From Smoke Signals to Tablets
Oh how things have changed!
Posted: March 26, 2012 at 4:23 PM by Brian Beezley
Smoke signals, carrier pigeons, pony express. For Centuries, if you needed to communicate, these were some of the methods that might have been used.
Oral Tradition, Libraries, 200-pound sets of encyclopedias. For Centuries, if you needed information, these were some of the methods you might have used.
Today? We have telephones, desktop computers, the internet, Wikipedia, Google, cell phones, smart phones, and of course, tablets.
Never before have people had access to this sheer volume of information and the ability to use it in real time anywhere we happen to be. And boy do we use it!
I wake every morning to my tablet telling me ‘Good morning Brian. The time is now 6:50 a.m. Please get up.’ I check Facebook and email before I roll out of bed. Maybe I use a Better Homes and Gardens recipe when making breakfast or choose something from Pinterest. I check the weather on my phone as I’m getting ready to walk out the door to see what jacket and shoes I should take. My tablet gets plugged into my radio in the Jeep so I can listen to my music or I use my Satellite Radio depending on my mood. If I happen to be headed to a location I’m not real familiar with, I can get my phone to
give me turn by turn directions. Once at work, I talk with my wife and daughter using instant messaging and sometimes play a quick game of Angry Birds while my computer churns through some of the heavier graphics files I work with. I keep up with the news on my tablet, find a good restaurant for lunch with my coworkers, and book the tickets I’m taking my wife to for her birthday.
We can probably stop at lunch. No need to talk about how I like to check-in at lunch, leave a great review of the restaurant, and sit back with my co-workers afterwards to watch Russell Peters on Netflix.
Technology is a part of our daily lives. Every day there is new technology out there. Screens getting smaller, but giving us better images than ever. Laptops are thinner, lighter. Tablets are measured in millimeters. The smart phone I have in my pocket, 4 year old technology, is more powerful than a desktop computer I had when I was in college. The smart phone I want to buy next is more powerful than the desktop I bought 3 years ago. Who knows what the phone after that will do?
Even Real Estate has been impacted by Technology. Our Webpage allows you to find the perfect house from the comfort of your home or it is Mobile accessible so you can find your dream house from anywhere you happen to be.
REALTOR.ca has an app that you can load onto your smart phone (Android, iPhone, Blackberry or even Windows 7) that will search properties based on your location. It will let you contact your Real Estate agent, look at photos from your property and find scheduled open houses. It will even give you directions to get to the property! Pretty exciting stuff.
QR codes are replacing property flyer boxes on Signs (which gives more information and is better for the environment, too!)
Even Better Homes and Gardens has gone digital. I love the recipes on their webpage and for those out there with an iPhone or iPad, there is even a great recipe app!
Now, most everyone around has a Smart Phone, and those that don’t, probably aren’t too worried about getting on now.
NOT everyone has a tablet. We can’t help EVERYONE have a tablet, but how about 1 person? Head on over to the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Canada page and you can enter to win a Brand New iPad.
