Tag: mobile devices

Separation anxiety from mobile devices makes us dumber, study

| January 14, 2015

When you can’t find your iPhone, do you feel as though you can’t think straight? It’s not your imagination.

It is a common feeling for people who are regular users of mobile devices to feel as though they aren’t able to think as clearly or to remember as much when they are separated from those gadgets, and a recent study has shown that this isn’t just a feeling…

People who are suddenly separated from their iPhones don’t perform as well on cognitive tests.

The results of a new study that was conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri determined that subjects who were the owners of iPhones and who were separated from those mobile devices ended up performing measurably more poorly on cognitive tests. This study did not go to the extent as to say that using smartphones was making people smarter. Instead, what it suggested was that people who typically had cell phones and used them on a regular basis experienced notably anxiety when those gadgets were taken away, to the point that they were not able to concentrate as well as they typically would.

Subjects were informed that they would be testing out new types of mobile devices for measuring blood pressure.

Mobile devices iphoneOnce they were hooked up to the monitors, they were required to complete a simple word search style puzzle. Once that first puzzle was completed, they were asked to finish another one. The difference during the second test was that they were required to relinquish their iPhones in order to do it, as they were told that the smartphones were causing “Bluetooth interference” with the blood pressure gadgets that they were led to believe that they were testing.

During that second test, their blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety levels all rose. What was highly notable about this reaction was that their cognitive function slipped, as well, and they were not able to do as well on the simple word search puzzle.

The conclusion that researchers drew from this mobile devices study was that if a large exam or business meeting is coming up, don’t leave the smartphone at home, as doing so could be harmful to performance.

Himmat mobile app rolls out to improve women’s safety

| January 9, 2015

This new smartphone application has been launched in Delhi and the Union Home Minister was present.

A new mobile app called “Himmat” has been developed for and launched by the Delhi Police in India, in order to provide women with a tool that will allow them to make a very quick and easy distress call to appropriate parties so that they can receive the help that they need.

The mobile application lets them reach the Police Control Room and their relatives in an emergency situation.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was present in New Delhi, when the mobile app was first launched by the police. Its primary market is employed women who are smartphone owners and who find themselves traveling alone – even late at night – as a result of their working hours. At the same time that the mobile application was launched, Singh also handed out pepper spray to the women who were present and gave awards to girls who had gone through the Delhi Police self-defense program and had successfully completed it.

The Delhi Police received Sing’s praise for the use of technology and the mobile app for improved policing.

Mobile App - PoliceDelhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi was also present for the launch of the Himmat app for mobile devices, and explained that the process involves downloading the application by registering with the Delhi Police website. Registration involves sharing the smartphone user’s name and number, as well as the contact information of at least two friends or relatives who could be contacted in case of an emergency.

Upon the completion of the registration, the smartphone user receives a text message with a download link and a registration key. When installing the smartphone app, the registration key needs to be entered, but that is a one-time occurrence.

After that point, the smartphone user opens the mobile app while traveling alone, and can send an alert to the police or to his or her emergency contacts simply by shaking the device or by pressing on the power button/soft button. Immediately after the distress alert has been triggered, a thirty second audio/video recording will begin on the device and that will be relayed to the Police Control Room (PCR). Bassi explained that once that message is sent to the PCR, they will receive a call back to check on them.