Technology is moving at such a fast rate sometimes it's hard to keep up. And even scary sometimes. In the article Future Smartphones Won't Need Cell Towers to Connect published by MIT Technology Review the author was informing the reader about new technology that many companies were testing that would allow cell phones to communicate with each other without using cell towers if they were withing about 500 meters of each other. They are calling this technology LTE Direct.
This new technology would have many benefits. It would allow people to talk using their cellphones without relying on the cell towers. It would allow business to automatically send out messages and specials to customers shopping in their stores. Other benefits such as helping you locate nearby points of interest or sending out important information in the local area were also noted. All of this can be done using almost no battery life of the device.
For some of the same reasons it's a benefit are also the same reason why I find it somewhat scary. To know that people or businesses may be tracking your every movement is somewhat disconcerting. The article said that your phone would constantly be searching for these LTE Direct devices. Does this mean a constant drain on your data? The article didn't say but I would assume it would have to.
I love technology. I love to use technology. It is very convenient and informative. However, I am old school enough to want some privacy. Devices such as this, although convenient, make me feel like "Big Brother" is watching and tracking everything I do. My personal jury is still out on whether I would welcome this feature!
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/530996/future-smartphones-wont-need-cell-towers-to-connect/
Excellent points made!
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