Mobile devices are quickly becoming an intricate part of the way we live our lives. Smart phone users have any basic information that they might require at their fingertips. These phones provide news, weather updates, social media connection, navigation system and the possibilities are endless. The new Siri program for the iPhone 4S is the coolest thing I have ever seen. I remember when I left the country for two years thinking that my flip camera phone was as good as it gets. Upon return I held my first iPhone and it gave me a headache.
Quick Response Codes have always been something that interest me. I have never personally taken the time to download a QR reader for my phone or used my camera to scan one. But I can see the benefit they could have and I have seen a lot of businesses jump on the band wagon. I have seen QR codes on billboards, in restaurants, on flyers. They are everywhere. However, most people I have talked to are in my same boat. Not often do we take the time to scan them. I did a little research and found this article that gave me a little more faith in QR codes. http://beqrious.com/show/the-power-to-mobilize-your-life-qr-codes
QR codes have been used in Japan for over a decade now and the rest of the world is just catching on. QR codes do not only embed URLs, which I originally thought. "It can encode telephone numbers, text messages, commands and contact information." Knowing they can do that, I think that QR codes will only get more popular.
I am probably less informed than a lot of people my age when it comes to new apps and smart phone functions. I promised myself that I wouldn't become a slave to technology, but it's just so damn convenient. People in high level math classes would usually need to spend a few hundred dollars to get a nice calculator, now you can get an app for $50 that performs the exact same functions. I love that apps make it so you can personalize your phone. If there is something irrelevant to you on there, it is easy to delete and replace it. I've seen apps that can do amazing things to keep me informed or entertained, but nothing had made my jaw drop in a while, until Siri came out.
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-news/iphone-4s-getting-along-well-with-siri/5338
This article was pretty cool. It talks about the main uses for Siri that the writer uses on a daily basis. He uses the reminders app constantly to remind him to change the laundry or turn down the temperature on the oven. Siri helps to remind us of the simple things we tend to forget. Siri makes it easy to set alarms as well. I feel like the road is a safer place with Siri as well. No longer will people have to uses their hands or take their eyes away from the road to text or make a call, it is simply a command away.
I can't wait to see what the future has in store. Things are changing so fast, it will be hard to keep up. But for all of us in the Public Relations profession, we have to stay up to date on all of this stuff. The more informed we are on the uses of technology, the more useful we will be to a company.
