Back in the late 1990′s the precursor to the Palm Pilot appeared on the scene. Little black devices that looked like ultra small laptops appeared in the bags and briefcases of the professional workforce. These little things were used to keep time, schedules, and memos. A few years later the Palm company emerged onto the scene with a touchscreen version which could be held in the palm of one hand, while the other hand used a stylus to input data. Behold the life of the PDA!
PDA’s were a valiant attempt at lifestyle organization. PDAs were also made to sync to PCs so that information, appointments, and memos would hopefully not be missed. However, the PDA fell short. Handheld computing can only last so long in a world where technology evolves faster than BestBuy can sell it. Not long after the release of the PDA, BlackBerry gave it a slam by integrating the features of the PDA into a mobile phone. Palm was forced to follow suit, and thus the SmartPhone was born. Almost anyone who has a BlackBerry,Palm Treo (be on the lookout for the new Palm Pre!), or iPhone wonders how they ever lived life without it – just ask President Obama. So the question is, just how “lifestyle-ish” are SmartPhones?
When SmartPhones are broken down Techsplosively, it is evident just how much they consume rather than give. However, the good comes first. SmartPhones make text messaging much easier, contain excellent internet browsing capabilities, and are supported by a wonderful community of applications. On the flip-side, SmartPhones are just another one of those devices that people insist on using for tasks which could take 10x less time if completed by hand. It is a well known fact that sticky note memos can be scribbled in a fraction of the time that SmartPhones users can type up a memo in T9. The only real exception to this is if the user is stuck in a remote location and no PostIts are handy. Additionally, the applications developed for SmartPhones, generally serve no phone enhancing service and are usually made for user indulgence (such as games, paint shop, iFart, etc.)
SmartPhones grab 10/10 props for coolness, status symbolism, and awesome (yet indulgent) apps. The Lifestyle Integration score comes with a reminder to use SmartPhones wisely. While they made add value with easeir texting and mobile web and email browsing, the user must be careful not to waste time on the non-essentials. Productivity is all about efficiency. For this SmartPhones stagger away with a less than perfect 9/10 giving them a Techsplosive score of:
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