Gearfuse Technology, Science, Culture & More
There’s a good chance that you never leave home without your phone – in fact, many people would sooner set off without their wallet or keys than forget their phone, so dedicated are we to the latest mobile devices. Far from simply keeping us in contact while on the move, or improving the marketing reach of businesses, mobile technology has adapted to offer so many services to so many people. These phones are shrinking the world to a point that boundaries seemingly no longer exist, and they’re liberating those who may previously have had a very limited worldview – people are now using their mobile phone to manage their livelihood or receive an education.
It’s so much more than a phone
When it comes to comprehending how mobile phones have been able to change the world, it’s perhaps worth recognizing that they’re no longer merely transportable telephones. That device in your hand is an organizer capable of scheduling your life, a means of connecting people from around the world in no time at all, a social media manager that has revolutionized how we update and maintain our circle of friends, a dictionary, a games console, and an encyclopedia with access to an ever-expanding internet. Thanks to technology, everything that you need and so much more is now safely nestled in a device little bigger than your palm, or even smaller, and that knowledge is being used to educate, empower, and communicate, as well as enabling you to play Angry Birds while you commute to work – for some, their mobile phone is useful; for others, it’s a total game-changer, and even a lifesaver.
Shrinking the world
If the trusty smartphone has become a handy piece of kit here in the US, spare a thought for those living in the developing world, for whom mobile phones have become a lifeline. It’s estimated that out of 3.2 billion phone users worldwide, some 2 billion live in the developing world, which is a stark contrast to just ten years ago; as well as making lives easier and shrinking the world, mobile phones have become a necessity for those otherwise disconnected from the rest of their country, let alone further afield. For women in developing nations, for example, the mobile phone and its accompanying technology opens numerous doors. Now able to access employment opportunities, internet banking and financial independence, improved healthcare and government services, and education, women are empowered – often for the first time. Then there are those living in the Middle East, who have for so long lived in a world so far removed from our own. Thanks to entrepreneurs such as Ehsan Bayat, who founded the Afghan Wireless Communication Company, these developing countries are able to do business on a global stage, keep up to date with technological updates, and revel in the benefits of social media and networking that we take for granted. While telecommunications may have come to the Middle East and similarly developing nations far later than those in the West, suppliers such as Afghan Wireless are ensuring that the industry is booming at last.
Connecting businesses
In terms of personal and entertainment use, mobile phones have been a game-changer, but for businesses, they’re the latest piece of essential kit. From the birth of apps and the increasing ease with which businesses can now connect with customers and clients, to the use of CRM management, email servers, and conference calling technology that many phones are now blessed with, very few businesses can function without mobile phones. Indeed, this smart device, despite its small stature, is taking independent and local businesses into the big leagues, and helping more established brands to hone their marketing, networking, and social media capabilities. Indeed, most businesses now employ a BYOD policy, or provide team members with a nifty bit of kit, which allows business-to-business platforms to better mobilize, and employees to work from anywhere in the world – and at any time. These opening floodgates of communication have been absolutely vital for some of the biggest developments in every kind of industry, proving that the mobile phone has a lot to say for itself.
Looking towards the future
If you’re in awe of what your phone can do now, just wait and see what mobile devices of the future will be able to achieve. Take augmented reality, for example, which is already creeping onto our mobiles by way of the games we play; soon this revolutionary technology will allow users to identify points of interest and gather information pertaining to where they are and what they’re doing, further shrinking the world until we effortless traverse its surface. Other developments being touted by those who have seen where mobile devices are heading include flexible screens, which will enable developers to fit so much more into a mobile’s capabilities; voice control, which is already revolutionizing the ways in which we access content on our devices; and 3D screens. Banking, shopping, and social media will blend even more seamlessly with the real world – how would you like to control almost every aspect of your life via a single device?
The mobile phone of tomorrow will do everything that today’s device does relatively happily, and yet it will once again turn technology on its head; while your mind may be blown, entire lives are going to change – and we can’t wait to watch it happen.
