We’re just being cheeky. Still, unwilling as you might be to admit it, the provocative remark on the left is what every iPhone, Blackberry or Android-operated smartphone owner may have thought. Well, at least once in their slide-to-unlock career.
Don’t get us wrong, we are fascinated with smartphones. Let’s just mention apps. Whether you’re trying to pin down a list of disappearing world cultures or you find yourself in desperate need of free condoms when in New York City, App Store and the likes will help you out. There are apps for pairing foods with wine to impress your date and there’s an app to come up with the perfect excuse if your night with said date didn’t go as planned.
Following what could be easily defined an app-craze, the geolocation-fascination comes close second in the mobile culture. Foursquare has redefined the term check-in, stretching its boundaries well past those of airports and stations. Everyone’s somewhere with someone else and wants to share this piece of information with friends and connections. Ironically enough, rather than feeling the urge to say out loud: “Who cares?” when a friend updates his or her whereabouts, we all want a piece of it. Second Life is here and it’s all about earning badges and becoming mayors of actually existing places to beat other uber-cool people who are doing the same.
Obviously, it didn’t take that long for marketing departments to realize that this is taking word-of-mouth power to a whole new level. When a friend recommends a place you’re ten times more likely to feel very much inclined towards hitting the same spot rather than if you’re told it on the radio or TV commercial, because you trust that person’s judgement, in the same way that you’ve learned to trust your phone.
The extent to which people nowadays are riveting on their smartphones reflects just how much what was once a two-way communication tool can do for you now. Infact, the here-and-now philosophy behind the mobile culture lets you to do multiple things, but it has a great flaw. Your phone now allows you to check out which stop to get off at when you’re on the bus or look up a restaurant when you’re in a hurry, just to name a few. The list could go on for a while, but, for as much as we do love our smartphones, there’s no denying that a lot of valuable information is lost.
For example, if I discover a new spot, chances are I want to remember all the details about it: name (not always easy, especially for ethnic places), exact location, contact information, prices and general impression. Doing this when you’re actually at the place might be cool, but it’s not really the point of the whole thing. We think it would be better if there could be a tool that lets you have a good time and enjoy your stay, while saving all those details for you and making them ready-to-browse whenever you want. That’s why we invented 1ring.
Plus, why not enjoy the experience offline once in a while and save your comments for later? Besides, everybody loves tech-savvy people, but gently stroking your iPhone as if it a were a Fabergé egg is going too far. Especially when your mouth-watering brunch is asking you to be savoured.
Now, lock that phone and dig in!
Having said that, did you know that there’s a 1ring app you can download?
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