Will Video Messages Become an Alternative to Emails?

With every change in technology comes a swapping change in the way we do things. When computers and the internet gained steam the early 90s, the postal office became more and more redundant as less and less people wrote letters. E-mails became the de facto way to get in contact with people very quickly. Nowadays to get in contact with people most people use emails. However with video chatting gaining more and more steam will we soon change to video messages instead of emails?

Letters have been used since the time people where able to use ink, pens, pencils and paper. It was quite reliable and allowed you to add your personal touch and in all was a good means of communication. It however had two flaws which allowed emails to overcome it later on. First it required you to write and take your time to make sure what you're writing makes sense and conveys your message in the best way. Secondly it took way too much time to get to your correspondent. In days when there wasn't planes and cars and mail was transported by ships and carriages. It could take up to 3-6 months for your letter to get to the correspondent. Planes and cars brought down the transportation time to a matter of days but it still isn't as fast as communication should be. With emails the time delay at least was broken as emails are quite instantaneous and in a matter of seconds you can get your message to the intended party. However the personal touch of letters was kind of lost with the advent of emails. But I guess it's a good compromise for the speed emails have brought to communication relative to sending letters.

However now that more and more people video chat and more and more computers and devices have video cameras is it fair to ask for the day video messages overcome the use of emails? Like emails they are instantaneous and like letters you get personal touch and quite more than letters as your correspondent sees your face and can connect much more with it than on an email or a letter. Also it requires less effort than an email or letter as all you have to do is to turn on your camera and record and send what you have to say, that easy. However like the last two methods we have been using, it has a few flaws. The major one is the fact that it may not yet be appropriate for business as opposed to emails and letters, as well as for sending documents..

So then video messages should be something to consider to replace emails, especially in the casual sphere as it is fast, much more personal, easier and fun to do as well. It may not yet be optimized for business and official documentation but that is certainly a problem we would be able to solve in the future. However like emails didn't completely destroy the use of letters, video messages won't destroy emails and letters. As it stands today if we adopt video messages it would be more for casual use rather than business except if in the future we figure a way to work around it.

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Smartphone Leasing The New Alternative To Lengthy Contracts?

At the moment high end smartphones such as the iPhone 4S and the main competitor handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the BlackBerry Bold 990, have all seen major technological advances over the last few years. But, to the cost of the consumers. Who now in order to obtain the handsets must choose a 24 month contract that can begin at £41 per month. If willing the monthly cost or the contract duration can be reduced to a more manageable £36 per month or to an 18 month contract. But again there's another trap. As this will incur a one-off fee to be paid for the handset. The fee has been seen with not just the iPhone but many other high end smartphones, around the £99 mark. Depending on how many months and how much will be billed each month.

For many a commitment of this kind can be difficult. Therefore, fortunately there is a large selection of medium to low end smartphones that still offer similar connectivity and specifications but may be made with cheaper materials. Such as the Samsung Galaxy Ace and the HTC Desire S. Still offering compelling packages but lacking in WOW factor and for many early adopters difficult to embrace.

But just recently a network provider in the UK, 02, have announced the launch of a new leasing service called 02 Lease, where customers will rent the phone for a 12 month duration. This can open the doors for many to obtain such expensive handsets with a very appealing contract length.

The new service offers a brand new phone with no up-front payment. The monthly payments are set to reach a whopping £55 a month. But this will include insurance, 750 mins and 500 MB data with unlimited minutes.

Giving the latest technology to those who do not want an upfront cost for the handset and being stuck to a two year contract. Therefore creating as little barriers as possible. It can be difficult to imagine how many other network providers will begin to offer this new leasing model.

But it sure sounds like a contract that may just become popular. Because living without smartphones for many people in the UK and even around the world would be a nightmare. With everyday activities with such accessibility is incredible. Users have access to a notepad, calculator, camera with up to 8 mega pixels, phone book, internet browsing and not to mention the diversity of Apps that can cover almost ever requirement out there. Even making cheap calls to Australia, USA and even China is now affordable via a mobile phone.

So whether leasing, paying monthly or going Pay As You Go (PAYG) there will always be a demand for smartphones. Further backed by the ever increasing sales for smart phones. What will you be choosing?

Harvey McEwan writes to offer information and advice on a variety of areas, from technology to holiday destinations. Read through Harvey's other articles here to find out more.

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