Just like the alphabet E defined everything electronic and got tagged on to many words in order to denote the electronic or online nature of things, the alphabet now doing the popularity rounds is M. It does not take a long while to guess that M stands for MOBILE and some of the new terms that are fast becoming part of our regular vocabulary include:
- mCommerce
- mLearning
- mBanking
- mHealth
and so on.
The development of a new connected economy has been made possible by the advent of smartphones. Simply put a smart phone is a ‘phone that does more than just a standard phone…so it is called a smart phone’. Some of the standard features of the new-gen smart phones include all the services mentioned above plus offer you 24/7 connectivity to your email, friends and social media tools. The new smart phones are also highly productivity oriented tools connecting you to your work place and increasing your output even while on the move.
Some of the popular smart phones include the BlackBerry, iPhone and a host of phones from Nokia, Samsung, HTC and even Google! With more than 2.5 billion phones in the world, it is only a short time before many of them convert to smart phones and people begin to unlock the potential of having a computing device with 24/7 connectivity.
So what does the future hold in store for smart phone users?
Though smart phones are mostly touted as a powerful entertainment console, they have the potential to become medical tools in far flung locations, learning devices for mobile learning and a virtual bank ATM when you need it. With such powerful potential, there are security concerns as well. Smart phones are being used by terrorists to communicate without surveillance and are likely to cause security threats in corporate environments. However, the benefits of smart phones outweigh the negatives and that makes it an excellent tool for the future.
Smart phone users will also see a consolidated market with fairly expensive but well-featured phones like the iPhone and the BlackBerry. These phones are likely to offer complete connectivity with your work place, home and even give you real time tracking of your children (or anything else you want to track!). Geo-location services will be one of best benefits while using a smart phone and you can bid the feeling of getting lost in a new city…goodbye for ever!
With more than 100,000 apps in the iTunes store and more on the way, the smart phone generation is set to grow in a geometric progression when compared with the growth of internet users. As the apps mature, smart phone users can expect a tool for almost every activity that you do with the help of automation plus more.
So the next time you need some help balancing your cheque books, turn to your iPhone and you are likely to find an app or mLearning tools to get it right!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
mLearning is a fascinating feature.
Really interesting to read about these new concepts. Somehow a word beginning with ‘m’ just doesn’t have the same ring as one beginning with ‘e,’ though.