My response comes from Dr. Schwartz's question regarding mobiles. First I'll argue that our definitions are dated. Second, I'll suggest a utopian proposal for the future finance of these communication devices, and third I'll argue which direction the mobile market is headed.
First I'd like to point out that with the evolution of mobile electronic communication comes all the terminologies. First came the "car phones" then the "bag phones" etc... The term "cell phone" is no longer suitable. Just today, I used my Iphone to have a conversation with a friend 500 miles away, check my bank account and my credit cards, check my email, copy a business card, get directions, check my facebook etc... The iconic "cell phone" has morphed into a portable access point to our virtual world.
Now I'll propose a future means of finance for mobile access points. Through the use of wifi hotspots and tower triangulation, you can trace your location and report it whichever programs you choose to, (think facebook). This is a rather big brother notion, but what if that technology could allow everyone could have a mobile phone for free? You could choose to have no phone bill again, the caveat being that network provider could, based upon your location, shopping habits etc... flash an advertisement on your mobile screen. For those who would prefer their privacy and ad free phones would pay a fee comparable to what they pay now. It's a similar principle used by Pandora and many of the free tools you use on the internet. What do you think?
Finally, I want to address the android's entry into the mobile market as well as Apple's foray into the world of open source. I am guessing everyone is familiar with the term open source. If not, google it (this is an IT class after all!) I point out open source because it is rapidly being chosen by consumers in the mobile market and I believe it all comes down to one reason: customization. The android is as you may have known an open source operating system. This means the android allows the consumer to change their phone however they want to and not be concerned with violating their contract. Has anyone tried jailbreaking their *phone? Hard as it may be to believe, Apple benefited from open source as well. This is one of the reasons for the explosion of apple's app market. The genius of is is that apple makes money selling apps they never paid to create. Many of the apps creators are paid on commission, this some might argue promotes innovation and creativity.
To put it all into one idea, the mobile market is trending towards free and customizable devices providing single source access to all of your communication needs.
I totally agree with the "cell phone" term not being relevant now. How many people actually use their phone to make calls nowadays? We do sometimes but it's a small portion of the time we spend using it to surf the internet, post on FB, text, etc. It is more of a device that syncs us with the larger world around us.
ReplyDeleteI wish to propose an alternative solution for :"future means of finance for mobile access points" you have mentioned.
ReplyDeleteEveryone now has GPS activated in their cell phones. Oops Sorry we can no more call them "cell phones" ;-). So if we integrate, GPS with other modes of e-communication that is mentioned like face-book, I believe it would serve the same purpose; tracing a persons geographical location. Please correct me if my understanding is wrong.
But, one thing I am skeptical about is, security threats. There might be means by which we can assure personal data security, but what about people who would like to get a lot of information about a given physical location for carrying out "activities" that serve their purpose ? I guess this is one major area of concern, in terms of exposing the geographical information, at the cost of free connections. Please feel free to debate on this topic :-)
I love the point you make about how "cell phones" have evolved to where they are today. I do so much on my iphone that I tend to not even think of it as a phone, but more as a computer.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the security issues. Before the devices are made free, the developers need to make sure that they are impenetrable from potential hackers. I would be a bit skeptical about using it for my bank account and the device knowing my geographical locations unless I knew that it was safe.
Arptiha, good point, I certainly would like to screen who can see my location. Privacy is something that will definitely need to be addressed. I think there is personal choice when a user pushes his or her location out on facebook, but my proposal to allow service providers to monitor your location would be an example of pulling your location and I think, a key area of concern for the user's privacy.
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