Smart Phone vs. Dumb Phone

I recently took the plunge and bought a “smart” phone. For 5 or 6 years, I was perfectly happy with my “dumb” phone. Granted, you can’t surf the web on a dumb phone; you can’t play Angry Birds, scan a QR code, or pull up a list of every pizza joint within a 50 mile radius either. The only thing a dumb phone is good for is having an actual conversation with someone. Imagine that!

A week in, and already I get the sense that it would be tough to go back. I’ve quickly become accustomed to the convenience. I imagine people felt the same way when color TV replaced black and white or when the first researcher replaced his or her paper strip chart recorder with a PC based data acquisition system (this is a data acquisition blog).

Speaking of data acquisition; there’s a smart phone application for that too, several actually. A quick Google search yielded some fascinating results. From applications that allow you to record your split times at the gym to a full blown vibration spectrum analyzer (many smart phones have built-in accelerometers).

Would you use your smart phone to acquire data in a pinch?

Follow Us