iPhone

People have been using cell phones for decades. I owned my first cell phone in 1998. At that time all my phone could do was place a call. All the features in my phone were related to placing and receiving call. The cell phone devices used to be large and bulky in size. Every couple of years I would buy a new cell phone to keep up with the advancements and features cell phone vendors were adding. Gradually with passage of time cell phones have become smarter and smaller in size.

Not until 2007 when Apple introduced iPhone that the cell phone industry changed the way people used phones. I bought my first iPhone a month after Apple released the iPhone and I have had it since then. It is almost three years and I still love my phone. Before I had my iPhone, I used to carry an mp3 player, a cell phone and a GPS device with me when I used to travel. Now I only take my iPhone with me with all my music and videos on it. I can use my iPhone to get directions when I am driving and I can also listen to music at the same time in my car. I can quickly check my email to make sure everything is ok in the office. If I am bored of listening to music while flying, I can play games on it, a lot of games. There is thousands of application available for the iPhone. I have about 40 apps ranging from apps to check stocks and weather to apps for finding the nearest restaurant. Above all I have about 20 games on my iPhone. I can do almost everything on my iPhone I can think of. I used to forget about meetings happening right after lunch and I was always showing up late for those meetings. Now my iPhone reminds me of all the meetings and appointments in advance. iPhone has change my life and I can’t think of not having one with me.

Sanjeev

Global Positioning System

Most of the people these days own a GPS system. Either the system comes installed in the car or it is an after market device. There are lots of GPS devices used in different forms of life. The one I am going to talk about is the one that people use to get street directions while driving.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a U.S. space-based navigation system that provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to civilian users on a continuous worldwide basis, freely available to all. GPS is funded by and controlled by the U. S. Department of Defense (DOD). While there are many thousands of civil users of GPS world-wide, the system was designed for and is operated by the U. S. military. For anyone with a GPS receiver device, the system will provide location and time. GPS provides accurate location for an unlimited number of people anywhere in the world. The GPS is made up of three parts, satellites orbiting the Earth, control and monitoring stations on Earth and the GPS receivers owned by users. GPS satellites broadcast signals from space that are picked up and identified by GPS receivers. Each GPS receiver then provides three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude, and altitude) plus the time.

About a decade ago, just before the internet revolution started, you wondered how you find the address of your friend called you at his/her house for the first time, or if you are travelling to a different city and you need to find a restaurant or a pharmacy. I can't imagine travelling to a new city without my GPS. It just saves me so much time and hassle. With a GPS device in hand, you can stand in the middle of a cemetery, and it will determine the latitude and longitude coordinates, and even altitude if it has enough satellites tracked. A device can store your location in memory so that you can refer back to it later on.

Most of the GPS devices have the ability to remember the locations you mark. You can assign a short name to each location, and even an icon. You can even buy mapping software for your PC that will allow you to assemble a list of destinations, and then download to your GPS device. Even though the GPS is capable of providing 1 foot resolution of accuracy, it will never actually be that accurate. That's because there are so many weather factors that can offset the timing of the signals bouncing back and forth between the device and the satellites. Still, navigation experts claim that you can expect accuracy to within 15 to 40 feet. Either way when you are driving you get audible directions in advance for any turn or exit. I find it so useful that I keep it in my car all the time now.