Adding devices to be more present
Ever since I first laid my eyes on the Nokia 7550 I knew I liked the technology behind mobile phones. Being able to shoot photos, videos, talk to friends via video chat was all amazing. To think this was back in 2002 as well is pretty remarkable. Nokia has been my goto device ever since my first 5110. It was the company who I stayed true to and appreciated their technology advancements. Every year a new device sparked mine and my friends interest and the trend was to go small. If you managed to show up at the coffee house with the smallest phone you were looked upon with envy and a sense of respect.
When our phones were small we had two usage for them. Call and send SMS. No camera, no email no browser. We were completely fine with this as that is all we knew. It was a phone after all. A device you used to get in contact with your friends. If you were cheap you would call up your friend only to Hangup. He would then call you back and your conversation could continue, for free. Receiving calls are and have always been free in Sweden unlike here in the US.
Something changed.
Mr Jobs changed our way of looking at the mobile device and he did so in a very smart and unexpected way. We now had a device that could do it all. The device that acted as a mini computer and you were instantly connected to most corners of the world. We put away our cameras and portable CD players for this amazing device that could do it all. I am sure everyone remember their first time interacting with this device. Telling themselves “Where have you been all my life”.
Breakout from your chains
With a device that can do it all things should be smooth sailing, or…? Not quite. At least for me and here is why. Being a lover of photography I miss having greater control over my photos. Smartphones have all incredible capable cameras but how much can you cramp into an all in one device. Something has to suffer. Camera, to me, is one of those suffering areas. The best camera is the one that you always carry with you, they say. If you own a smartphone you always carry a camera. We can freeze moments in time and instantly share them with the world. We rely on the manufacturer to calibrate the camera enough for us to just share what’s there. We call it pure. We don’t edit because we don’t have to. When we stumble upon a photo that doesn’t match ours we simply ask: -what’s the filter or app called you used to make that. “What filter did you use” I cringe every time I hear those words. Granted we use filters, but not always and in a sense we apply someone else creativity onto our photos in a simple click of a button.
Just photos no emails
As a lover of photography I tend to use my iPhone a lot to take photos. During a year of owning my iPhone 5 I managed to shoot a little over 7000 photos. Not a lot if you do a photo shoot, but I didn’t. It was my daily photos of random things I saw around me. Everytime I picked up my phone to snap a photo I also had access to emails, texts and every other social media available. This lead me to take a photo and just one thing more. One thing more, which takes a few seconds but in the grand scheme of things adds to it. Time wasted on nothing just because I love to take photos.
Dedicated Camera
My own personal solution is to go against what Steve Jobs had in mind when he designed the iPhone. Not having the all in one device but actually multiple devices for different uses. I researched for the perfect, to me, pocket camera and found joy in a Sony RX100 II which has WiFi capabilities to transfer my shots to my iOS device if I so chose. I also will have RAW capabilities and being able to produce beautiful shots that are not “just an mobile camera shot”. More importantly, when picking up my camera I will have access to taking photos only and not email and or social media. It goes back to the fun experience of just taking photos because that is what I love to do. Granted this experience is not for everyone nor should it be, but it works for me.
Larger iPhone
Lover of photos and videos means lover of a better screen. Better might not be the correct usage, but larger. I see no reason why Apple couldn’t make different sized iPhones as clearly there is a market for it in the Samsung Note and S4’s out there. Sony is pushing out a 6.4” phone and again, not for everyone, but for me it would be ideal. Apple have me by the balls with their iOS and how it is integrated into my ecosystem, and therefore I need to come up with a solution that works for me.
I have chosen to dump the iPhone in favor of the iPad mini 4G LTE. It has a beautiful screen, large and it is a very light device. Granted this is larger than any normal pocket can handle so it does come with challenges. I have conducted a 3 week long experiment with it, and found that I do not call nearly enough to simply say, well the iPad mini doesn’t have phone capabilities. For the calls I make it does have it. I route my cell number through Google Voice or Skype and voila, I can call the world and people can call me just as if I were using my iPhone. I have access to send iMessages and Text messages as if I were using my iPhone and besides the point that the iPad does not fit into my pocket this solution will be the best for me.
Go your own way
I think this all stems in the notion that we have to follow what is out there in terms of products and be forced via marketing into products that we may not really need. I ended up with more devices but they were more dedicated to my purpose of photography than anything else. Larger screens for photos and videos, but more to carry. It does feel good to be able to come up with a flow that works for you.
Offline more often
The bonus side of things is that I will be offline more often than when I used one device. I don’t need to be connected 24/7 and nothing is usually as urgent that it requires my attention this very second. Replying within the hour or a few hours is not the end of the world. Many of my friends have been on digital detoxes, and granted it is admirable, but not for me. I just rather minimize my online usage daily and experience the world one moment at a time.
Choosing your own solution is important and the above described flow is for me and me only, if it sparks your mind go for it, but this works for me.