PERSONAL

TECHNOLOGY:
The Future Is You
 Objectives
 Convergence, Portability, & Personalization
 How are smartphones different from basic cellphones?
 What are tablets and e-books superior at doing?
 What should I know about portable media players?
 What are some of the things I can do with digital
cameras?
 High-Tech Radio: Satellite, Hybrid Digital, & Internet
What’s new about the new television?
 Videogame Systems: The Ultimate Convergence
Machine?

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• “The war is over,” says Scott Snyder. “Mobile is the new platform. And it is
changing our behavior. We are using it for everything, because we like doing
things in the easiest way possible.”

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 mashup
• In the context of technology, a mashup (sometimes spelled as "mash-up") is
a combination of data or functionality from different sources to create a new
service or application. A mashup typically involves using open APIs
(application programming interfaces) provided by various websites or
platforms to extract and integrate data or services from those sources.
• For example, a map mashup could combine data from a weather website
with a mapping service to show current weather conditions for a specific
location. Another example could be combining data from different social
media platforms to create a new social media dashboard that displays
content from various sources in one place.

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 Three major trends in information
technology
• Convergence
• Portability
• Personalization
Research on the upside and downside of each trend

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SMARTPHONES: More Than Talk
• A smartphone is a cellular telephone with software
applications and Internet access

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 How Do Cellphones & Smartphones
Differ?
• Cellphones were originally designed for calls, and perhaps
texting, but many have cameras, can access high-speed data
networks, and support Bluetooth headsets for hands-free
communication. For users who care about privacy,
cellphones are usually harder to track than GPS-equipped
smartphones.

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 How Do Cellphones & Smartphones
Differ?
• Smartphones are more expensive. Have advanced operating
systems that give them access to thousands of apps, have
larger touch-screen displays and more advanced cameras
than those on conventional phones, feature GPS navigation
technology, have Wi-Fi capabilities, and support higher
mobile wireless data speeds, which gives users better web
browsing, search functions, and streaming media

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 How a Mobile Phone Works
• A cellphone is a radio.
• The mobile device, which is essentially a sophisticated
radio, uses overlapping cells to maintain connection and
allow for handoffs as the user moves.
• The cellphone or smartphone contains many of the same
attributes as a personal computer: processor, memory,
input/output devices, and operating system.

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 Using Mobile Phones in College
• Mobile phones can be both time-wasters and productivity tools. While it
can be tempting to use a phone for non-productive activities like texting or
playing games, smartphones also offer personal organizing functions such
as address books, schedules, and to-do lists.
• Additionally, there are various phone apps that can help users keep track of
their tasks and manage their time more efficiently.
• Some apps for both smartphones and tablets can enhance productivity and
help users get more done in less time.

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 The Societal Effects of Mobile Phones
• Advantages of smartphones:

• Parents can monitor the safety of their children.

• Police dispatchers can help people who are lost.

• Information and entertainment are easily available.

• Ability to call and notify when late for an appointment.

• Employers can hire companies that can keep track of their employees’

out-of-office locations through GPS tracking of their cellphones

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 The Societal Effects of Mobile Phones
• Disadvantages and dangers of smartphones:

• Personal behavior of people using phones has not improved.

• Phone use in theaters, buses, trains, and national parks disrupts others.
• Phone use by car drivers increases the risk of accidents.
• Drunk dialing can lead to unintended consequences.
• Camera-equipped phones can be used for inappropriate activities like
cheating and stealing credit card numbers.
• Pornography companies are targeting smartphones.

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 The Societal Effects of Mobile Phones
• Disadvantages and dangers of smartphones:

• Personal behavior of people using phones has not improved.

• Phone use in theaters, buses, trains, and national parks disrupts others.
• Phone use by car drivers increases the risk of accidents.
• Drunk dialing can lead to unintended consequences.
• Camera-equipped phones can be used for inappropriate activities like
cheating and stealing credit card numbers.
• Pornography companies are targeting smartphones.

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 Tablets & E-readers
• Tablets are wireless, portable personal computers with a 7- to 12-inch
multitouch screen.
• They are lightweight, thin, and web-enabled.
• Tablets are powerful enough to provide the functionality of a laptop.
• Most tablets have a virtual on-screen keyboard, with a few having an
extendable keyboard.
• Tablets can work with wireless external keyboards.
• Tablets have wireless connectivity to the Internet via 3G or 4G cellular,
Wi-Fi, or both.
• They support multimedia such as music and movies and can download e-
books.
• Tablets provide access to the internet.
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 Tablets & E-readers
• Reading lengthy text on computer screens can be
challenging.
• Printed textbooks remain more popular than online versions.
• E-books and e-readers have become more popular in recent
years.
• An e-book is a digital version of a conventional printed
book.
• An e-reader is an electronic device that can download e-
books from various suppliers.
• E-books can be downloaded from online stores, borrowed
from public libraries, and purchased as subscriptions or
single issues.
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 Tablets & E-readers
• E-books can be a more environmentally friendly option, as they eliminate the
need for paper and printing.
• They also take up less physical space, as many e-readers can store thousands
of books on a single device.
• Some e-readers use e-ink technology, which mimics the appearance of ink on
paper and reduces eye strain compared to reading on a backlit screen.
• While e-books can often be less expensive than physical books, there are also
concerns about the impact of digital distribution on the publishing industry and
the livelihoods of authors, publishers, and booksellers.
• E-books and e-readers have also opened up new possibilities for education,
with many universities and schools using e-books and e-readers to provide
students with course materials.
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 The Benefits of E-Readers
• Tablets are multipurpose devices that can also be used to read e-books, while
e-readers are generally single-purpose devices designed mainly for reading e-
books.
• Tablets are generally more expensive than e-readers, with prices ranging from
$200 to over $400, while e-readers typically cost between $80 and $300.
• E-books can range from free to $30, and both tablets and e-readers can hold
thousands of titles.
• Tablet screens are 7-12 inches, while e-reader screens are 5-10 inches, with 6
inches being an adequate size for most readers.
• Tablets have color screens, while most e-readers are monochrome, but color e-
readers are available at a higher cost.

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 The Benefits of E-Readers
• Tablet battery life is typically around 9.5 hours, while e-reader battery life can
last 30-plus days.
• Some tablets offer cellular service, while e-readers may have wireless 3G
access or just Wi-Fi connections.
• E-readers are generally single-purpose and designed mainly for reading, while
tablets have many features beyond reading e-books.
• E-readers are more portable than tablets because of their smaller size and
lighter weight.
• Some e-readers have additional capabilities such as playing music, but their
primary function is still for reading.

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 The Drawbacks of E-Readers
• E-readers can be easily lost, damaged, stolen, or hacked.

• E-books are like licensed software and cannot be resold or passed on to others.

• Photos, charts, and diagrams may be difficult to see on the gray screen of the

Kindle.

• Many students are not pleased with e-books as textbooks.

• E-texts can be costly, awkward, inconvenient, and difficult to share or print.

• e-readers are embedded in mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

• The Kindle application is currently available for phones and other devices.

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 Portable Media Players
• The iPod is considered the first cultural icon of the 21st century, according to

Michael Bull, a media and cultural studies instructor.

• Portable media players (PMPs), also known as MP3 players, are small portable

devices that can play digital audio, video, or image files.

• PMPs are divided into two main types: music players and media players.

• Music players are designed primarily for playing music and can feature

controls for enhancing sound and adjusting playback.

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 Portable Media Players
• Music is downloaded from music stores such as Apple’s iTunes Music Store or

through on-demand services such as Spotify and Rhapsody.

• Media players allow users not only to listen to music but also to view videos,

play games, browse the web, check email, access social networks, read

ebooks, and make phone calls.

• Users can download music, books, movies, and videogames not only from

iTunes and other music stores but also from subscription services such as

Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.

• MP3 is a format that allows audio files to be compressed so they are small
enough to be sent over the internet or stored as digital files.
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 The Societal Effects of MP3 Players
• Personalized digital media may be making us more isolated and cut off from

face-to-face interaction.

• Some users illegally download songs and rob creators of income.

• Listening to audio players can have negative effects on hearing, especially

with earbuds that are placed directly in the ear.

• Even listening for 5 minutes a day at full volume can increase the risk of

permanent hearing loss over time.

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 Using MP3 Players in College
• Music and media players have expanded their uses beyond music.

• They can store schedules, phone number lists, and other personal information

management software.

• One popular educational use is recording and disseminating lectures for

student accessibility.

• This supports student mobility and flexibility in learning.

• MP3 players can be used in other ways to reinforce learning.

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 Reading assignment
• Digital Cameras, characteristics and its Societal Effects

• Digital televisions, types and its societal effects

• Satellite, Hybrid Digital, & Internet

• Videogame systems: The Ultimate Convergence Machine?

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THANK YOU

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