What we are shouting about!

Is the smartphone taking away our need of thinking for ourselves?

At OTB we have come to realise how much we really on our smartphones, in particular the iPhone. In our daily lives the iPhone will let us know when we have an email, direct us to our chosen location, let us know what the weather is doing in our area, allow us to use Apps like Facebook and Twitter to know exactly what our friends and favourite celebrities are up to, as well as making phone calls to anyone in the world, even video calls if we wanted.

If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be carrying around something in my pocket the size of a pack of cigarettes that contained:

A Phone
Camera
Calendar
Alarm Clock
WiFi Internet Computer
Address Book
Notebook
GameBoy
Jukebox/Music Shop
Radio
Map
Compass
TV/Video Player
News/Weather
Book Library
and much much more…

…It would have blown my mind

But is this healthy?

I know for a fact that when I am asked a question or am curious about something I will pull out my iPhone and look it up using Wikipedia or Google rather than try to think about it for myself. I am in two minds as to whether this is increasing my intellect by having the information I wanted so easily accessible, or decreasing it by knowing that I don’t need to remember this stuff, I can just look at up again if required. If you have an opinion on this please let us know.

Would I survive without it?

I often like the idea of disappearing somewhere with no phone reception to see how I would cope and am saddened to think that maybe I wouldn’t cope at all. When on holiday I will normally turn the phone off and leave it in the safe, but still occasionally get it from the safe to check the news or suchlike.

Are Smartphones antisocial?

With now more people in Europe owning a smartphone than those who don’t is the popularity causing us to become too involved in them rather than what is going on around us.  I now notice more people using their smartphones as a way to pass the time, I am guilty of this myself, I will have my music plugged into my head whilst walking around the town, I will be in my own little tech world when maybe I could be taking in more of what is around me. If I am waiting for someone in a bar or café I will be checking Twitter or the news to pass the time, is this antisocial? Could I be having a conversation with someone, maybe learn something from them rather than Wikipedia? I’m not sure.

What does the future hold?

With the iPhone 5 on it’s way next month we will be keeping an eye on what features are coming with it, to be honest until it is released we are unsure on what these new features may be, we have had rumours but until release that is exactly what these are. Rumours.

All this is just opinion and it would be good to know your thoughts, it would be good to have feedback. Click here to contact us.