Sunday, July 23, 2006
Mobile Phone technology RAGE!!!!!!!!
Well about 4 months ago I was reading an article in one of the Sydney papers written by the ABC Television show “The Glass House” presenter Will Anderson. The article was about how he had bought a new mobile phone and it had come with all the whistles and bells. However, according to Will Anderson the phone lacked one important thing, a 10 year old who could instruct Will how to use it!!!
Its scary but we seem to be finding that technology is surpassing some our abilities to operate it. Our kids seem to be having a faster grip on the technology than we do. I thought this was a bit of nonsense (I’m 29) until the other day when arguing with Telstra that I didn’t need a new handset when I upgraded my mobile phone, found I too was looking for someone to show me how to use it. Sure I liked the options of an mp3 player, which I had on my existing phone but do I really need internet, video calling and all that crap. If I do then it aught to be easy to operate it should it not!!!!! Ok here’s the thing also how about phone reception so it can do the one thing I bought it for TOO MAKE PHONE CALLS!!!
But makers of hardware and software for mobile phones, PDA, Computers need to realize that older people and 29 year olds need to operate them easily. It doesn’t mean “dumming” them down it means making them easy to operate with out it being condescending to the operator like Microsoft Word Paper Clip was in Office 97 and 2000. Microsoft have got the level of intervention and “help” correct in the Office XP and 2003 versions. It is also said that Office 2003 is the easiest to learn of all the office suites Microsoft have ever released.
So now I am left with battling to learn how to use a new Samsung mobile phone ( won't be a problem I'm just whinging for the perpose of thise excercise), or, perhaps I should do what the sales rep at the Telstra shop suggested put the handset in a draw and put my new 3G GSM card in my old phone.
You know, what I’m doing just, I might have three different prepaid mobiles and one on a plan but they all need to be simple. If it was good enough for NASA to land numerous missions on the moon with computers with less processing power than the average calculator used in a HSC mathematic examination. Then I am happy to use the same processing power in a mobile phone that is simple, quaint and easy to use.
Well about 4 months ago I was reading an article in one of the Sydney papers written by the ABC Television show “The Glass House” presenter Will Anderson. The article was about how he had bought a new mobile phone and it had come with all the whistles and bells. However, according to Will Anderson the phone lacked one important thing, a 10 year old who could instruct Will how to use it!!!
Its scary but we seem to be finding that technology is surpassing some our abilities to operate it. Our kids seem to be having a faster grip on the technology than we do. I thought this was a bit of nonsense (I’m 29) until the other day when arguing with Telstra that I didn’t need a new handset when I upgraded my mobile phone, found I too was looking for someone to show me how to use it. Sure I liked the options of an mp3 player, which I had on my existing phone but do I really need internet, video calling and all that crap. If I do then it aught to be easy to operate it should it not!!!!! Ok here’s the thing also how about phone reception so it can do the one thing I bought it for TOO MAKE PHONE CALLS!!!
But makers of hardware and software for mobile phones, PDA, Computers need to realize that older people and 29 year olds need to operate them easily. It doesn’t mean “dumming” them down it means making them easy to operate with out it being condescending to the operator like Microsoft Word Paper Clip was in Office 97 and 2000. Microsoft have got the level of intervention and “help” correct in the Office XP and 2003 versions. It is also said that Office 2003 is the easiest to learn of all the office suites Microsoft have ever released.
So now I am left with battling to learn how to use a new Samsung mobile phone ( won't be a problem I'm just whinging for the perpose of thise excercise), or, perhaps I should do what the sales rep at the Telstra shop suggested put the handset in a draw and put my new 3G GSM card in my old phone.
You know, what I’m doing just, I might have three different prepaid mobiles and one on a plan but they all need to be simple. If it was good enough for NASA to land numerous missions on the moon with computers with less processing power than the average calculator used in a HSC mathematic examination. Then I am happy to use the same processing power in a mobile phone that is simple, quaint and easy to use.
# posted by Peter Saville - IT Consultant @ 10:04 PM 
