スマートフォンの功罪：使いこなそう

　I switched to a smartphone　last year. My life has changed significantly since then. The biggest difference by far is that I now have access to the Internet at my fingertips. I don't need to have a Wi-Fi connection to access the Net and I don't need my computer to do so.

　I do my research on the phone, read the news, update my blog, e-mail colleagues and friends, shop and download applications anywhere, anytime I want. I do not get lost easily now thanks to the map application and I can find restaurants and places of interest in seconds without hassle. I now can do almost everything on the phone that I used to do on my computer.

　Another big change is I am listening to music on my iPhone. Not only listening to music for pleasure, but I have all my soundtracks downloaded on the phone so I can practice my own songs before performances. I used to have to carry an MD player all the time, but now I can play all my tracks on my phone, super easy.

　Having a high-definition camera on the phone is also a big advantage for me. I can take pictures with reasonable quality not only to share online but sometimes even for publication. I can store the images I need and send them out to colleagues in seconds. I can also take videos of precious moments and scenes and share them with my family. The camera is turning me into an amateur photographer and I am seeing the world more appreciatively from different angles.

レシピもクーポンも

　Recently, I acquired a passion for baking bread. I can find numerous recipes online, and by having my phone in the kitchen, I can follow the recipes step by step. I used to have to set my computer or iPad on the crowded kitchen counter and the gadget would take up valuable space. No more, the tiny phone can give me all the information and space I need.

　I also use the phone to show coupons that I have purchased for meals and goods to retailers. Plus, I play games with my sons on the phone even though they are in the United States.

　I think I am a happier person because of my new phone. The phone has reinvented itself in the last few years; imagine what it may do in the years to come.

　More and more people are getting connected, and the power of information and networking is changing the world. People power has been vastly multiplied since solidarity went mobile, as seen in the Arab Spring movement.

　People in some African countries now have access to banking services for the first time thanks to smartphones. Schools are starting to embrace smartphones as an educational tool. They may help create a world where people have equal opportunities to develop their potentials.

マイナス面にも注意を

　But there is a downside to all this bliss that should not be ignored. We can be easily manipulated if we are not careful, and privacy is almost nonexistent when most of our activities have become an open book for Internet service providers and others.

　Unless new rules are created to protect privacy rights, this openness can be easily exploited. Also, spending too much time "connected" may interfere with real-life communication with others. Game applications can be addictive and expensive. In exchange for convenience, we may actually be courting trouble.

　So while I greatly enjoy what the phone is providing me, I am also reasonably cautious about its vices. I want to rule my phone, not let my phone rule me. You, too, should be super careful with your smartphone!

• significantly　著しく、かなり
• by far　はるかに、非常に、とても
• at my fingertips　指先で
• Wi-Fi connection　無線LANでインターネットに接続すること（Wi-Fi の読み方は「ワイファイ」）
• without hassle　面倒なく、簡単に
• soundtrack(s)　サウンドトラック。後出の tracksも録音した曲のこと
• high-definition　高画質、高解像度
• see(ing)...angle(s)　世界を色々な角度から見て堪能する
• acquire(d)　獲得した
• recipe(s)　調理法、レシピ
• retailer(s)　小売業者
• reinvent(ed) itself　それ自身を再発明した、「進化した」
• Arab Spring　アラブの春。2010年末にチュニジアに端を発し中東に広がった民主化運動。ツイッターやフェイスブックなどのソーシャルネットワーキングサービス（SNS）で情報共有を図り、運動はかつてないスピードで拡大した
• embrace　〜を受け入れる、利用する
• downside　マイナスの面
• (be) manipulated　操られる
• nonexistent　存在しない
• become...book　（開いた本のように）開けっ広げになる、丸見えになる
• (be) exploited　不正に利用される
• courting trouble　トラブルを自ら招いている
• vice(s)　欠点
• want...me　自分の電話を支配すべきであり、自分が電話に支配されてはいけない