If you rewind 40 years, no one had heard of a smartphone. In fact, you could argue that no one had even dreamed of a smartphone by that point.
Mobile phones were released on to the market in 1983, with the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X being the first. People could now call each other from somewhere other than the home or office.
Many applications in use
We have experienced a technological revolution in the intervening period. Now our smart phones allow us to do more than connect, we can send photos, order food and even work.
Most people have many uses for their smart phone, from bank to reading device, or pick up dates. The younger demographic is using smartphones predominantly to play games, from Minecraft to online roulette.
In advanced economies from Canada to Italy, smart phone saturation is over 76%. Most people, from 8 – 80, don’t go a day without using their handheld device for something.
How have smartphones changed our lives?
Let’s look at the different ways that smartphones have impacted our everyday existence.
Socializing
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, you had to call someone from a home, or office phone to make plans. Now you can do that on the move.
On certain apps, you can see exactly where your friend is, because they’ve shared their location. This is handy if they’re at a nearby coffee shop or bar, and to see they’ve got home ok.
However, you don’t even need to meet up with your friend for a chat anymore. With the following, you can see them virtually:
- Skype
- Zoom
- Houseparty
You can even watch their stories on Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram and react with an emoji. In short, it has actually changed the way we communicate.
If family or friends live far away, we can connect with them instantly over WhatsApp or Switch. Letter writing is an ancient art form.
Entertainment
Boredom is a thing of the past as now we can find entertainment right at our fingertips. With sites like 888 casino, you can play any time you like, from online roulette to live card games.
All smart phones have data or Wi-Fi connections, giving you the thrill of playing with people in real time. There are thousands of sites devoted to games, so there truly is something for everyone.
This means you no longer have to arrange a games night at home, or even visit a local hall. You can play with someone in Australia, Korea or Sweden as long as you’re both awake.
Movies, even the latest blockbusters, can now be streamed or downloaded. Platforms such as:
- Hulu
- Disney+
- Amazon Prime
- Netflix
All have their own offerings, so visiting a cinema for the new release isn’t the only option.
Would you prefer the written word, but have no bookstore in reach? That’s fine, you can order a book from Amazon, or even read online with the Kindle app.
Banking and payments
The world of finance has been completely revolutionised through technology. Now anyone with a phone can become a trader.
Almost every western bank has their own online banking app and making payments can be done with a tap. Statements are available with no paper and transactions can be made with a code.
Direct debits and paying bills are all much easier through a banking app.
If you don’t have a bank account, there are still a number of options available. You can send and receive money through other apps such as:
- Western Union
- Moneygram
Travel
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that people found their way anywhere before smart phones. Dragging around chunky maps, or having printed directions seems so outdated.
Smartphones are enabled with GPS so it’s easy to find your way from point A to point B. You don’t even need to know where you are, you can pull it up on Google Maps.
If you take a wrong turn in the car or on a street, your phone can tell you!
You can also book buses, trains and planes through your phone, which means the world is your oyster.
Photography
Photography is a hobby for pretty much every teenager now, as snaps of everything are shared.
Morning coffee?
New yoga studio?
Cat sleeping on the remote?
All captured on a smartphone and shared for public consumption. And there are in-app tools to add filters, make the sky bluer or the cat look like a cartoon character.
In the 1980s, we had to go and get a film developed to look at our photos. Then we could download them when we got digital cameras, now people don’t print photos much.
Photographs used to be taken at special events such as birthdays and christenings. Now every day is an event to be snapped.
From Simon to Samsung and beyond
We’ve come a long way from first smartphone, Simon, with only had an hour’s battery and a mail app. Although we haven’t seen huge innovations in the past few years, there’s no doubt that smartphones are here to stay.
