Integrating iOS Technology

I'm just relaxing at the moment; I can do that, and type on the iPhone 4 keyboard. I've become rather pro at it; as in, proficient. So here I sit for a moment, trying to drink half my body weight in ounces of water, thinking about these wonderful little devices we carry around with us and what they're doing to change our lives.

Here, in the greatest country in the world, so much of life has become about convenience and accessibility. I've heard that there are European countries that take better care of their disabled people, but groups like the ADA do a decent job making sure that the handicapped aren't left out. And mad props to Wounded Warriors.

I can access the Internet, Netflix "watch instantly" movies, TV shows on Hulu, millions of apps, millions of songs, news feeds, weather and GPS related info from my phone. This iPhone knows where it is in the world, and due to its built-in gyroscope, it knows its orientation and can calculate its own movement through space.

I'm even thinking about changing my data plan to 4GB/month (down from unlimited) so that I'll have access to "personal hotspot" and Internet tethering—I've never gone over 2GB on my handheld, anyway. In practical terms, it'll enable access to the net on my iPad and notebook computer; and because both are slightly better than the iPhone at web browsing and related tasks (though I love the "retina display"), it makes sense whenever I'm away from Wi-Fi. Writing and note-taking is easier on my iPad; at present, emails and blog updates composed (on my ipad) away from my home network get saved on the device and sync whenever I have a net connection.

The fact that this is at all possible is amazing to me sometimes. I think back to life a decade ago, when cell phones with color screens were top of the line and most people never thought about things in terms of terabytes. Earlier still, I remember staring at my Gameboy, thinking about how cool it would be to be able to watch TV on a device that small—seen one of the original Gameboys recently?! They're huge!

Luxuries turn to necessities and our lived become more complex. No one remembers phone numbers anymore; meet someone new—add them at Linkedin or Facebook. This is how many of us operate, and so much of it seems natural.

I have a hard time getting people to exchange handwritten letters with me through snail mail. Handwriting is becoming Latin. I used to inkblog; I'd like to, again, but I think if need to get a functional Tablet PC to do so on, or perhaps a Cintiq. My Fujitsu has a max battery life of around 45 minutes, and I can create artwork on the iPad, using the same software I'd use on the Tablet PC: Autodesk SketchBook Pro.

iOS plus MobileMe; everything synced, tracked, backed up... computers and technology all around us—makes me fear EMPs and solar winds. It makes me think about The Matrix; not so much the war against the machines bit, but instead the jacking in straight into the back of the neck.

Someday soon, we'll have augmented reality sunglasses and we'll wonder how we ever lived without them. And if I had to guess, they'll have two versions: Android and iOS.