It is hard to imagine that there was an era not so long ago when mobile phones did not exist. This ubiquitous device has become an essential part and parcel of our lives today. Considering that the first Android OS was only launched in 2007, it is mind-boggling how far technology has raced ahead in less than a decade.
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1. Data storage:
Present day mobiles allow you to store up to 128 GB of data. At the start of the century, a really good desktop used to have a 4 GB hard drive, in comparison. And don't even get me started on those 1.44 MB floppy drives we used to carry around!
2. Interpreter:
One of the things you take for granted. But can you think of any other human being or device which can instantly translate any language and let you know what was just said or what you just read?
3. Home theater:
It isn't enough to have an Octacore processor and HD screen if you are not going to utilize it to the maximum. The present devices can play all formats of video and audio on wonderfully vibrant screens, turning your mobile into an actual home theater.
4. Remote control:
Not just for your television but for your life. Set the time you awaken, the order of songs you listen to, sync to your laptops, home securities and even cars!
5. GPS:
Have you really stopped to think how awesome this feature is? It literally tells you not just where you are but also helps you find any location on Earth and actually navigates you there, telling you each and every street and turn to take.
6. Library:
Less than a decade ago, reading a 160 character message was really as good as it got on the tiny screens. Today, we carry an entire library with us, including novels, comics and even our textbooks. In real life, if you had to carry these same books around, don't you think you would need the aid of a lorry? I know I would!
7. Fitness Coach:
Amazingly, your smartphone is now your coach too. Free apps allow you to keep track of the number of steps you take every day, how fast you walked/jogged/ran and how many calories you burned.
8. Heart Monitor:
A generation ago, devices which could check your heart rate were a luxury even inside operation theatres in India. Today, your camera-based device can accurately check the blood flowing through your finger and determine your heart rate. There are Apps which can sync to devices the size of a band-aid today and interpret ECGs for heart disorders.
9. Artificial intelligence:
Arthur C Clarke would be proud of how far we have come. A technology that listens to us talk and responds back; which can identify our individual preference and adjust accordingly. Yesterday's science-fiction is today's reality!
10. Love Guru:
Unlike the 90's where there was no way to contact you once you left home until you called from an STD/ISD booth, today you are in direct contact, seeing your loved ones ACROSS THE GLOBE via blazing quick 4G speeds anytime you want. Not to mention, capturing your fond memories for posterity via the awesome camera.
All this from the comfort of this tiny device that fits in your pocket.
Ever stopped to think of how unbelievable it actually is? We have already done better than what science-fiction writers of the past envisioned and we are just getting started! A decade from now, who knows how far we would have raced ahead!
I remember the first mobile phones. Bulky and looking like a walkie-talkie. It cost Rs. 16 a minute for outgoing and 8Rs. for incoming. And we used to think, who would ever want to carry such a bulky thing and pay so much when there is a PCO at every corner. We sure have come a long way.
ReplyDeleteLove guru :P This post was more nostalgia than info for me :)
ReplyDeleteTrue, the thing is a miracle when we come to think of it.
ReplyDeleteIt really is in so many ways... we never would have thought things like GPS would be a part of everyday life for the common man even a decade ago
ReplyDeletehaha.. yes, in hindsight I did dwell on the past rather too much :)
ReplyDeleteIt is so hard to keep up with this technology! I already feel I don't know so much. Very soon we would be fidgeting with gadgets and the next generation would be laughing at us. The thought is scary.
ReplyDeleteI really can't imagine what the future will be like.. this is in 8 years. what will the next 8 years bring us?
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing! I'm quite "behind the times". My cell phone doesn't even have internet and I only use it to check back for messages or for emergencies. Since I work from home, it's not a necessity and I couldn't justify the expense. Would be a fun toy, though!
ReplyDeleteTechnology has made such strides in my lifetime that it's hard to comprehend how far we've come, Roshan! I'm too afraid to get too fancy a phone because I can do with one less addiction! ;)
ReplyDeleteThe GPS feature is a real blessing for a person like me who has absolutely no sense of direction! :P
ReplyDeleteI remember how difficult a time we had meeting up with friends back in the mid 1980's. Cell phones would have been awesome even without all the new tech.
ReplyDeleteCell phones really have revolutionised our lives - even mine - when I'm not really a technology person. I wish I knew the how of half the things you've listed above.
ReplyDeleteI think it will always be beyond me how some of this works... all I can do is be grateful.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean... forget the mid 80s, even in the late 90s, it would still have been a Godsend for so many of us. Once we left the house, there was no way to contact us unless we actually called from outside.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean... the level I confidence I have to find a place in a new city and actually reach there without any effort is amazing
ReplyDeleteI can imagine what you mean... what scares me even more is wondering "what's next". All that I mentioned here in the article took 8 years... what is coming up in the next 8?
ReplyDeleteI honestly am now dependent on it in so many ways... a true addict. I need to actually wean myself off it a bit, I think
ReplyDeleteWithout GPS I would have landed in Tasman Sea for sure :P It's a revolution and I am glad I saw so many advancements during my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I use it even today to get from one place to another without once having to fret..
ReplyDeleteLove the post, Doc. Technology has made life easier for us in more than one ways. Must confess that I am quite a laggard and tech challenged.
ReplyDeleteOh yes. Everything you need is there. But you miss out on life once you start depending on too much of artificial intelligence.
ReplyDeleteI like to keep myself up to date on these things as much as I can nowadays... used to have no clue once upon a time
ReplyDeleteThat has become an irony... missing out on so much inspite of having devices which can keep you together and close.
ReplyDeleteGPS...is one thing tailor made for me! I remember when I first shifted to Bangalore, how i depended entirely on people on the road to give me directions! GPS changed all that! And yea, the love guru, I wish it had come a little earlier! :)
ReplyDeleteRightly said, Roshan. Who would have thought? My phone is my own personal mini universe. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha... If you gave me a choice, I'd have chosen the love guru. So many missed opportunities :)
ReplyDeleteSame here. Very much an integral part of my daily life now even more than the laptop
ReplyDelete