MCT Campus

In today’s modern world, college students have different ways to access technology at all times of the day. The Internet can be found in more places than a computer and text messaging has now become the preferred method of communication. With the sales of complex smart phones, such as BlackBerries and iPhones, surging within the last year, the average users are changing how they use these products.Even cell phones that are not considered “smart phones” have applications. Google offers a host of services for cell phones.Gmail and Google Maps can be downloaded on cell phones at no cost. Also, for those who don’t have data plans, users can use Google Mobile. If somebody were to text “weather 92115” to the phone number 466453, a nearly instantaneous response would give the current weather for the San Diego State area – for free.A user who needs to find the phone number or address to a business, a show time for a movie or even stock prices can send a text to Google and receive information. Also, banks such as Wells Fargo and Washington Mutual offer mobile banking options to customers.Even leisure activities are now on-the-go with mobile technology. Facebook offers status updates via mobile phones, as well as the retrieval of messages on the Web site as text messages. Many base model phones now ship with the ability to instant message with MSN and AOL Instant Messenger. There are even third-party applications. One developer wrote a software program for cell phones designed to track the user’s blood alcohol content.Most recently, SpinVox, a British tech firm, has developed a service used to convert voice mails to text messages and e-mails for its subscribers. SpinVox says its service is excellent for college students, as they would not have to leave class or a party to access a potentially important message. SpinVox most recently entered the U.S. market using the Voice2Text service with Alltel Wireless. Elsewhere, SpinVox offers voice to blog and social networking services such as Facebook and Twitter. While younger generations are more inclined to try and adopt new technology services, many students feel the over-reliance on cell phones is unnecessary. With the explosive use of text messages, some students think voice mail is an antiquated service. “If it’s a text, I can’t really sense the urgency,” English junior Noel Zavala said. He said he receives about four voice mails a week, most of which are from his parents and boss. “A lot of people misuse their punctuation,” he said. “A lot of girls in particular put in exclamation points at the end of every sentence.”Zavala said most of the voice mails he receives are often too complex and detailed to be put into text.”You can’t hear the tone, so you make different assumptions about what you are reading,” business administration freshman Melissa Evans said. “It’s not inconvenient to listen to a voice mail,” said Evans, speaking about the SpinVox service. Evans said although she does still receive mostly voice mails from her friends, texting is more efficient. While students are receiving fewer voice mails and more text messages each day, the use of voice mail is relegated to the older generation. “My parents leave voice mails because neither of them know how to use text messaging,” kinesiology senior Ryan Forgette said. However, not all parents are text illiterate. Evans said her parents are able to use the text messaging service, but only do so when they cannot talk on the phone.Despite the growing use of cell phones and all their wonder and functionality, not everyone is convinced of the necessity for extra functions on a cell phone. “I feel like music, MP3 stuff on a phone is pointless,” Forgette said. “A phone should be for a phone.”