So... what day is it? Ah yes, it's Valentine's Day. We needn't to tell you, I'm sure you know it better than us. After all, what does a tech blog have to say about February the 14th? Well, just stay with us, and you'll find out.
Despite all the people who'll start buzzing "I love you", despite all the people who'll start sending direct messages on Facebook, despite all the people who'll be announcing their new relationships in their profiles, despite all the people who'll be tweeting "Just married", the most powerful means of social communication are SMS' and phone calls. And what lies at the heart of this ancient social network? Anything from a smartphone, to a featurephone, finishing with a cellphone (aka dumbphone)
No, I'm not saying that Buzz, Facebook, Twitter and all of the other social networks are useless, because they clearly are a step forwards. But at the end of the day, nothing beats an SMS or a phone call. Why? Because there's simply nothing more personal, and even if we include emails thanks to push technology (making them long SMS'), the other social networks simply connect you to people you don't usually get to meet, or more usually, people whom you're likely to never meet. Granted, we also use social networks to supplement how we contact people inside our personal circle, but when we need to say something important, it's unlikely that we'll use our status profile instead of a phone call or an old-school SMS.
Our phones however, are a lot more than just a window to the people we care most. By taking them with us throughout the day, and leaving them besides our alarm at night, they actually become a part of our life; they actually become more than just a portable landline with contacts and SMS, they become a part of our identity. And after sometime, you just get used to it, no matter how good or bad it is, you just end up knowing your phone better than anybody else.
Just think about all of the important phone calls you've made with your current phone or with your last phone if you've got a brand new one. How many things changed since you bought your phone until today, or until you stopped using it? It's very likely that many things happened, some good and some bad, and what has always helped you to be aware of what's going on with the people around you while busy at work or studying was your cellphone, period.
There's simply no denial of how important cellphones have become in our lives. And what happens when we jump into the world of smartphones? Well, they add features, like when you're driving and you think: "Hey, I remember this restaurant, but I don't know how to get there anymore..." there comes Google Maps to show you the way. What happens when you have a song in your mind and you just feel like listening to it? Search it on YouTube, and there you go. But our smartphones aid us in very tight situations too, like, what happens when you are in the middle of an important IM conversation and Windows calls the mythical "Blue Screen"? Lucky for you, smartphones come with IMs of all flavors, and chances are you have them set-up & ready, so while Redmond's flagship product restarts in your computer, you simply take your smartphone and keep the IM conversation going; no one was left writing to a "... is disconnected" screen. (Nexus One: Day One video below)
In days like this, you simply realize how many moments you've shared with your phone, moments in which it either failed you, or moments in which it simply changed your life. How about that conversation until six AM? Or the day you woke up at five o'clock wondering if she'd get mad at you for waking her up or, if she'd instead love to hear your voice first thing in the morning? The night you were constantly checking your phone's screen waiting for it to light up with a phone call, or start beeping because of a new SMS? That evening you spent sitting in a bench at the park with her just laughing at YouTube videos? Of course, we must also leave room for the bad times, like when you needed to make an important phone call, and the phone simply ran out of battery, or when you were waiting to receive an important phone call, and your phone didn't bother and simply sent the call to voicemail.
Yup, none of this is new. Our point with this post? We believe our cellphones, no matter how powerful and sophisticated they are, are essentially doors we can open at any time (supposing there's battery & signal) to the people we love and care about the most. Forget about the good and the bad CPUs, the good and the bad screens, the good and the bad mobile platforms, the good and the bad handset makers, etc. If your phone can store your favorite contacts, allow you to call them, and send & receive SMS, you have a device which will most likely play a part in your life.
So c'mon boys, stop looking at Motorola's Superbowl ad, and just have a look around, because I'm sure you'll be able to find someone special. Now please, do yourself a favor, and pick up your phone, dial, and make that person's day truly Unbelievable.
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