Technology today has a gift for everyone. Surprisingly, with so many different companies building a myriad of multifaceted devices, we can quite easily get most, or all of them to seamlessly communicate with each other.
Also for businesses, the ability, for example, to formalise workflows into a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can, as one small-business recently experienced, double the revenue together with a 90% savings in time after freeing themselves of so many repeating manual tasks.
Giving back control to our older selves
If you talk with people in their 80’s and 90’s in particular, they all agree that as you get older, bit by bit, you feel you have less and less control over your life. Modern technology can return to older people the ability to regain some control back into their lives.
Take an example, where one might not recall how to turn on the complicated stereo system to play records and cassettes. Today’s technology is created with this intuition in mind and easily translates “complicated” into “simple” by delivering a single standalone system that can play records, cassette, CD, radio and even Bluetooth; all while having built in speakers, or the choice to listen with headphones. You just have to know what you want and who to ask for it.
It is even possible to watch Sky Go, Fox News Live, TV On Demand and Netflix in hospital 24/7 without connecting to the hospital WiFi network, for a one-month data cost of $129 as and when needed. What great times we live in!
All your digital photos on the TV from any device with one click
Let’s touch on mobile phones. They are actually a small computer and a camera, a recording device, a music player, movie player, a toy and a message centre. In actual fact there isn’t much you can’t do on most phones that isn’t also available on your computer. But most people just want to use it as a phone, to receive and send messages or emails and sometimes take photos.
Someone has to set that phone up so that whenever photos are taken, they arrive automatically onto the owner’s tablet, laptop and/or computer. Set it up to do this automatically and it will do so in the background without prompting and without wires.
Furthermore, if you install a very simple Google Chromecast into an HDMI port in the back of your television set as well, you can with one tap, send a photo from the mobile phone onto the TV screen and then use your phone as the remote control for photos. Furthermore, you can view your entire digital photo collection on the TV with just a click from your computer or tablet.
Nothing to learn, just click the button and away you go
Netflix is a real game- changer and together with the Google Chrome cast device, allows older people to select movies, TV programs and documentaries on their computer or tablet and then with a click or a tap, cast it to the TV. This is far easier than trying to navigate a Smart TV App, especially if you want to type onscreen. Some customers are even taking out Sky in favour of Freeview and Netflix. Did I mention Netflix has NO ADVERTISEMENTS and costs around $15 per month for thousands of titles?
When technology is set up right, we always say to our customers, “you don’t need to remember anything” and “you don’t need to learn anything new”. Your computer experience of past decades far exceeds the skill levels required to operate the modern technology when it is set up right. Invest in a good setup and enjoy the coming decade.
Phone 7-days, to talk to us in plain English, (07) 262 1000.
By Jim Swan, Silver Service IT
I write for Bay Waka to shed light on the potential of your technology you already own.
