Usefulness is in the eyes of the beholder

A couple of weeks back, on a hot warm Friday night, a couple of my friends and I were chilling out at our favorite coffee shop in the Greenhills shopping mall and our usual mindless chatter turned a bit intellectual when we started discussing the merits of technology advancements in these modern times. There’s no arguing that technology has made our life easier and better and things like automobiles and computers are obvious examples of this. Being the geek that I am, I stood on my proverbial soapbox and started preaching zealously to my friends about how mobile gadgets like mobile phones and PDAs have made such an impact on our daily routines that we can’t function properly without them. My friends took this opportunity to rib me about my obsession with mobile gadgetry and one even jokingly said that they are merely toys marketed to gullible adults. Of course, I venomously denounced that statement and that night ended with much noise accompanied by excessive amounts of coffee and cigarettes. Later, I went home and slept, totally convinced that the tech gadgets that I love are not merely toys like my friend was jokingly suggesting.

However, this got me thinking… maybe there is an ounce of truth in that statement.

I think we can all agree to the usefulness of our mobile phones; having the ability to be able to call up someone from anywhere in the world is not only a convenience but a must in today’s fast-paced world. Yes, the mobile phone’s importance cannot be undermined, but what about the other mobile gadgets? Other than a mobile phone, what other pieces of gadgetry are the people of today carrying most often? Two products immediately come to mind – digital music players (Apple’s iPod) and portable gaming systems (Sony’s PlayStation Portable).

My friends will most probably have a field day with this. What usefulness, other than being entertained, can a product like an iPod or Sony PSP offer us? A lot, actually.

The iPod, at its core, is basically a Walkman of the new century. You put music into it, you charge the unit up, you take it out with you, plug some decent stereo earphones in it, and you’re in for hours and hours of self-indulgence via your favorite tunes. It’s as simple as that. But with a little ingenuity on the user’s side and by spending a few more bucks, the iPod can be much more than a portable digital jukebox. A person who works in sales and marketing can take advantage of the iPod’s colored screen to display pictures of his wares to show to prospective clients. IT managers can use the iPod’s abundant memory to store backup of important files; students can buy the voice recorder attachment of the iPod and use it to record class discussions and lectures. I can somewhat agree that the Sony PSP is really just a toy and can, in no way, be classified as anything else, but it can still have a few uses outside of gaming. For instance, it can be an impromptu Internet portal since it has a Web browser and built-in Wi-Fi. Stockbrokers can use the Sony PSP to connect to the Internet and look at the latest stock quotes in the Wall Street Journal. Yes, I understand that no self-respecting stockbroker would use a PSP as a business tool, but you get my point. Right?

A product is made with a single purpose in mind, but its purpose in the end is defined by the user, not the manufacturer. An iPod or PSP or any other mobile gadget may have entertainment as its main selling point, but that doesn’t mean it should serve only that function. Explore and experiment, let your inner geek run wild. * * * Howard Paw is the vice president for information technology of Yapster e-Travel. E-mail him at [email protected].