I’m still surprised by how many mobile devices I see in the course of daily life. (I say this as a person who almost always carries a flip phone, and often carries an e-reader). It’s not just people talking on cell phones anymore. I ride the bus frequently, and I almost always see a large number of smart phones being used for various purposes. Most of the time, the smart phones are being used for something other than placing a call. I see some e-readers, though not as many as the smart phones.
On the metro, I am with increasing frequency, seeing two or three people in a car using laptops or tablet computers. I generally don’t see this being done on the bus, though I did see a guy get off the bus one day holding his still-open laptop, which I thought was rather bold of him. It wasn’t the greatest part of town either – not the worst, by far, but still it was not a place I’d flash electronics around. I can somewhat understand the temptation to use a laptop or tablet on the metro. People are often commuting a fair distance, and the metro is generally pretty safe. It’s a much better set up for trying to do work than the bus is – it’s a smoother ride, no abrupt unexpected stops, it’s more comfortable, and there is more room. Still, it’s easy to forget just how many devices are out there, if you’re not really paying attention. When I stop and take an informal look over the bus, or the metro, and see how many people have some kind of mobile electronic device out, it’s always more than I would have guessed.
The times are changing quickly.
~Agatha Viola
Constantly surprised by the 21st century
The Reluctant Youth 