Wellington
Content Note: This post has been enabled by Telecom NZ , but the thoughts are my own. Findout more about the HTC One
My younger boy made the comment that "you don't deserve this phone." (A HTC One, which you cansee me holding onto
That is, because I don't yet know how to drive it, I shouldn't be allowed to use it. But he'swrong.
For a start, this screen helps my ageing eyes read more easily. It's higher definition than mostof the competition, and it helps. The quality of Youtube videos is limited only by the original'squality. It is one of those times that the specs of this screen make you go, ‘right, good, yes’.It is 120mm (diagonal, = a touch under 5”), and is 1920 x 1080 pixels. So, given its BoomSoundfront-facing speakers (and nope, the name hasn’t grown on me), it makes watching something morethan bearable – it makes it doable if required or desired.
My son’s other grizzle was I haven’t learned to use all its shortcuts and the like.
So, it was with great delight to me that he showed that holding the home button down immediatelybrings up Google search. A double-tap brings up recent things you’ve had open. Fantastic.
The other neat surprise was; while learning how to drive the camera, it sent me a wee messageasking if I’d like to share these through Google+. Why yes, thanks – not that I’ve set up mygroups, or friends or acquaintances to any particular level that I’ll send pictures out like this.I’m still dipping my toes in this whole social media immersion thing and suspect I’ll always bean immigrant to its shores.
But, being able to send a pix copy, immediately to someone – that’s a cool feature.
In fact, this phone’s close to the ‘one place for everything’ that the whole morphing ofthe phone/computer/screen/contacts/notes the industry has pointed to over the past 15 years. For me,I’ll continue to keep an actual notebook beside my wallet – the comfort of analogue we’ll callit, and a quicker thing in which to scribble an idea or comment.
However, the HTC One is a digital multitool. It’s a virtual Leatherman or Swiss Army Knife todisassemble and reassemble bits and bytes in whatever configuration you need.
Which for me means learning new skills – video, saving (which is a whole new thing in a Googleuniverse), sharing – and the last one in particular will be an interesting one.
Knowing what is of value to share is the trick I believe, and originality’s novel.
For all that though, the HTC One does allow the possibility of engaging more, with others, withrepositories of information. I’m aware that I’m only just scratching the surface of itspotential.
And even though I had what is a smartphone in the Ideos X5, this HTC One is big leap on that.
Hence, the digital tool analogy, the learning how to drive it comment.
And the ‘one place for everything’ thinking.