold for $3,995.”(msnbc.com) And I complained how I thought the iPhone was expensive! I suppose when it comes to technology, consumers are willing to stand in long lines and pay an absurd amount of money to have the newest toy. In the 1990’s, new models of cell phones were starting to show that more resembled the cell phones of today. In 1993 Bell South and IBM came out with the Simon Personal Communicator. Not only was this cell phone an actual phone, it had cool new features such as a calculator, a pager, an address book, an e-mail device, and a fax machine. Not to mention, it went from over two pounds to weighing twenty ounces. The best part was, that it went from over three grand down to nine hundred dollars! (ezinearticles.com) Finally, we arrive at the iPhone. A touch screen phone with too many features and gadgets to list! It is light weight and has many practical uses. My favorite part of the iPhone was the price I paid for mine. Although I did not get the latest 3GS, I did get a 3G for only $99; Much better than the aforementioned prices. Now for my personal uses of the iPhone…
First, and the most obvious, I use my iPhone as a phone! Now that was a shock huh? As a human being, more in particular a female, we have a need to talk. I probably spend about three to four hours a day on my cell phone. Now before you start being all judgmental, take into consideration that I was raised in Oklahoma so I have friends and family that I must stay in contact with. Also, being in a long distance relationship, the main way to keep in contact is through communication over the telephone. (I am disregarding personal hand-written letters because bluntly, that just takes too long!) Yeah, there is also email but, sometimes it is nice to hear a loved one’s voice. Skype is good too but, I am not always equipped with a computer that has a web cam. Therefore, leaving me the easy option of whipping out my cell phone, punching a few numbers on the keypad, wait for the other person to pick up the phone, and voila- a conversation can start in a matter of seconds.
Secondly, I use my iPhone for texting. I text constantly! Whether it is my boyfriend Chris to tell him I love him, my mother reminding me she will be home late from work and to go ahead and start dinner, or my best friend Victoria just seeing how each other’s day went. Texting is a very useful invention because sometimes I may need to send an urgent message yet I am unable to place a call. Also, texting allows me to multi-task more efficiently. I am able to watch television, do the laundry, and hold a conversation with another person. I also believe that texting allows people to say things they would not normally have the courage to face. Instead of looking like a fool in person, or wait for a hurtful response over the phone, it just seems easier to be let down via text. Maybe it is because another person isn’t able to hear the disappointment or embarrassment in my voice. I also love texting because it allows me to get everything written down in the correct order that I want rather then just blurting things out. It saves me from thinking later on, “Man, I wish I would have stated that differently.”
Last, but certainly not least, I use my iPhone for entertainment. When I have free time I can use my iPhone as a safety device to save me from a severe case of boredom! I can check my email, log onto Myspace, listen to music on the built in iPod, take pictures, play games, or look up videos on YouTube. Almost anything that I am able to do on a regular computer, I can do on my iPhone. Sure, there are some websites that are not compatible with the internet through a phone but, for the most part websites have realized that visiting their sites on a phone is a fast growing phenomenon and have created a mobile version of that particular site. The games that are available through the app store can also fill in some empty chunks of time. I must say, some of these games can be very addicting! I also take a lot of pictures off my phone. Now I am not well informed on all information about cameras, however, I have to say that the picture quality off an iPhone is spectacular! For a Myspace junkie like myself, this is good because I am able to upload photos straight from my phone. These are just some of the ways that I can keep myself entertained off my phone.
Though I use many pieces of technology throughout my everyday life, it is easy to pick out the iPhone as my favorite device. It took over one hundred years to be created, but when it finally did hit the market, it was a huge success! I do not see how there can ever be a better version of a cell phone-but then again I am sure people said the same thing about the 1984 “brick” that weighed two pounds and cost almost four thousand dollars. Thank God for new technology!
Very first telephone ever invented
First cell phone. weighed two pounds, could only use for 30 minutes, and costed almost four thousand dollars.
simon personal communicator-1993
the iPhone 3G. Today's hottest cell phone
You could have made some points stronger by elaborating but overall it was good. The paper flows really nicely, good job going from point to point. There were a few gramatical mistakes but you got your point across and made it fun to read.