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Introducing computing and IT
Introducing computing and IT

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2.6 Communicating on the move

Advances in digital technology have, in a very short space of time, revolutionised the way many of us live our lives. Nowhere is this more evident than in our ability to communicate as we travel.

When I first moved away from home, communicating with my parents involved a shared payphone in the hallway or a telephone box at the corner of the street. Today, I have a mobile phone with which I can send and pick up emails quickly and cheaply wherever I am. As well as email, my phone enables me to communicate in several other ways – instant messaging and social networking, for example, not to mention voice calls. I can also use the built-in global positioning system (GPS) to find out where I am (Figure 7), I can even plot my location on a website to let my friends and family see where I am (or at least see where my phone is).

Described image
Figure 7 The disadvantages of GPS?