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The mobile phone; a modern day necessity and on many occasions a burden to its users. For the last 10 years mobile phones have become commonplace in our society. We’ve always hoped to achieve the very most out of them, and usually ended up disappointed. However, the next generation is creeping up. There are already several models on the market and many will be released in the next few months. A glance at these specifications suggests that they may finally have caught up with our expectations.

The first mobile to seriously ‘wow’ its audience was the Apple iPhone, which has now evolved into the iPhone 3G. 3G Technology is basically a mobile form of high-speed Internet. As with the iPhone and its soon-to-be competitors, a mobile phone is no longer really a phone, it’s a hand-held media device designed to organise and co-ordinate every aspect of our social and personal lives. All this power in a product that fits in the palm of your hand must bring some changes to our life? Surely?

A recent study has taken place to show that modern technologies – notably the Internet and mobile phones, were initially viewed with a good deal of scepticism when reviewed in the media. Look at any technology magazine or website from the last 10 years and without doubt you’ll find a letter of complaint or article written with a negative slant. Many of the articles stated that these newly developed technologies and the production of social networking websites and virtual worlds were dumbing us down. There were reports of teenagers forming their life around the Internet as opposed to the real world and as a result this generation was becoming incapable of interacting with other people. However, the study's findings have revealed that far from developing a generation incapable of communication, this technology has facilitated communication and that thanks to the ease of internet access, family relations are on a modern day up!

The report which was documented by the BBC states that the correlation of mobile phones and the Internet are helping family members maintain stronger social ties. It can only be presumed that the more advanced this technology becomes, the stronger its capabilities will be at keeping people in touch. Speaking from personal experience, maintaining contact with loved ones in Australia over a decade ago depended on erratic air mail correspondence or a very expensive phone call. Communicating across the globe can now be achieved by a very inexpensive message posted via Facebook, MySpace etc, which thanks to these new mobile technologies, can be done from anywhere!

I believe that as these products become even more refined we will keep in touch with more people than ever before. I believe that these products will change society in a way that will increase our ability and willingness to stay in contact with those we may not see on a regular basis and will give a new dimension on ways to communicate with those that we do.

In conclusion I think the next generation of smart-phones and highly complex web compatible mobile phones will change society more for our own good than bad. However, I don't believe that this change will be recognised as significant and will be taken for granted much like every other piece of technology. That is unless it is perceived as having an adverse affect and then we’ll no doubt here about it!