Cell phones taking on many roles, transforming market, generation

The United States has about 250 million cell phone subscribers – a number equal to 82 percent of the population – and many of them already embrace the cell phone's new roles: Frequent business travelers use phone cameras to help remember which ubiquitous rental car they're driving and the number of the night's hotel room; Some people have abandoned wallet photos of babies and pets and instead store slide shows on their phones.
 
These days the gadget formerly known only for voice calls has mastered multitasking. Smarter phones lead an onslaught of wireless technologies creating the third revolution of modern electronics, following transformations wrought by the personal computer and the Internet.
 
Steve Jones, a professor at University of Illinois at Chicago who writes about technology and culture, said he sees his students text, watch videos between classes and update MySpace pages with photos shot just moments earlier. "Students are going to ... move into the work force and continue to use their technology," Jones said. "It's the way of the future. I'd say we are now with the cell phone where we were at 10 years ago with the Internet."
 

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080127-9999-1n27phone.html

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