Poorer nations are greatly benefitting from the use of these devices in terms of literacy.
A recent mobile technology news report that was released by Unesco has revealed that the penetration of inexpensive smartphones into developing nations has done wonders for spreading the access to books and other sources of the written word, providing new ways to be able to practice reading.
Until now, reading material access was nearly exclusively limited to printed books, which has considerable limitations.
The Unesco report suggested that this new mobile technology news is nothing less than a “reading revolution” within poorer nations. It also indicated that smartphone ownership could play an extremely important role in the battle against illiteracy on a global scale, as it no longer requires access to printed books or the use of old fashioned chalk boards.
This mobile technology news shows that these devices could be critical to enhancing widespread education.
The report expressed that “While mobile phones are still used primarily for basic communication, they are also – and increasingly – a gateway to long-form text.” It added that these devices make it possible to be able to access the same words as are printed in a physical book, but at a fraction of the price. Moreover, the capacity isn’t limited to a physical space when reading books on a cell phone screen.
The results printed in the Unesco report are from the largest survey that has ever been conducted on the subject of literacy and reading over mobile devices in the developing world. It involved the participation of over 4,000 gadget users who shared their habits. These participants live within seven different countries: India, Pakistan, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia.
Among those seven nations, the average illiteracy rate in children is 20 percent and in adults it is 34 percent. Comparatively, the average illiteracy rate among adults in the United Kingdom is under 1 percent. The survey has shown the promising mobile technology news that the use of smartphones and other digital devices is having a meaningful impact on providing the populations with the tools they need to read more effectively and skillfully.
In January of this year, rumors began to circulate concerning Apple’s intentions with mobile commerce. For the past few years, the company’s commerce efforts have largely been restricted to the digital space. Now, however, Apple has been looking into ways to make it possible for consumers to purchase physical goods using an iOS device and, potentially, and iTunes account. Apple executives are reportedly meeting with experts in the mobile commerce industry to further develop a concept for its approach to its mobile commerce efforts.