By Danielle Valente
Shuffling across the quad is not quite the same as it used to be. College campuses are buzzing with activity as students exchange quick hellos, rest on the lawn with their laptops and text the latest news to friends. There is no doubt that we are living in a world of advancing technology, and much of that technology is embraced by students for practices both fashionable and functional.
Small, portable devices hold great capabilities, especially for students. It is because of new tools that cell phones have taken a back seat.
The Kindle is a popular toy among students.
David Samberg of Verizon Wireless says as much, noting, “Our multimedia products offer students the best of both worlds…they get an educational tool that can access the Verizon Wireless high-speed network virtually anywhere, along with some cool functions that can be fun as well.” The company’s multimedia toys include the Wi-Fi capable HTC Ozone smartphone, the HP Mini netbook and the Verizon Wireless MiFi, a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot that allows up to five people to share one Internet connection.
Although still widely used, cell phones are simply that. However, the increasingly popular iPhone and BlackBerry enable users to do more than make a call.
Giovanni Jehovani, retail sales consultant at the AT&T Wireless store in Woodbury, describes the sale of BlackBerrys as “the same as last year and [it] will remain the same…I usually recommend teenagers a BlackBerry mainly because of their productivity.”
Both the BlackBerry and the iPhone can almost serve as a mini computer when students cannot reach a desktop. It has everything a college student uses most in one.
“I have to say that I love my BlackBerry,” says Hofstra University sophomore Elizabeth Monzillo. “I’ve gotten so use to it now that I don’t know if I could go back to a cell phone.”
In addition to carrying a BlackBerry (or cell phone), students are bombarded with textbooks for different courses. With new technology, that might not be the case anymore.
The Kindle DX, almost like an iPod for books, is considered by Forbes magazine to be “a very well-designed e-reader.” The 6-inch wireless reading device enables owners to purchase not only books, but newspapers and periodicals as well.
Alex Wozniak, sophomore at SUNY New Paltz, says, “Perhaps I’ll purchase a Kindle if the price is right. It’s beneficial to be able to have multiple books on a tiny device and on the go without carrying something heavy.”
Wozniak might be in luck, as Sony plans to introduce the Reader Pocket at the end of August and charge roughly $100 less than the Kindle at $199.
New technology is capable of changing one’s routine. New tools can make daily to-dos nonexistent, as anything a student needs rests in the palm of his or her hands. More devices are available now than ever before. The BlackBerry, Kindle and Pocket Reader have taken things a step forward, making college a whole new experience for students this day and age.
