I remember when I first heard that mobile phones were capable of transmitting text messages from one handset to another. I was at high school and despite having attended a Future Kids course when I was 10, I couldn’t get my head around how this was possible. Even now, I try not to think too hard about it, despite having long since traded in my Nokia 5110 brick for a smartphone that can do a whole lot more than just send a text message.
These days, phones are not just phones. They are the paper and pen organisers of yesteryear, but better. They can take pictures, play music, perform the function of a modem, browse the Web, synch with our PCs and remind us of birthdays, appointments and other important dates. No doubt, they can do a wealth of other things too that I am yet to discover. My tips today are intended to let you know what’s out there so you can start learning.
1). Use Google Mobile
Way back when (probably about the time I was learning about text messaging) Google was a search engine. With several significant developments in between, 2006 saw the launch of Google Mobile, a mobile search portal that offered mobile users stripped down versions of its numerous applications and services. Three years on, there are an ever increasing number of alternatives available to mobile users who can now not only search for information, but also access maps, use gmail, watch YouTube videos and synchronise their calendars among numerous other things. Want to use Google mobile on your phone? Point your mobile browser to m.google.com or check out the Google Mobile blog - a great way to stay in touch with the latest developments in mobile.
2). Try Out Skype on Your Phone
Skype Mobile has been around for a while, first launching in 2007 with the official Skype handset. The following year, Skype announced that a stripped down version of the application was compatible with 50 mobile devices and later that skype was available on all phones running on windows mobile. Despite not having the same level of popularity as its VoiP driven predecessor (probably because the calls aren’t free), Skype for mobile is a useful tool that you should check out. While the calls are not always free, Skype mobile will still save you money and it allows you to call your contacts, call landlines and other mobile phones, use instant messenger and see which of your contacts is online. The best part is of course that you don’t have to be anywhere near a computer to do all of this. Sound interesting? Check out Skype Gear for more information.
3). Find New Way to Keep in Touch
The Grid (based in South Africa) is essentially a location based social network for your phone that aims to act as a convergence of other popular social networks with the addition of positioning technology. It provides you with a street map, shows where your friends are currently located on the map and provides information about happening spots and events in the area. With functionality that ensures you can see who is online and leave text, image and video messages for your friends at various geolocations, this application is basically a location based blogging platform. Deriving its geographic information from a network positioning system based on cell phone transmitters, The Grid can help you set up meetings and events and using the navigator function, can send directions to your and your contacts cell phones. Admittedly, I haven’t tried this myself yet, but having watched the video (about 6 times!) and checked out the site and the blog, I’m definitely going to give it a go.
4). Take Better Pictures
In some ways, this isn’t really a tip for keeping abreast of mobile trends, unless you consider the role that your pictures play in social networking and modern communication – gone are the days of dusty photo albums – now everything is posted online, often for all the world to see. Because of the nature of mobile phones, a lot of these pics are taken with cell phone cameras. At one point, cameras on cell phones were hot property. These days, most phones have built in cameras and many of them can shoot photos that match up to the quality of many point-and-shoot digitals on the market. Camera phone pics are notoriously shoddy though, which is usually as much a result of poor technique as of poor camera quality. This is a great pity; people always carry their phones and don’t always carry their cameras. Luckily on my quest to learn, I found this great post from the Digital Photography School, outlining how to get the best from your mobile phone camera. Check it out and not only will you be able to take better pics for your Grid blips and your breaking news updates on Twitter, but you might also be trading in your SLR for a better phone :).
These tips and tools are just the beginning. Not only are there many others out there, but mobile technology is developing at a rapid rate and will ultimately permeate most aspects of our lives. Just this morning, I downloaded a free eBook on the emerging role of mobile technology in education; mind blowing stuff. The truth is that these days, it is no longer enough to be just a Web geek, you need to keep up to speed with all things mobile if you’re hoping to retain your prized title.
Did you enjoy this post? Why not check out:
Muti
