Tag: mobile gadgets

The country is relaxing the regulations regarding the use of smartphones and tablets while in the air.

It won’t be long before travelers in Canada will be able to use their electronic and mobile devices at any time they want during a flight, including everything from smartphones to tablets and laptops.

That said, they will still be restricted from using WiFi and making cellular phone calls.

Lisa Raitt, the Minister of Transportation in Canada recently made the announcement that travelers will be able to use their mobile devices and other forms of electronic technology such as portable games, cameras, laptops, e-readers, tablets, and even smartphones, from the time that the flight takes off to its touchdown. That said, it will be possible only as long as the transmission capabilities of the gadget have been disabled.

The rules for mobile devices during flights have been an issue of great debate over the last few months.

A few months ago, federal officials in Canada began working with the airline industry and its various carriers in order to help to make this change. Air Canada, the largest airline in the country has already announced that it is ready to implement the change to the regulations “very shortly” and that it could start to fly under these less restrictive regulations within the next few days.

Raitt explained that this decision is “good news for air passengers and it’s good news for the Canadian aviation industry,” as she spoke to the media at Ottawa International Airport in the country’s capital. She added that she understands some of the challenges faced by travelers, today, who are required to shut off devices, saying that “as a mom of a 12- and a 9-year-old, I’m pretty happy that we don’t have to go through the whole, I would say, drama of turning off your Nintendo DS in the middle of a really important game.”

This recent change in the rules for the use of mobile devices aligns the regulations in Canada with those that are currently in place in the United States as well as in the European Union, which had each announced their own intentions for this gadget use in 2013.

Wearable devices may be nothing more than novelty

Wearable technology has become the new craze of the tech field, with a range of big-name companies developing smart watches, augmented reality glasses, and other such high-tech gadgetry. These devices may have a great deal of potential, as they have already managed to attract the attention of consumers around the world, but whether or not the interest surrounding these devices is nothing more than hype is somewhat questionable.

While few wearable devices are currently available to the public, future devices promise to change the way people interact with one another and their surroundings in significant ways. AR glasses, for instance, could literally change the way people see the world as their technology becomes more advanced. This same technology is already being used as a way to improve sight in the vision-impaired. Smart watches may have a role to play in mobile commerce as the economy continues to become more reliant on technology and these devices are already being used to traffic digital media.

For many, wearable devices are seen as an exciting new step forward in the technology world, but these devices may be little more than another passing fancy.

Years ago, 3D technology began seeing a swell in attention that is quite similar to what wearable technology is seeing today. The same can be said for virtual reality, which has evolved to become augmented reality technology to some degree. Both 3D and virtual reality became quite popular, but failed to find ultimate success among consumers it did little in the way of innovating daily life.

Both 3D and virtual reality are high concept, low impact and their use beyond the field of entertainment is limited, if not verging on non-existent. Even in the entertainment field, these technologies continue to struggle to find support. 3D found some resurgence in its popularity in recent years in the film industry, but the movies that have made use of this technology have failed to impress. Many people claim that 3D in films is nothing more than an annoying gimmick that is used to provide some cheap thrill.

Wearable devices may not make use of 3D technology, but their potential novelty may end up leading them down the same path toward obscurity.

These devices, in their current state, offer little in the way of practical value, but some are high on entertainment potential. This is particularly true of augmented reality glasses, whose primary role will likely exist within the entertainment field, whether that involves gaming or other forms of digital media.

Seemingly innovative technology is often relegated as novelty because it does not actually innovate anything. Wearable devices could be in danger of fallen prey to this problem, because despite their allure, they are unable to accomplish anything that has already been accomplished by “old fashioned” smartphones and tablets.