the iphone

an extremely convenient gadget
with apps that make life simpler than simple,
news that makes newspapers redundant
games or fbook time with friends that make waiting more tolerable


and I still haven't got myself one.


Why?


I think it's the coolest gadget around and isn't it cool just sliding the screen effortlessly BUT.. do I really need it? Perhaps not..


If almost every one I know who owns it almost instantly converted to an addict of games, facebook, news and the thousand apps -  I should rethink.


There's nothing wrong having a mobile entertainment gadget but users obviously abuse it.


Friends meet for a supposed catch up session only to whip out their phones and conpete in online scrabble,
when on holiday, they ask for the wifi password within 5 minutes of sitting down and check fbook updates,
stand in a que with a friend and instead of interacting with each other, they check fbook updates
ask for a ride home, start playing iphone games till they are brought to their doorstep..


Seriously, where has the idea of rude or impolite gone ? Straight out the window, lack of interaction seems perfectly fine and acceptable because the user has every reason to check his iphone.
Urgent or not, maybe the point is being busy? looking busy? or trying to be busy?


I can't understand.


The way I see it, entertainment on the iphone takes away "face to face interaction" which is key. How are the young gonna understand expresssions, body language in this mad computer age. Maybe we'll start moving to the abbreviation age. LOLS or BRB's or TTYL. and ppl will start going home to chat when they get stuck in a fight because they can't  figure out how to solve quarrels face to face and deal with each other's tones. They need to see words to interact, not eyes nor face nor hear voice.


A mobile  phone's purpose is for calls and smses - where ppl need to get answers or contact each other. Anything else should be done only when one is alone or if there's urgent work that needs to be sorted out. Which is why i dislike to and fro chatting over sms,  dislike calling people to have long catch up sessions over the phone,-( i"d rather meet in preson. )  dislike checking facebook when I'm out and turn off all email alerts when I'm out.


I may not have the best standard and definitely use my phone lots more than the average person and there's only 2 reasons for that- the nature of my job and the relatively large social circle I have. But of course ppl would say I'm the pot calling the Kettle black but I beg to differ. Without company I'd be checking my emails easily 10 times an hour but with company of those I enjoy, I'd be more than happy to put non urgent calls or smses aside.


I have concluded that I'm gonna stay on the ANTI iphone side till I see its benefits outweighing its increasing problems.


and if these fools dont get their bad habits sorted , they might as well stay home and do the virtual connection instead or if they need to be out perhaps they should attach a device to their head to feed them with constant updates without even being noticed.


the question is - have you become less interactive (excl virtual interaction) since you got the iphone?


and I applaud iphone users who value and respect the face to face time spent with their friends and family and know they don't fall in this fools category.