Like good surfers ride the power zone of the wave, so the teens are riding the power zone of the tech wave. New reports are showing that teens are staying up to date with new tech for a lot of reasons. Green grass, or maybe just the quest for the next popular virtual hangout. Others are moving on because for example, facebook, their parents have infiltrated and they find it difficult to express themselves freely. I’m sure there are several other reasons out there, but you get the idea.
Part of this movement taking place is the new wave of smart phones such as Android and many others. Where in the past we have seen the changes on an annual basis, now it seems like six months or even with each new data phone that is introduced. These phones are no longer majorly known as phones really, the ability to call is just one feature available. I imagine if you were to do a survey, asking to list the features in order of importance; you would find the phone feature isn’t #1, its maybe #3 or even 4.
With the “APP” invasion we are seeing an unbelievable slue of apps that do things like track satellites, to all of your calendars synchronized, even as many people you want too. I use this for my family, it keeps us all on the same page. I’ve even downloaded an app that turned my phone into a tricorder, yep right out of Star Trek, and it works too, not quite like the TV show.
Personally I’m finding myself leaving my mini or my netbook at home more often. In evaluating where I am going and doing, I find it not necessary. If I want to blog, my droid does it, if I want to tweet, check email or send some, my phone takes care of business. In fact anything I want to do my droid is on the job. I have friends with data phones asking me “do they have a keyboard to plug into phones yet?”. Actually palm had that years ago, it will be interesting if someone figures this out or palm reinstitutes theirs.
The change is coming, the new social network is definitely your smart phone, and with new technologies like Location, and now HD, and that whole photo and video thing, now everyone is a blogger, news commentators, food and movie critics, and anything else you can imagine.
In the past I have been in this place before, where I felt like I can’t imagine what else we could use or even need. But as history has proven, there is more out there that I will love to check out and I’m sure enjoy as it makes my life easier, well, who knows about that. Can you imaging having a data companion that even monitors your health? Wouldn’t that be a good way to prevent any kind of illness.
It looks to me that the next social network will be more like social clicks. We see this happening with Twitter and others including location technology and video. With the data phone you don’t need a website, just a group communicating with pictures, videos, sharing, and location.
By the way; I only mentioned Android because out of all the smart phones I've used and researched its the only one worth mentioning. Looking to the future I believe it is the only operating system poised to keep advancing to meet the needs of public and corporate society, able to retain flexibility to adjust in an ever changing society’s needs with apps at an affordable price and even free to boot.
Bill Collier
