HalimaKamari
New Member
- Jul 26, 2021
- 3
- 4
It is absolutely fascinating just knowing the fact that, we are currently living in the best era in terms of technological advancement. This is of course, relative to the past times when every tech-item was very dull, probably heavy, and functionally slow.
The breakthrough invention of a smartphone in 1992 has been followed by frequent timely upgrades for over almost three decades now, with an intention to create a seamless user experience. With your device on hand, all you need is to do is to connect a Wi-Fi or buy your own internet bundle and immerse yourself into an abundance of Artificial Intelligence and the room of opportunities coming along with it.
Living through this pandemic has made us view the world completely differently, and to redefine the impact a smartphone has to our lives. We, and still are, ordering food, joining online classes or webinars, run online businesses, conduct and/or attend online meetings, and even secure investments - from a palm's reach. The skyrocketing demand and supply of smartphones worldwide, powered by competitive marketing strategies of manufacturers has catalyzed a wide spread network of the device at an average affordable price which keeps a large population at a good spot to obtain one.
Taking an example from the business trends, social media platforms do provide a convenience to raise sales rate and reach over a hundred customers within few minutes, with just ‘a click’ on hand – easy, fast, and economical. The scenario is likely similar to a business person remotely tracking his/her stocks and dividends income from their smartphones while sipping tea at home, in a cab rushing somewhere, or even on vacation in Bali.
Among the 2 million applications in the Apple Store and 2.2 million in the Google Play Store; an entrepreneur can create customized posts, logos and fliers (Canvas), track expenses (Personal Capital), create free websites (WordPress.com, Wix.com), advertise (Instagram, Pin interest); do bookkeeping (Wave), track routine (Momentum Habit Tracker) and/or do sales (Amazon, Etsy, eBay), you name it!
Applications like Upwork allows one to hire a professional to perform a related task for charges or otherwise, sign up - create a professional profile and start earning by inviting long-distance tasks which match your profile. Shopify is an ecommerce platform where one can launch an online store and interact with customers, sell a product which then, gets shipped from the manufacturer's warehouse directly to a customer's door - at an absence of a physical store which might otherwise demand a critical management to prosper.
Popular ‘buy and sell online for free’ applications in Tanzania are Zoomtz.com, Kupatana.com, Jiji and extensive platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Individuals working as part-time or full-time influencers, use smartphones, all the time, as their virtual office to earn money.
Apart from texting, calling, sending mails, making payments, transferring funds, and other basic functions; have you ever wonder what else you can do with your smartphone? Below is an extra list:
Translate languages (iTranslate). As threatening as it sounds to expensively paid translators who sometimes make mistakes in their translations, iTranslate creates an instant verbal translation between users of different languages and the proficiency is as high as 99%.
Harness methods to leverage your skills; whether you are joining an online course offered by a certain college or a university abroad, hiring a tutor, a coach or learning a braille. One can access a computer remotely from a smartphone on hand (Team Viewer) or perform team assignments from separate locations. For the curious minds who wants to grasp random knowledge or read online publications, eBooks, listen to audio books, peruse subject notes (Slide Share) on fields of aspirations, a smartphone has you covered.
Monitoring health. A doctor can monitor a patient’s health despite a physical distance. This usually works for implanted devices like a heart monitor which monitors a patient’s heart rate (Instant Heart Rate). ADA, a 24/7 application aids in deciphering ailment causatives without a doctor’s appointment and advice thoroughly, including an option to see a doctor when the symptoms deem sensitive. Parents of non-verbal and/or autistic children learn how to improve their children vocabulary using Gemii.org.
Trace the weather and environmental catastrophes. Using a range of websites or applications which displays live feed satellite images of the Earth, we can explore a series of near real-time satellite weather images and captured weather elements’ radar maps. Zoom. Earth, for example, provides access to live-weather feed of different areas and captures tropical cyclones, forest wildfires, acute storms, and any other natural catastrophe ongoing or about to occur on the face of the Earth – a great self-alert method.
Track or hitch a nearby ride; be it an Uber, bolt or in-driver, a bike or a scooter (CityEcooltra; currently used in major Spanish cities). The services are extensive as hiring a substitute driver for charges in an agreed duration of time, distance or span of days (Kakao in South Korea).
For food lovers, a smartphone provides you with an enormous access to an endless list of websites, blogs and applications displaying hundreds of recipes. Allrecipes.com shares a list of both food and beverages recipes daily, directly to your mailbox. With a brief google maps search, you can trace your favorite restaurant branch nearby or even order a delivery of your favorite takeout.
Earn extra cash through home rentals for short - stay guests in Airbnb, and/or rent one while travelling around. Individuals do buy bus or plane tickets online through their smartphone, but one can also book a personal tour guide, book a hotel room, or earn an audience spot to an event taking place at your destination before your actual arrival.
Ovia is an application relied by expecting moms in keeping progress of their pregnancy milestones by giving out tips and tools. It is also a good platform to interact with other moms-to-be. Baby2Body application acts as a pregnant moms’ fitness coach in their pre- and post-natal journey - and the list goes on. New moms have applications to help them organize their new born routines including feedings, doctor appointments, naps, diaper changing, and a general documentation of a baby’s growth and development.
Other brilliant things you can actually do (or turn your phone into) include; making yourself a cup of coffee from your bed (Qualcomm’s technology), play music instruments and/or record music, making better decisions (Decision Crafting), control your vehicle (Viper SmartStart), drive safely in the dark, a security/ surveillance camera (Alfred), a wireless webcam for your desktop computer (DroidCam, EpocCam), control your computer remotely (TeamViewer), test your remote control batteries, a tv remote (applicable to Apple tv, Fire tv, Stick, or Roku tv), measure the height and distance of objects (EasyMeasure), keep yourself safe (Bsafe), level objects (Handy Lever), scan barcodes (Barcode Scanner), track prices (AiHelper), count items fast (Translato), fitness tracker (Google Fit), scan documents (Cam Scanner), thermal vision aid (Seek Thermal), find directions (Smart Compass), explore the world in 3D (Google Earth) - to name a few. Astronomy lovers can explore the space through NASA application which display a bunch of knowledge about space, backed up with over 15,000 images, 13,000 videos and latest astronomy - related news, daily.
The advancement of mobile phone technology, on the other hand, has provided a window to mobile phone crimes (branch of cybercrime) - hacking, blue jacking, blue snarfing, cyber stalking – to name a few. When safety is provoked, phonebook items, web browser history, emails, Global Positioning System (GPS) and other contents recovered from a smartphone can assist in locating a root of the crime.
On the other hand, prevent an attack to your data and block access from unknown third party by conducting a consistent check on your device privacy, security and accessibility settings. An android built-in ‘Find My Device’ - allows to erase data, change the screen lock, lock the screen or disable some screen lock features. Take time to read the privacy policy manual and otherwise, be extra cautious with the downloads which demands access to your microphone and camera.
The aforementioned applications and or sources are not the limits, and they do not necessarily work on all operating systems. And again, some applications operate specifically in certain geographical boundaries as they are custom made to serve a target community. A demand of a more comfortable user - experience will eventually demand an upgraded version of the operating system, with more advanced features. The future unquestionably belongs to Artificial Intelligence (AI), and a smartphone is a vivid example. The related exploration should justify more positive impact to our lives and efforts towards making a difference in the world.
The breakthrough invention of a smartphone in 1992 has been followed by frequent timely upgrades for over almost three decades now, with an intention to create a seamless user experience. With your device on hand, all you need is to do is to connect a Wi-Fi or buy your own internet bundle and immerse yourself into an abundance of Artificial Intelligence and the room of opportunities coming along with it.
Living through this pandemic has made us view the world completely differently, and to redefine the impact a smartphone has to our lives. We, and still are, ordering food, joining online classes or webinars, run online businesses, conduct and/or attend online meetings, and even secure investments - from a palm's reach. The skyrocketing demand and supply of smartphones worldwide, powered by competitive marketing strategies of manufacturers has catalyzed a wide spread network of the device at an average affordable price which keeps a large population at a good spot to obtain one.
Taking an example from the business trends, social media platforms do provide a convenience to raise sales rate and reach over a hundred customers within few minutes, with just ‘a click’ on hand – easy, fast, and economical. The scenario is likely similar to a business person remotely tracking his/her stocks and dividends income from their smartphones while sipping tea at home, in a cab rushing somewhere, or even on vacation in Bali.
Among the 2 million applications in the Apple Store and 2.2 million in the Google Play Store; an entrepreneur can create customized posts, logos and fliers (Canvas), track expenses (Personal Capital), create free websites (WordPress.com, Wix.com), advertise (Instagram, Pin interest); do bookkeeping (Wave), track routine (Momentum Habit Tracker) and/or do sales (Amazon, Etsy, eBay), you name it!
Applications like Upwork allows one to hire a professional to perform a related task for charges or otherwise, sign up - create a professional profile and start earning by inviting long-distance tasks which match your profile. Shopify is an ecommerce platform where one can launch an online store and interact with customers, sell a product which then, gets shipped from the manufacturer's warehouse directly to a customer's door - at an absence of a physical store which might otherwise demand a critical management to prosper.
Popular ‘buy and sell online for free’ applications in Tanzania are Zoomtz.com, Kupatana.com, Jiji and extensive platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Individuals working as part-time or full-time influencers, use smartphones, all the time, as their virtual office to earn money.
Apart from texting, calling, sending mails, making payments, transferring funds, and other basic functions; have you ever wonder what else you can do with your smartphone? Below is an extra list:
Translate languages (iTranslate). As threatening as it sounds to expensively paid translators who sometimes make mistakes in their translations, iTranslate creates an instant verbal translation between users of different languages and the proficiency is as high as 99%.
Harness methods to leverage your skills; whether you are joining an online course offered by a certain college or a university abroad, hiring a tutor, a coach or learning a braille. One can access a computer remotely from a smartphone on hand (Team Viewer) or perform team assignments from separate locations. For the curious minds who wants to grasp random knowledge or read online publications, eBooks, listen to audio books, peruse subject notes (Slide Share) on fields of aspirations, a smartphone has you covered.
Monitoring health. A doctor can monitor a patient’s health despite a physical distance. This usually works for implanted devices like a heart monitor which monitors a patient’s heart rate (Instant Heart Rate). ADA, a 24/7 application aids in deciphering ailment causatives without a doctor’s appointment and advice thoroughly, including an option to see a doctor when the symptoms deem sensitive. Parents of non-verbal and/or autistic children learn how to improve their children vocabulary using Gemii.org.
Trace the weather and environmental catastrophes. Using a range of websites or applications which displays live feed satellite images of the Earth, we can explore a series of near real-time satellite weather images and captured weather elements’ radar maps. Zoom. Earth, for example, provides access to live-weather feed of different areas and captures tropical cyclones, forest wildfires, acute storms, and any other natural catastrophe ongoing or about to occur on the face of the Earth – a great self-alert method.
Track or hitch a nearby ride; be it an Uber, bolt or in-driver, a bike or a scooter (CityEcooltra; currently used in major Spanish cities). The services are extensive as hiring a substitute driver for charges in an agreed duration of time, distance or span of days (Kakao in South Korea).
For food lovers, a smartphone provides you with an enormous access to an endless list of websites, blogs and applications displaying hundreds of recipes. Allrecipes.com shares a list of both food and beverages recipes daily, directly to your mailbox. With a brief google maps search, you can trace your favorite restaurant branch nearby or even order a delivery of your favorite takeout.
Earn extra cash through home rentals for short - stay guests in Airbnb, and/or rent one while travelling around. Individuals do buy bus or plane tickets online through their smartphone, but one can also book a personal tour guide, book a hotel room, or earn an audience spot to an event taking place at your destination before your actual arrival.
Ovia is an application relied by expecting moms in keeping progress of their pregnancy milestones by giving out tips and tools. It is also a good platform to interact with other moms-to-be. Baby2Body application acts as a pregnant moms’ fitness coach in their pre- and post-natal journey - and the list goes on. New moms have applications to help them organize their new born routines including feedings, doctor appointments, naps, diaper changing, and a general documentation of a baby’s growth and development.
Other brilliant things you can actually do (or turn your phone into) include; making yourself a cup of coffee from your bed (Qualcomm’s technology), play music instruments and/or record music, making better decisions (Decision Crafting), control your vehicle (Viper SmartStart), drive safely in the dark, a security/ surveillance camera (Alfred), a wireless webcam for your desktop computer (DroidCam, EpocCam), control your computer remotely (TeamViewer), test your remote control batteries, a tv remote (applicable to Apple tv, Fire tv, Stick, or Roku tv), measure the height and distance of objects (EasyMeasure), keep yourself safe (Bsafe), level objects (Handy Lever), scan barcodes (Barcode Scanner), track prices (AiHelper), count items fast (Translato), fitness tracker (Google Fit), scan documents (Cam Scanner), thermal vision aid (Seek Thermal), find directions (Smart Compass), explore the world in 3D (Google Earth) - to name a few. Astronomy lovers can explore the space through NASA application which display a bunch of knowledge about space, backed up with over 15,000 images, 13,000 videos and latest astronomy - related news, daily.
The advancement of mobile phone technology, on the other hand, has provided a window to mobile phone crimes (branch of cybercrime) - hacking, blue jacking, blue snarfing, cyber stalking – to name a few. When safety is provoked, phonebook items, web browser history, emails, Global Positioning System (GPS) and other contents recovered from a smartphone can assist in locating a root of the crime.
On the other hand, prevent an attack to your data and block access from unknown third party by conducting a consistent check on your device privacy, security and accessibility settings. An android built-in ‘Find My Device’ - allows to erase data, change the screen lock, lock the screen or disable some screen lock features. Take time to read the privacy policy manual and otherwise, be extra cautious with the downloads which demands access to your microphone and camera.
The aforementioned applications and or sources are not the limits, and they do not necessarily work on all operating systems. And again, some applications operate specifically in certain geographical boundaries as they are custom made to serve a target community. A demand of a more comfortable user - experience will eventually demand an upgraded version of the operating system, with more advanced features. The future unquestionably belongs to Artificial Intelligence (AI), and a smartphone is a vivid example. The related exploration should justify more positive impact to our lives and efforts towards making a difference in the world.
