If you are one of those people whose phone permanently resides in your pocket, and whose tablet is never out of arm’s reach, you are not alone. We thrive—and sometimes survive—by the use of mobile devices. If you’re not one of those people, think about the following reasons you should carry a mobile device with you at all times.
Emergencies
With your mobile phone you can dial 911 anytime, even when the service is shut off. There are other benefits to having a mobile device handy when circumstances take a turn for the worse, though. With all the cloud-based apps out there, you can make sure that all of your files—documents and photos—are safe if there is a break-in, fire or flood. Also, having easy access to insurance information on your mobile device will come in handy when you communicate with the authorities. It’s a way to safeguard precious memories and vital information, no matter what happens at home when you’re not there.
Furthermore, the camera on your smartphone or tablet will prove tremendously useful if an incident happens on the road. The pictures you take for the insurance company may save you a lot of headaches down the road.
Convenience
You can use your smartphone to pay for your morning coffee or your bus ticket. Teens and children can check-in with their parents by sending a simple text message, and spouses can do the same.
Multi-function devices, like a Lenovo tablet PC, take convenience to even higher levels. They offer a lightweight, super portable way to take notes, create emails, send documents, and communicate with your team at work. Students can conduct research, complete online courses, and easily collaborate with other students.
Communication
Closely linked to the convenience aspect is communication. At the dawn of mobile devices, communication was the whole point of the technology. Really, it still is. It goes beyond just keeping in touch with coworkers and friends and family who live in the immediate area.
Mobile devices open up the entire world. Social networking helps us stay close to friends and family that we otherwise would hardly ever speak to. We can forge new friendships, rekindle old ones, explore possibilities that we never even knew existed before. If circumstances take us away from the people we treasure most, something as simple as a tablet with a camera can let us “make funny faces for our kids when we can’t be there with them,” as one post at zdnet.com touchingly phrased it.
Entertainment
An infographic at dr4ward.com shows that 64% of people use their smartphones for gaming, 59% use them for social networking, and 54% for watching videos. One recent study found that 33% of Americans own a tablet or e-reader, and that number is sure to grow.
With the fast pace of life that defines our society, squeezing in some rest and relaxation can become a Goliath-like challenge. With a mobile device on hand, you can take advantage of those few minutes of downtime to do something you enjoy, something that takes your mind away from the stresses of everyday, even if it’s only for a brief time.
Information
You have a universe of useful—and not so useful—information at your fingertips. One online article dealing with enhancing life via mobile devices features the HowStuffWorks app. The app has over 30,000 articles, podcasts, videos, and quizzes dealing with pretty much anything you want to know or didn’t know you wanted to know. You can use the information to start conversations or just to satisfy curiosity.
More than just encyclopedia-dwelling information awaits you on your mobile device. Exploring a new city? Use a navigation app to find your way around. Download an app like Yelp to help you find good restaurants and affordable entertainment. Find the hours that business are open, what kind of prices they have, and check reviews.
Organization
Calendar applications help you keep your appointments and to-do lists organized. A useful app for family oriented people is Cozi Family Calendar. Families can stay up to date each other’s lives regardless of where they are. There are shared to-do lists to help the family keep up on chores and remember events. Use the Family Journal feature to make note of special moments and attach a photo.
A mobile device makes it easy to organize contact information as well. This is especially useful if you run a business, since keeping a stack of dozens of business cards straight is annoying at best. An app called Bump enables you to share and receive the contact information of others simply by “bumping” your smartphone against theirs. Handy, right? There will be no more business cards bulking up your wallet.
Health
While your smartphone or tablet won’t force you to eat your veggies, it will encourage you to stay on track with your habits. A calorie-counter like MyFitnessPal is a great tool for tracking your daily calorie intake and exercise. It also includes nutrition information on thousands of foods, including some restaurant meals. To freshen up your fitness routine, download a few workout apps to take with you to the gym.
Just looking to increase your knowledge of what you can do for optimum health? The app 101 Ways to be Healthy gives insightful information on how you can live a healthy lifestyle. It makes great reading when you are sitting at a table in a restaurant waiting for friends.
Helping the Environment
If you are an avid reader, downloading books to your e-reader instead of buying books cuts down on your environmental impact. The facts are still a little fuzzy on just how much reading you have to do to make your e-reader more eco-friendly than paper books. Check out this article on sierraclubgreenhome.com for specifics.
With a mobile device, you’re saving more paper than just that from books. Loads of businesses now send coupons to your smartphone, and some send your receipt to your email rather than giving you a paper copy.
Whether you are a student, a businessperson, or a parent, the advantages of having a mobile device with you are plentiful. Are you fully equipped for life in a mobile world?
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