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 As our lives become increasingly busy, we rely on versatile
and multi-functioning products to make our lives simpler. Or so we say…
Perhaps we have it backwards. Maybe sometimes we make our
lives busier because we have these
advanced tools at our fingertips. What do you think?
(Credit: McHenry County Blog -->)
Let's zero-in on smartphones:
Despite the impression I may have left on some of my
co-workers, I have no gripes against smartphones. I think they're pretty
powerful pieces of technology, and I'm still amazed at how much can be done
within such a small package. Taking pictures, web-surfing, games, calculator,
calendar, watch/alarm, mp3 player, texting, and email are just some of the
features smartphones provide.
 But, alas, I don't own one. In fact, last spring I started a
new 2-year contract with Verizon for just a regular old flip-phone voice plan. In
all honesty, this is partly just because I'm too cheap to be forced into a
monthly data-plan which adds a pretty penny to my monthly bill. $Cha-ching$. But also, in the midst of
some attempted conversion experiences (to the smartphone crowd) by my
co-workers, I have come to the conclusion that (at this point) my life is
simpler without one.
(<-- Credit: Media Online)
One thing I find particularly interesting is that when you
mention a smartphone in conversation with someone, what comes to mind is all
those things I mentioned above (taking pictures, web-surfing, etc.). What's
missing here? Hmm… how about the primary feature: voice. That's the reason I
got my cell phone - to call people.
 Granted, this is hardly an argument against smartphones. The
added features are the things we talk
about. After all, a watch isn't distinguished by its ability to tell time, but
by the extra alarms, the stopwatch and countdown timers, the design and
materials, and other things that make it different and (in many cases) better.
But sometimes I question how much smartphones are adding
complexity rather than reducing it in the name of convenience and versatility.
I can't count the number of times I've heard people say "I can do that on my
phone" only to watch them sift hopelessly through hundreds of apps while the
time and need for its use has long since passed. And how many features seem to be incredibly
useful until you realize a year down the road you've used them only once or
twice? This to me is just unneeded fluff.
(Credit: B2BHebeisen -->)
Really though, most of this is due to a lack of "lean"
principles. When dealing with multi-functional devices, the key to efficiency
is better organization and easier access to the functions the user thinks are
most important. I think this is one of the reasons why Apple has done so well in
the past with their products. Their designs and interfaces seem to provide a
clean, simple, and efficient user experience.
Certainly, the biggest advantage of these versatile devices
is that they can replace many others that perform only one function. For
example, I have a dedicated camera for photos; a dedicated watch for alarms,
stopwatch, and countdown timer capabilities; a dedicated GPS for driving to new
places; and a dedicated mp3 player for listening to music on the go. But all
these can be replaced with a smartphone that incorporates all these
capabilities. In this way, we are making life simpler by reducing the number of
tools we need to get things done.
(Business multitasking - Credit: Dilbert by Scott Adams)
But how much is too much? Some smartphones can already
function as physical credit and debit cards as a means to make purchases. While
an interesting idea, it hardly seems like a convenient replacement. It also
increases the potential consequences of losing or breaking the phone, which is
another reason smartphones can be problematic. The more we rely on one tool for
all our needs, the worse off we are during the times when that tool fails or is
misplaced.
What are your thoughts on smartphones and other electronic
multi-taskers? Is there such as thing as too many features? As you can tell, I
have mixed feelings, and as such I'm content with my basic phone for voice and
texting for now.
Really, though, I'm just trying to stay off the smartphone
grid so when Big Brother comes I won't have to worry about being
tracked. 
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