Think Customers: The 1to1 Blog

The situation is even worse throughout Asia, but especially in Korea apparently. Teenagers are being targeted for a program to combat mobile phone addiction, after it was found 44 percent of students text message during lectures. As ridiculous as it sounds, students will be asked to talk about how they feel when they don’t have their phone, and can voluntarily place their phones in lockers during class where they can’t be accessed.

I don’t think the situation will become as bad in the Western world in the near future, but the way technology is headed mobile is becoming a much bigger part of our lives. In London, pay-by-mobile technology is being tested. In some Asian countries people can already wave their phone in front of vending machines and checkout kiosks because it’s tied to a bank or credit card. In Britain customers have to pre-pay on their account, then they can use the phone to buy train/bus tickets, newspapers, and other small items at shops and restaurants.

The US is, as usual, catching up to the rest of the world when it comes to mobile, but the technology is advancing. Continental Airlines recently began offering customers the option of a mobile boarding pass that can be read by a scanner at the gate. Airlines began phasing out mailed boarding passes years ago, and it seems even printable email boarding passes may be gone soon. Some of the questions that haven’t been answered include how security treats the barcodes and how to display multiple boarding passes on one phone (i.e. for a family), but the program is still in its trial phase.

Is there a danger that we’re all too connected to our mobile devices? Will they start taking over our lives and become a nuisance, or will the conveniences they offer be overwhelmingly positive? What do you think are some of the cool uses for mobile that we have yet to see offered?