With the season of graduations upon us, many are now considered smarter. So is your cell phone!
The Pew Internet and American Life Project reports over 35% of U.S. adults own a smartphone. In-Stat predicts that 65 percent of all Americans will have a smartphone and/or tablet by 2015. Do you have a smart phone?
Smart phones are amazing due in large part to apps that are available. There are several camera apps that make my point-and-shoot-camera a thing of the past. Speaking of a thing-of-the-past, I no longer need a flashlight. My smart phone takes care of this including a warning light for a car breakdown! The weather app eliminates the need for an outdoor thermometer or turning on the television for the Weather Channel. There is an incredible assortment of entertainment including games, movies and sports connections. There are productivity apps to help you organize thoughts, appointments, to-dos and reminders. Health apps help you count calories, track exercise and suggest routines. Gasbuddy tells you where the cheapest gas can be found in your area. Yelp helps makes a decision on where to eat.
What is your favorite app?
Great apps are dynamic. They continue to get better over time with frequent updates. We should continue to get better as we grow older. I long for several incredible dynamic apps that would help with this ongoing process.
How about an app for critical thinking? I envision this app to have bright red letters on on a black screen. This app would require your smart phone to be on continuously. It would simultaneous read your mind consciously and subconsciously, monitoring your dialogue with others including what you might be viewing on any screen. Its algorithm would be built on requiring complete information. If the app did not receive comprehensive, complete thinking including pro/con, right/left, top/bottom, either/or and but/and, it would buzz and flash the smartphone owner prompting the need to ask more questions and do more research to fulfill a complete cycle of critical thinking. The app owner could not just tune into only Fox or CNN, Limbaugh or Olbermann, NY Times or Washington Post, Rove or Dean, but would be required to seek to understand different points of view. This app would also signal alarm when spoken judgment or assumption was made without getting the rest of the story.
I’d like to see a Fear app. In my thinking, fear is the opposite of love. Fear is the root of ugliness, bad behavior and scarcity mentality. Fear causes us to avoid, shutdown or raise our voice and strike out. This app would take a reading of vital signs during a conversation with others, quickly deciding if fear was coming upon the app owner. In the free version, suggestions would pop-up on the screen suggesting ways to eliminate fear and act with courage. The paid version would transmit neuro-feedback to help slow reaction and get us to think, to be more curious and perhaps become more compassionate. This app would help reduce blood pressure. The potential for this app could be life-changing.
The Un-Perfectionist app would be great for those who have hard time letting go, for those who micro-manage, for those who are obsessive compulsive, for those who over-think everything, for those who lack patience and for those who do not play well with others. Since so many of us are walking around with earbuds in our ears, I envision this app working in conjunction with those attached earbuds. The unpaid version would have a regular soft message reminding the user to “take a deep breath...now, let go...another deep breath... NOW, let go...” The paid version would be tied to one’s calendar and “to-do” list reminding the user to stop working obsessively on the current project or hovering over others and go get exercise. This app would teach you how to deal with and leverage with your limitations. It would be like playing golf. You play the ball where it lies!
What app would you like to see on your smart phone?
