It's been quite a while now since the the mobile phone was invented. It took the world by storm in the 80s and it kept evolving to the state-of-the-art units available these days.
The equipment itself got smaller while the features got more and more complex and the speed and storage space increased. We also got tons of features to make our lives easier and easier.
Sure, we can use the mobile phone to make phone calls and send text messages. But today's phones are so much more. Not only used for voice communication, they can now be used for video calls, connecting to the Internet, as music or video players, as calendars, reminders, planners, gaming consoles, photo and video cameras, GPS and navigation terminals.
So, in theory, one could switch from using a whole bunch of equipment to just using the mobile phone. Yet, how many of us have chosen to give up all other equipment and just use the one?
Well, if you are planning to do so, take into consideration the pros and cons of either using just the mobile phone or having a whole bunch of equipment, one for each...
The spring of the year 2000 saw a huge leap forward in GPS capabilities. Mapping and navigation became the new trend. You just needed a GPS capable device and you were on your way. The uses of the newly updated technology were almost countless and some people saw more opportunities than the majority. One such example is Geocaching.
Some of you might remember going on treasure hunts, where you would look for different items hidden in a given area. Well, Geocaching follows the same general guidelines, but expands the search area to the planet! According to geocaching.com, the game is
“a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online”.Using GPS mapping and the ever expanding means of internet communication, the Geocaching team got the whole world into playing the biggest treasure hunt ever. Now, you have the ability to both go looking for items hidden by others, or you can stash you own treasures and wait for someone else to find it. All you need to do is go online, create a Geocaching account on the dedicated website...
As we all know, Google has started a true revolution in the smartphone market with the introduction of their open source Android OS. Its growth has been phenomenal, blowing away all expectations as Android’s market share is continuously rising, surpassing all competition. Another good thing Android is doing, especially on the social and economic aspects is that it has managed to bring smartphones to a price range that was before only available for feature-phones.
Google introduced the Priority Inbox almost an year back to help users handle email overload. Though the new feature was pretty helpful, many believed that it was way too dictating and non-flexible. Well, you now have an option to try a variety of Gmail inbox styles, which are subtle but helpful changes and can take your productivity to newer levels.
It seems that for some time now, photography has become a general, trendy, favorite pastime. Everyone loves taking photos, in a more or less professional manner.
This trend is of no surprise if one takes into consideration two major aspects:
Some cool folks at thehandheldblog have uncovered the working beta version of Nokia Maps (erstwhile Ovi Maps), powered by HTML5 and optimized for Mobiles. No wonder, the HTML5 powered browsers like Apple's Safari and Google's Android browser work great with this initial version of Nokia Maps.
You need to go to m.maps.ovi.com on your iPhone or iPad or Android browser to give Nokia maps a try. As a matter of fact, Nokia has not even made the news public, so consider this to be a beta version at its best (if not alpha). Some of the best features of Ovi maps like offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation etc are missing. But whatever features are there, they work and work pretty well too.
I particularly loved the accuracy of the Nokia maps. Though it is browser based, the GPS positioning was very accurate, dare i say, even more accurate than Google maps for the location I am currently in! On iOS devices, pinch to zoom is supported and works great, while on Android, you get to see two small Zoom in/out buttons.
I...
Raju PP is the founder-editor of Technically Personal, which is one of the most widely read technology blogs on the web. He holds an Engineering degree in Electronics & Communication, and has previously worked as a Technical Specialist in Banking Software domain.
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