Category: Old Tech

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Old Tech

Why you should take a break… from tech.

Strange one, this one.

Yep… I’m actually telling you, that you should take a break from technology.

There’s a few reasons why… but the biggest one is, whilst tech is great in whatever format it’s utilised, remember that it’s you who should be the focus – not the tech. Make the tech work for you and don’t you be a slave to the tech.

What do you mean Bal? Should I give up on all new tech stuff?

No, far from it. Do a quick analysis… let’s start with your phone. How many apps do you have?

Now… how many of those apps do you actually use? – and then, what do you use them for? and how long do you spend on those apps?

Once you have that information – honestly tell me you’re productive on those apps, or they help you mentally or physcially or that they’re enhacing your life (in some form or another)?

We’re slowly wasting hours and hours scrolling through tik tok videos.
We’re slowly wasting hours looking at various social media posts. We’re slowly wasting our time attached to various gadgets (smart watches – have I done my steps?!) and others.

What we need is a break.

Take a Tech Break. And have a kit-kat. (Or another chocolate)

The concern I have is we’re moving away from what we want to do and our thinking is quickly influenced by what we see.

It used to be like in the old days… with newspapers. They’d influence our thoughts – depending on what paper you read.

Social media does that today.

But take other technology…. for example, the other day, I saw some small gadget that you can place on the ankle of your Under 10’s football team and see how fast they run, what they do… track all their movement. You can use this device on older kids also. For me… I wasn’t impressed. In my very first FA coaching course, they said… the number one rule of football should be that they enjoy it.

How can you enjoy it if you’re being tracked with some technology. Then analysed. Then being told you should do this and that. Whilst I understand that kind of technology is important in top tier professional football games where it’s run like a business, it shouldn’t be for smaller younger clubs. Kids should enjoy just running around. Kick that ball. And slowly progress. Have fun. That’s the key thing.

Go and have a water fight.

Go and have a cup of coffee with a friend you haven’t spoken to for a while and put all your devices away.

Go and explore the outdoors.

I’m not saying ban tech. Far from it. Just take a break. Just use it wisely. Use it so it benefits you.

I watch YouTube videos on people polishing their cars. I like to polish my car. So I learn. I’ll use technology to help me advance.

It’s not entirely our fault. It’s become so easy now… pick up the phone and boom! notifications, information, etc… look around, people will be talking about the latest tik tok dance or the latest something that someone posted somewhere.

Yes, it’s fine to have a quick look – but remember… technology should work for you.

Categories
Old Tech

What you have Vs What you (actually) use

I’m sat at my dining table this Sunday morning. It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post, and after a busy summer… and after a few busy weeks talking to people about tech and some of the headwinds approaching – thought it’d be appropriate to share my thoughts.

Everything is getting expensive. We know this. Prices of essentials (food, energy, etc…) are increasing. With this in mind, it’s good to do a review of your technology landscape.

What devices do you have/own – and what do you use.

Now, usually… we’d have our phone, maybe a tablet (iPad or an Android version), and some more. It’s that ‘some more’ that we need to focus on. Do we have old phones in the drawer that we don’t use?

Now would be a good time to have a clear out.

But remember… delete and reset the device! The last thing you want is something else having your information and data. Delete your profiles and information… then reset the device. Hard reset. Delete the device (factory reset) if you have the option.

The reason to have a look at what you own and what you use is because, devices have evolved so much – that one or two devices will do what several used to do.

I know this was rapidly increased a while back – but even today, some of our phones and devices are so good and have so much built in, it makes you think… do I need anything else?

We’ll see more of the above.

In fact, we’re seeing it now. New cars can be controlled from your phone. Home heating systems can be controlled from your phone.

What else do you think can be done from your from today (or in the next few years?)

So when you have the opportunity, summarise what you own and what you use. Then start to clear out. Sell devices or items you don’t use any more – invest that money you get to upgrade or have something newer that will last you a few extra years.

Categories
Old Tech

Bye Bye BlackBerry

Who remembers the BlackBerry phone?

My earliest memory of it was, when I newly into a role… and the manager (GM) had a blackberry. We were on the shop floor (manufacturing company) and he asked me if I’d seen a particular note from another senior person. I said, no. He instantly, pulled his blackberry out – and said, it’s in your inbox, have a look and walked off.

Wow. The power in his hands at that moment!

I rushed up a flight of stairs, to the office, and put the laptop on and had a look for the email – and rightly so, it was there! Read the email and replied and knew what was happening.

It was rather ground-breaking.

Having the power to do your emails on the go. Not having to get to the laptop. Not having to run up a flight of stairs. Nope… none of that. In the palm of your hands – you could be quicker, simpler and empowered (to a certain extent) to make decisions and get work done!

What was your first memory of the BlackBerry phone? (if you’re old enough to remember them!)

But… we know what happened to the trusted BlackBerry device. Don’t we?

What Happened to BlackBerry | Toptal

You’ll have heard, it’s the End of the Road for them.

Sales have been plummeting for a while. Every since Apple and other devices didn’t use physical buttons, every since other devices had better integrations with other applications and then the whole eco-system between devices (laptops, phones, tablets, etc…)

BlackBerry stuck with their unique selling point – the physical buttons. And to be honest, there were some die-hard fans that loved them. But the problem was, technology moved on so much… that honestly, there were other features that were more important than having the physical buttons. And on top of that, we all got used to the simplicity.

Simplicity of the screen.

Unfortunately, BlackBerry didn’t advance. They didn’t innovate. They stayed as they are.

And the other strand to this is… people aren’t sending as many emails as they used to previously.

We have more chat functionality. (Yes you had that on blackberry – but it was limited).

We have MS Teams. We have Slack. We have Whatsapp. We have all the social media platforms – Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, etc…

Let’s be honest, who has the time today to read long emails. It’s quicker and easier to send a quick message.

I think this only proves one point. It’s not the strongest of the species that survive…

Blackberry/RIM’s revenue from fiscal year 2004 to 2021 (in million U.S. dollars)

… it’s those, who are most adaptable to change.

Unfortunately, BlackBerry, like Blockbuster, like Kodak… just didn’t adapt to the change. Didn’t innovate. We know companies like Apple have that innovative spirit built within…

iPhone sales by year | Statista

Look at the two graphs from 2011 to 2013. Blackberry’s huge decline and Apple’s huge increase in sales.

I’m sure there’ll be many who are emotional about BlackBerry being no more… and I’m sure they’ll tweet/share their sorrows via their Apple or Android device. Basically, their non-BlackBerry device.