I am rather a dinosaur as far as mobile technology is concerned. My mobile phone is an old “clam shell” design that no one would want to steal (hopefully). It can take photos but there is no capacity to search the internet, or I don’t think there is. At the moment I prefer to keep it this way although I am beginning to consider a smart phone in the future.
My mobile technology is my iPad 2 which I have had for several years and would not be without. I use it for note taking and taking photos at conferences and events as well as being the platform that I tend to use for reading my eBooks. I tend to use Kindle but have Kobo and Bluefire reader as well. I also tend to use the iPad for Facebook, Twitter and checking my emails.
Another App that I have recently started using is the one for Easy jet. It allows me to check in online and even gives me my boarding card, so that I don’t have to worry about printing it out. However not all airports are set up for this and I have had them print out a card when I have gone to baggage drop.
I am not a great user of Apps and tend to go to sites via the browser but sometimes it is not possible to do it that way and you have to get an App for either the iPad or for the PC. I suspect that my lack of concern about being connected 24/7 is something to do with my age. Yes, it is good to have a phone for when you want it and also to be able to access information wherever you are, but I think that there is a real sense that the technology is overpowering us and that we need to get back to a stage where the human is in control. Honestly, it does not matter if you are out of touch for a short while. Anyway ‘rant over’, I think there is a time and place for mobile technology but as with everything else we need to use it sensibly.
Oh Margaret, I don’t think it’s an age thing at all. I only got a smart phone last year and that was so I could share pictures of my baby with the family over Whats app! I not hugely into apps either, although, if on the phone, the app is definitely better suited than going directly to the website. If you try looking at the Ryanair website on your phone/ipad it’s horrible, but if you view it through the app, it’s so easy to navigate and has the check in option like EasyJet. So it’s a similar situation for other websites. It’s the same content, just so much easier to navigate through the app.
I prefer to spend an hour with a book, than on the internet- although my book reader is the first generation Kindle- so the only thing you can do on the internet is shop for books on amazon, and that’s the way I like it 🙂