Smart-phones: A modern day necessity

A smart-phone is any phone with a mobile operating system that has computing and connectivity capabilities unlike those found on a ‘dumb’ phone.

Thursday, September 13, 2012
A BlackBerry is a very popular smartphone. Net photo.

A smart-phone is any phone with a mobile operating system that has computing and connectivity capabilities unlike those found on a ‘dumb’ phone.Smart-phones are without a doubt, one of the best pieces of technology invented over the last couple of years. It’s amazing how a piece of equipment, relatively small in size, can be so powerful. Shiela Rukundo, an electronics and telecom student at the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology says her phone is a personal digital assistant."If someone took time to download the necessary apps, their phone would do almost everything they wanted.”"On a smart-phone, you’ll find apps like Maps that can direct you to any well known place, your phone can also be a source of entertainment when one is bored and most importantly connecting you with people far away,” she said.Rukundo also adds that with Skype, Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp, she feels like she always has her loved ones close by.Smart-phones may cost a lot but at the end of the day, they are worth all the money paid.Georgette Mutesi says her smart phone has saved her from very many expenses and carrying a lot of things with her as she has it all in her phone."With my phone I don’t have to buy a Bible because I can download it, I can read News papers on my phone, and when am going to the beach, I don’t have to carry a novel to read, all I do is get the soft copy,” Mutesi says.She concludes that the most amazing app she knows on the phone is the mosquito repellent app that has since relieved her from buying mosquito spray.As much as smart phones have been of great help, they have also ripped users of their free time and reduced their interaction with people.Leonillah Mukunzi a mother to six says ever since her children got smart phones, all they do is stare at them all day. "The time we spend talking has greatly reduced because all their time is spent pressing and laughing with their phones,” she said.