Session 1. Activity 2.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Owning a Smartphone

Having a smartphone seems to be the trend of the future of wireless communication. As with all new technology, there are both advantages and disadvantages to having one, both in and outside of the workplace. Overall smartphones seem to have more benefits than risks and this has been proven by their rise in popularity and increasing saturation of the consumer market in recent years.

There are numerous advantages to having a smartphone in and outside of the workplace. Increased connectivity is a major advantage of owning a smartphone, allowing for immediate access to data online, whether one is at home, travelling, or at work. Users today can use their phones to order movie tickets, find restaurants, and even pay bills from the phone’s web browser. These phones also integrate contact information, which makes keeping in touch with friends, family, and coworkers much easier. For the workplace specifically, they are useful for storing all business contacts. Since many companies now require the employees to travel or be in constant reach, smartphones make managing information on the go much easier and they can do much more than the standard cell phone. They require no additional carrying burden because most people carry cell phones anyway. Smartphones also decrease the number of technological devices that professionals like businessmen and doctors need to carry. It was not that long ago that we would see businessmen carrying, a cell phone, a palm pilot, and a pager and now thanks to technological advances the excessiveness is passé. The many applications offered for smartphones allow users to customize their phones with tools that they will use, which have a greater range than the few preloaded applications that come on traditional cell phones. These applications contribute to the better entertainment for even the times when users are waiting in line at stores. 

Though few, users have still found some disadvantages to having a smartphone for use at home or on the job. One of the main concerns that people have over smartphones is that they are typically expensive to own because most of these phones require purchasing wireless data plans. Another large concern about these phones is that they contain typically large amounts of private and work-related data that if the phone is lost or stolen, then it is a liability for hacking and identity fraud. If smartphones break, then it is costly because so much information is stored on them and the phones themselves are expensive. This is very easy to do because most of these phones are very fragile and have glass screens, so precautions must be taken to protect them. With all the applications and entertainment options, it would be really easy for users to get distracted at work. When comparing smartphones to office computers, smartphones have very limited memory storage space and they are not efficient to use for typing long reports on the small keyboards. The resolution of photos from a smartphone cannot replace that of a regular camera and most of these phones do not come equipped with a flash for taking pictures at night. Also, older people might not understand the new technology and the small screens can be difficult to use for email and other advanced functions for people with bad eyesight.

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http://www.academia.edu/9095661/Advantages_and_Disadvantages_of_Owning_a_Smartphone