Smartphones have been changing the way we live for years. And as technology continues to develop at pace, the way smartphones are incorporated into our daily lives is becoming more pronounced, immersive and direct. Here we look at how the device most of us have on our person every day is enhancing the way we go about our daily lives as well as introducing us to new experiences.
Intuitive Living via Augmented Reality
Made possible by the hardware necessary to make it work being present in every smartphone, augmented reality (AR) is beginning to really take off in 2018 thanks to software released by developers within tech’s leading names such as Google, Apple and Facebook. Made mainstream by the popularity of Pokemon Go in 2016, AR will become more intuitive over time and ultimately be able to use your smartphone’s camera to view the environment and deliver information in real time.
If you need directions, AR will be on hand to help, if you need a restaurant review of the place you’re stood outside of, AR will be able to help. The technology could even assist you to find friends in a crowd. The growth of augmented reality is likely to move ahead quickly now that Android has its first specifically-built Asus ZenFone AR and iPhone’s latest models all have the Bionic A11 processor that’s powerful enough to deal with AR’s resource requirements.
Immersive Experiences with Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality (VR) has been around for a while but smartphones have allowed it to enter the mainstream in an accessible, affordable manner. While users can spend thousands of dollars on the tech to experience VR, smartphones offer an increasingly immersive experience that’s only getting better.
Apps like VRSE, created by filmmaker Chris Milk and Aaron Koblin, allow people to view real-world environments in a new way that is both exhilarating and informative. One of VRSE’s most popular VR experiences is “Take Flight”, a film that takes viewers for a flight above New York City. Similarly, Orbulus uses Google’s Photo Sphere technology to give users the chance to visit the world’s most sought-after tourist destinations without leaving their sofa.
Leisure Activity & Socialising in the Connected Environment
Smartphones have made socialising in the connected environment more instant and direct. Through popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, the way we interact with friends has not only become digitized but given a global stage. Effectively, we don’t just tell our nearest and dearest what we had for tea, we tell the world.
But smartphone apps have allowed us to socialize and enjoy leisure activities in lots of other ways too. The sports betting market has risen dramatically in popularity with smartphones a big reason why, while people are increasingly likely to play online slot machines because leading developers such as Yggrasil and Microgaming are making the chance to earn life-changing sums of money easy, fast and exciting. Plus, you can play from the comfort of your own home. Elsewhere, instead of shopping on the high street, we order our goods via Amazon, we track our health through fitness apps like FitBit, we access our music library through Spotify, watch movies on Netflix, order a taxi from Uber and a takeaway via Seamless.
Whether it’s talking to our friends and family, doing the weekly shop, ordering a takeaway or playing a game, smartphones play an important role in our daily lives. In the future, technology is going to make the experience even more immersive, interactive and intuitive, making the smartphone’s role in contemporary life even more far-reaching and influential.
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