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Gadget Man goes Mobile |
The mobile network allows us to be in almost constant contact. This does not always improve the efficiency of communication.
“Hello - hi, it’s me , I ....hello, can you hear me ...... bugger ............hello, yeah, hi, look,............are you there.............I’m just ringing to tell you that I’ll be home in a minute”, you say, as you pull into the driveway.
The latest mobile gadgets offer new ways to use up idle hours.
SMS - Short Messaging Service
The SMS on mobile phones allow you to send and receive short text messages (160 characters or less). You access these through the ‘Messages’ option on your phone menu. SMS are extremely popular with adolescents, who don’t have to pay the bills.
To enable you to enter messages via the numeric keypad on the phone, each key stands for more than one letter. You push the key in quick succession to display the letter or symbol you need. This makes typing painfully slow, even by my usual tardy standard.
Due to the limitations of space and the difficulties of entering data, most experienced SMSers make extensive use of an abbreviated pigeon English.
As one SMSer told me, “WERV U BIN? PPL R starting to use SMS abbreviations all the time, OTOH not everyone understands what BCNU means. 2 SIT W/ SOM1 by MOB or email, SMS abbreviations R GR8. :-)” *
WAP - Wireless Access Protocol
My new phone can access ‘Optus Networker’, which is an information service somewhat like the Teletext service that many modern TVs have available (and that no one actually uses.)
By clicking through a series of menus, you can find out the weather, the latest news, your horoscope, or (and this may be useful) the cricket score.
You can also read (and send) your email, no matter who your internet provider is. This would be very useful if you were in some technological backwater with no systems for communication with the outside world (like a hospital!).
Whereas SMS is usually available on all phones (at a cost per message), you need to ‘activate’ a WAP account with your phone network. You are charged by the time connected.
Voice activated dialling
On many phones, it is possible to link a ‘Voice Tag’ to a particular phone number. You then attract the phone’s attention by pressing a particular button and say ‘Home’, for example, to ring home.
This sounds like a gimmick, but is actually very useful when operating the phone ‘hands free’ while driving.
Infrared and BlueTooth connectivity
My new phone has an infrared port that enables you to send and receive information from other phones and from my Palm Pilot. This is a boon for entering contacts into your phone address book - you point your Palm at the phone and the information just beams across. The last RACGP computer conference dinner looked like a laser fight from Star Wars as light rays beamed from delegates’ Palm Pilots and mobile phones, exchanging business cards’ and games.
The phone also has ‘Bluetooth’ connectivity, which is a much hyped new protocol for transferring data by wireless over short distances. As an example, you hold your phone near a ‘Bluetooth’ vending machine, a packet of chips comes out and your phone bill is debited. As far as I can determine, no one has actually ever connected anything by Bluetooth in a practical setting, but real soon now......
Mobile modem
The infrared port also enables you to use your phone as a wireless modem. Point your Palm Pilot or laptop computer at the phone and dial into your ISP, connecting to the world wide web. Again, you need to ‘activate’ a data line with your mobile phone provider to achieve this.
Last week, as a distraction from watching the Gadget kids redecorate McDonalds in a fetching blend of chocolate shake, French fries and pickles, I was able to log on to www.topsecretrecipes.com and discover the formula for McDonalds Special Hamburger Sauce. I also found out the Colonel’s 11 Different Herbs and Spices, so the gadget cuisine will soon reach new heights. I haven’t otherwise found a reason for accessing the web when on the road, but who knows.
CUL8R
* A free Big Mac to the first correct translation of the long SMS message in the article: contest@lemlink.com.au
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