iPhone Apps for the Needy

Being a foreign student both in high school and college in the U.S is not a simple task. Writing papers for classes and finding the right words to express my thoughts are always a struggle. However, since I got my iPhone, I do have a portable translator with me at all times. Thanks to the Hebrew Translator app, when I get stuck mid-sentence or when I come across an unfamiliar word during class, I have an immediate access to an answer.
Other than being a useful translator for foreigners, iPhone apps can be great “life-savers” to other groups in society. For example, an innovative application came out this month which helps drivers or bikers to find parking spots in big cities in the U.S and also gives them information about the parking space, the fee and the detailed timing of when the spot becomes free. This iPhone app is mostly used by tourists who are new to the city and not familiar with the city rules.
In addition to the hopeless newcomers, physically disabled people utilize multiple iPhone apps in order to perform their daily activities. A brand new app is now available for the blind which recognizes currency bills using the camera application on the iPhone and audio to announce the worth of the bill. Now, instead of folding bills in a certain way, blind iPhone users can simply rely on this magnificent technology to determine the bills’ values.
While people criticize the constant usage of smartphones and the negative consequences they have on future generations, some of us forget about the potential benefits they have on some groups in our society. Once again, the great power we have in our hands called “Technology” needs to be treated with a lot of care and be used with caution and reasoning.

Shift to Low-Tech games Bad

With ultra-realistic video games like Call of Duty: Black Ops and Crysis being developed by major video game companies it is surprising to see the strong pull for two dimensional flash games offered by smart phones. The popularity of these games has been a source of concern for video game producers as reported by Joshua Brustein of New York Times.

The emergence of smart phones in the video game market has disturbed the progressing video game experience. With every year, video games become more challenging and more realistic however the recent pull for the games on smart phones has pushed back this development significantly. Video game producers who are creating games based on the progressing video game experience are suffering because of the abnormal trend that hit the video game market due to smart phones.

The smart phone market is forcing video game producers to delegate resources within their company to cater to recent pull to lower quality games. Nintendo, creator of the notorious Super Mario Series and interactive Wii system, told game developers that “smart phones were driving a trend towards lower quality, and economically unsustainable, video games.” These lower quality games are not economical because resources put into creating these game end up losing their appeal relatively quickly whereas a quality game lasts for a longer time.

As a gamer I tend to agree with the Nintendo. Games on smart phones last for a couple weeks before they lose their appeal. I appreciate challenging and realistic games like StarCraft 2 and Call of Duty over overly elementary/repetitive games like Angry Birds. Games like StarCraft 2, ten years from now, will continued to be played which goes back to what Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s chief, says regarding video game development, “Maintaining high value games are top priority.”

Dinner Talk

A few weekends ago, my dad took me out to dinner in Sacramento. Across the room I saw a couple that appeared to be on a Saturday night date but at some point I think they had forgotten about each other. In a span of forty five minutes, the couple had only one short verbal interaction. The rest of their time was spent with their Blackberrys positioned directly in front of them.

This was not the first time I had seen an interaction like this. Across the country families, friends, and dates alike suffer from phone obsessions at the dinner table. Even as my dad and I enjoyed our meal, we played with his iPhone as I showed him how to use new apps. Technology at the dinner table has become a true problem in society. Silence during dinner with friends is more common as they take a quick minute to reply to texts. The effort of a family dinner is in constant disruption when the kids are distracted by Facebook.

The problem has grown so large that Ingrid Zweifel has designed a “Phonekerchief.” This modified handkerchief has special metal threads weaved in to block out wireless connection and cell reception. The easy solution is to just turn your “Crackberry” or “iTeat” off but the idea of the Phonekerchief is the statement made when you place your phone inside. Soon, we may be seeing formal place settings with Phonkerchiefs included for everyone to see that your phone is off so that you are an active member of the dinner conversation.

This is just a small clever technique for a giant problem growing in our country. Most of my meals are spent conversing with my family and friends and I intend to keep them that way. I enjoy the time spent away from my computer and phone and I can only hope that my generation will eventually feel encouraged to disconnect as well.

"App"sorbed

In response to our recent class discussions regarding smartphones and our immense reliance on them, I decided to dig deeper into the topic. For about the past ten years laptops have been all the rage. In today’s society, one is considered abnormal without a laptop and the wifi to come with it. The trend is shifting and smartphones are becoming the new laptop.

One definition of smartphone is a phone that has computer like qualities such as internet access. Although the “first” smartphone was released in 1992, what many consider the smartphone revolution started with the iPhone. The first iPhone was released in June 2007. Since the iPhone release, many other companies have developed smartphones similar to it such as the Blackberry Storm, the Android, the HTC Thunderbolt and the Samsung Galaxy. Most of these share common characteristics: internet abilities with access to wifi, e-mail, music players, and a touch screen.

Currently, it is application abilities that distinguish these phones and in general the iPhone contains the largest quantity and most current “apps” of all the smartphones. Some of the most common apps today include GPS, Facebook, Words with Friends, and Urban Spoon. Apps are providing so many resources that are just at the touch of the screen, however soon we may not even need to make the effort. In a recent New York Times article, Jenna Worthman reported on the Mobile World Conference taking place in Barcelona. During the conference, the chief executive of Google, Eric Schmidt talked about the future of smartphones. He explained that smartphones will become more intuitive. Schmidt used the example of a civilian walking through the streets of Barcelona. Using previous knowledge and Google activity, one’s smartphone might alert the individual of something they have expressed great interest in like a Spanish architecture museum.

To many people smartphones may seem excessive but the benefits and possibilities seem to be endless. Any user has the opportunity to create an app, opening doors for a million more ideas in the future. I believe those who do not join in the smartphone revolution will be left behind. In answer to our class conversation; yes we can do homework online but I don’t think that’s even the starting point to where smartphones will take us.

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Smart Chat

Just one week ago I purchased my first iPhone, which also happened to be my first smartphone. Already I wonder how I ever functioned without being able to check my email on the go or keep up on Facebook. One feature that I absolutely love is the ability to Face Chat. With the click of a button you can suddenly go from hearing someone's voice to seeing them face to face via smartphone. This technological capability has already opened many doors to consumers.

Similar to Skype, applications such as Face Time and GroupMe allow smartphone users to participate in group chat rooms on their mobile phones. No longer do we have to be at computers to chat with each other face to face. Being able to pick up your phone and video chat any of your friends allows us to use technology that strengthens interpersonal communication instead of using technology that hinders it. The New York Times reported that GroupMe has raised $10.6 million in the few months it has been available. Now businesses will be able to communicate through conference calls on their phones, and families can talk to each other face to face while apart, all the while being free to consumers.

Advertising and investments are already raising revenue from these new applications. The popularity of Face Chatting is comparable to the texting craze years ago. Video chatting on our phones expands worldwide communication and will help strengthen our communication skills. This new smartphone feature will continue providing opportunities for consumers.

The Greatest Marketing Tool- the iPhone App

One of my favorite ways to spend a beautiful day when I visit my parents’ house during weekends is flying with my dad around the Bay Area in his small private plane. About three years ago during a routine flight, my dad asked me to video tape the view. After a while, my hands started aching, which gave me an idea that I immediately shared with my dad. Transforming my initial idea into an actual patent, my dad established a new startup called Flyvie. Flyvie offers a product which is GPS based that tracks the flight and records it using digital cameras, and simultaneously saving all the data on a small memory card. This special application is later downloaded on a web browser, and the detailed flight can be viewed online by signed members. This product enables flight instructors and new pilots to re-visit their flight and mark both mistakes and achievements.
This product started out as a compact package including a laptop , two small digital cameras, a GPS center, and a memory card. Even though many flight schools and private instructors found this tool to be extremely helpful and purchased the kits in large numbers, we knew we were not reaching the full array of potential customers. That is when we came up with the idea for an iPhone app.
Considering the current social evolution, including the introduction of smart phones and constant accessibility to resources, we knew that a simple iPhone app (called Flyvie Lite) would be more applicable to the general aviation public. Indeed, just as we expected, once we came up with a free app which combines both the built-in GPS and camera applications on the iPhone, more people started showing interest. Even though the final product did not appear to be as professional as the initial product, pilots seem to prefer the accessible, friendly, cheap iPhone app (as long as they have iPhones, of course).
What I find the most fascinating about this experience is the obvious trend among any startups or technology mediated ideas: the necessity to attract more customers and expand the business using iPhone applications. The development of such app was a natural next step, which also ended up being a smart one.

An App to Help You Unplug

Usually, technology-related apps exist to hook users into spending as much time as possible absorbed in the digital world. Now, from an organization called Reboot, there is an app that does just the opposite. Called the Sabbath Manifesto, this app posts on Facebook and Twitter that the user is partaking in a technology-free day. Lest the user forget, Sabbath Manifesto sends multiple text messages throughout the day prior to the day of unplugging.

As one might guess based on the app’s name, the organization that created Sabbath Manifesto (Reboot) is a Jewish organization. Some followers of the Jewish faith routinely unplug themselves for a full 25 hours. A Reboot spokesperson said that “while the group isn’t anti-technology, it hopes people will consider logging off more often.”

One may note the irony inherent in using a smartphone app to facilitate a day of technological abstinence. However, for many, responding to a cell phone’s beep is as automatic as to a friend’s greeting. By using this platform to advocate unplugging, Reboot is approaching people within their comfort zone, which may make them more likely to follow through. In addition, by informing the user’s Facebook friends and Twitter followers, Sabbath Manifesto makes the user more accountable for his or her adherence.

It is more difficult to measure how many people are not using a particular service than to measure how many are. However, Reboot claims that last year millions partook in the National Day of Unplugging. This year, it is scheduled for March 4-5. Will you participate?

The Evolution of Board Games

While sitting in any of my lectures, on the bus, eating lunch, or at the library I'm guaranteed to spot at least one person near me playing a game on their smartphone. Not only are these games a way to be distracted and entertained for an hour or two during class, but they're also very fun. Applications such as Words with Friends allow us to communicate with people around the world at any time of day or night. In the past, board games were an activity for family time on Sunday nights. Today, they have become a revolutionary way to entertain ourselves and communicate.

To this day, the cabinet in my family room at home is stuffed with a variety of board games including Monopoly, Sorry, Scrabble, and Uno. Even at my apartment, my roommates and I each purchased and stocked up on some of our favorite board games before moving in, so that we could play against each other. While my friends and family and I still enjoy these old fashioned board games, most of us are also partaking in games on our phones. The difference is that with smartphone games, our opponents do not necessarily have to be in the same room as us, or even in the same country. Chicago resident Megan Lawless began playing Scrabble on her cell phone against some of her close friends, until one day none of her friends were available to play. After selecting the "random opponent" option, she opened up her life to a firefighter, Jasper Jasperse, who was living in Holland at the time. After emailing, Skyping, and finally visiting each other, the two are now married.

It is amazing that communication and interaction can take place through smartphone applications. One of the master minds behind Words with Friends, Paul Bettner, stated "It feels like I’m talking to my friends through the games I’m playing with them." In a sense, this evolution of board games is just like playing a game with a friend in person. Smartphone applications have opened up our technological world to a new sense of communication. While playing old-fashioned board games is still just as enjoyable as always, being able to play board games with friends and family who can't always be with us is a wonderful opportunity.

Constant Connectivity for our Guardians Abroad

Filmmakers and authors focusing on recreating modern military actions are about to lose one of the more romantic aspects of the genre: the classic love letters.

Thanks to social networking, low cost services such as Skype, and smartphones, troops abroad are now able to keep in communication with their loved ones at home on a regular basis. Psychologist Barabara Van Dahlen Romberg accurately describes this phenomenon as “a mixed blessing."

Pros	Cons
Higher troop morale.	Distraction: Angry Birds during combat = no bueno.
Peace of mind for those at home (unless disaster befalls).	Distraction: Worried about issues at home while on the battlefield.
Perhaps more incentive for others to join the military now that there’s an alternative to writing letters.	Extreme cases of suicide due to the breakdown of long-distant relationships.
Fewer cases of depression, desertion, etc.	A different kind of anxiousness for those at home.

I believe my table does an adequate job of summing up the implications of this newfound connectivity on a personal level, so I’ll turn to a different—but nonetheless related—topic: the integration of smartphones into the military through an Army program called Connecting Soldiers to Digital Applications, or CSDA. Several phases of this program have already been enacted as students at Fort Lee, Virginia and Fort Sill, Oklahoma are already testing the phones for the war zone (Source).

One of the defining characteristics of the United States’ army is its positive attitude towards technology and its proven track record of incorporating these tools into its strategy. There’s no doubt that we are the most technologically advanced army in the world, just look at how the 1990-1991 Gulf War turned out. We have the security afforded to us by our armed forces abroad and at home to thank for the fact that we are still considered the safest country to invest in despite recent economic uncertainty, and our advanced equipment and weaponry play no small part in that achievement.

But let’s get back to business.

We have already seen some impressive combat applications with respect to our implementations of smart phones specifically. Take the fact that military drones can be controlled remotely via iPhone (Source). Other areas currently being explored are a secure network for iPhones and Androids so that they could be used on the field as an effective medium of communication, a software portal available for troops to download relevant applications, and applications which can be used to track down both enemies and friendly forces live on the battlefield (Source).
According to one of my sources, field tests are planned for February 2011. ArmyTimes, however, reports that while there is nothing definitive, the initiative is likely to begin with the highest ranked Army staff members.

One of the problems I foresee is that of uninterrupted service in hostile territory such as Iraq, but I doubt that there isn’t already some sort of solution for this.

It took me a few minutes to grasp the true implications of this news, but now, as I sit back and ponder the scope of events, I realize the possibilities truly are endless. Dialing in your coordinates into your smartphone as friendly planes prepare for aerial bombardments, ejected pilots enabling the GPS tracking on their phones to inform those back at command, and perhaps direct control for artillery barrages by select troops on the field. Granted, I’m sure anyone more knowledgeable of military matters could point out that all of the ideas I just proposed already exist through other technology. Alright, sounds great, but what sort of ideas could the military expert who just corrected me come up with?

“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” Albert Einstein.

“When a new invention promises to be useful, it ought to be tried.” Thomas Jefferson.