Module 4: Maori Cultures and Technology

Maori Cultures

Māori are the tangata whenua (indigenous people of the land) of New Zealand and their culture is an integral part of New Zealand life. About 15% of the country’s population of 3.8 million is of Māori descent. Māori are a tribal people and their tribes are known as iwi. Visitors to New Zealand are presented with many opportunities to experience Māori culture first-hand. Best known of these is the geo-thermal region of Rotorua in the North Island, where tourists can enjoy Māori kai (food) cooked on hot stones underground as part of a traditional hangi. They can also enjoy a Māori powhiri (welcome), visit local marae (meeting houses), listen to kapa haka (traditional performances of song and dance) and relax in the popular thermal pools. Māori culture forms the basis of New Zealand culture and is the essence of its society.

Figure 1: In recent times there has been a revival  in traditional waka design, building and navigation techniques. (Source: newzealand.com)

Figure 2: The facial tattoo on this carved figure is known as a 'Moko'. Moko are designed to display ancestral and tribal messages that apply to the wearer. These messages narrate the wearer's family, sub-tribal and tribal affiliations, and their placing within these social structures. This carving would be have been created to commemorate an ancestor.








Figure 3: Kapa haka, the term used to describe Maori performance art, incorporates singing, dancing and facial expressions. Every action has a meaning, which ties to the world to see kapa haka performances during a marae stay or at a Maori concert. The national competitions are held every two years. (Source: newzealand.com)

Maori Origins

There are a number of theories about the origins of the Maori. Maori legend says that the Maori came from "Hawaiki", the legendary homeland about 1000 years ago. Some speculate that the island of Hawaiki were likely near Hawaii and others that Hawaiki is now inundated by the Pacific Ocean due to a rise in global sea level. Another theory suggests that the Maori originated in China, and travelled via Taiwan, the Philippines to Indonesia, onto Melanesia, reaching Fiji. From there to Samoa and on to the Marquesas, and turned South West to Tahiti, thence to the Cook Islands and finally to Aotearoa (New Zealand).

When the Maori arrived in Aotearoa (New Zealand) they found a land quite different to tropical Polynesia. New Zealand was not only colder, but it also much bigger in area. (In fact New Zealand is bigger than the rest of Polynesia put together.) They found islands that possessed unusual fauna including the largest bird in the world the Giant Moa and the worlds greatest aerial predator, the giant Haast Eagle. The landscape was also different. New Zealand is the only place in Polynesia whose mountains have snow. Not just a few snow capped mountains either. The Southern Alps in the South Island for example, are bigger than the European Alps in area. The North Island also has one main chain of mountains and in addition, contains many volcanoes including a super-volcano.

Maori Traditions

Before the coming of the Pakeha (white man) to New Zealand, all literature in Maori was orally passed onto succeeding generations. This included many legends and waiata (song). The most recognised tradition today is the "Haka" which is a war dance. The Haka was performed before the onset of war by the Maori last century, but has been immortalized by New Zealand's Rugby Team the All Blacks, who perform this dance before every game.

The traditional Maori welcome is called a powhiri, this involves a hongi which is a greeting that involves pressing noses as opposed to a kiss.

Another prominent feature of Maori culture is the striking tattoos that adorned the face. Full faced tattoos or "moko", amongst the Maori tribes was predominantly a male activity. Female forms of moko were restricted to the chin area, the upper lip, and the nostrils. Today the Moko still lives on as an increasing number of Maori are opting to receive their moko, in an effort to preserve and connect with their culture and identity.

A traditional form of cooking called a Hangi is a feast cooked in the earth. Stones are heated in a fire in a dug out pit and covered in cabbage leaves or watercress to stop the food from burning. Mutton, pork, chicken, potatoes and Kumera (a sweet potato) are then unusually lowered into the pit in a basket. The food is covered with Mutton cloth or similar and traditionally with flax. Finally earth is placed on top to keep in the steam. The food takes about 3 hours to cook. The Hangi is still popular and is a viable alternative to a weekend barbecue. The unique taste of food cooked in a Hangi can best be described as steamed food with an earthen flavour.

Maori Technology 

Figure 4: Fishing lure. (Source: collections.tepapa.govt.nz)

FISHING

Fishing techniques were already well developed throughout Polynesia by the time Maori reached New Zealand. The first settlers brought with them established technologies including nets, hooks, lures, spears, traps and dredges.



Flax replaced coconut fibres and other plant
material to make fishing lines and nets. Paua shell replaced mother of pearl shell on fishing lures to attract fish. Traps were made from flexible branches such as vines or manuka branches.









Fish Hooks

Figure 5: Fishing hook. (Source: jillsjottings.orconhosting.net.nz)

Hooks were fashioned from wood, bone and shell. Wooden hooks could be made by coiling a
growing branch and securing it so it would continue to grow in the desired curved form. Once
cut from the tree, the hooks were buried in the hearth beneath a fire to render them inflexible.
Bone hooks were made by drilling out the central part of the hook and filing smooth with sandstone.



HINAKI

Figure 6: Hinaki. (Source: tepapa.govt.nz)

Hinaki were used to trap eel (tuna). The entrance of the hinaki narrows like a funnel. Eels could
enter the trap by forcing their way through the funnel. Once inside, it was difficult for them to
exit the narrow end of the funnel. In the north of the North Island, they were made of the strong
flexible branches of mangemange (climbing fern). In the south, mangemange was not available and stronger traps had to be made for swifter flowing rivers. Split aerial roots of kiekie
were used. Eels migrating seaward in autumn were directed into hinaki by barriers (weirs) built of posts driven into the riverbed.



Taruke

Figure 6: Taruke. (Source: maorilifestyles.blogspot.com)

Taruke were used to catch crayfish. Crayfish would fall through the opening and the flax net
at the mouth of the opening prevented them from escaping. They were made from young manuka stems, bent round a supplejack and manuka frame and tied together with flax and vines.


BIRDING

The extensive forests of New Zealand teemed with bird life. Maori developed birding techniques that were unknown in the rest of Polynesia. Methods of catching birds utilized knowledge of their feeding habits on various trees when flowering and producing fruit. Domesticated birds were sometimes used to attract prey to traps.
Some of the snares used included:



Waka kereru

Figure 6: Waka kereru. (Source: hvhsawhina.blogspot.com)

This trap was filled with water and was set out when the miro berries were in season to catch
kereru (wood pigeon). The berries made the birds very thirsty and they were attracted to the
troughs of water. If they put their head through a noose, it tightened when the bird attempted to
fly away.




FOOD STORAGE

Much of the food was collected in the warmer months and needed to be preserved for winter.
Fish were dried in the sun. The removal of water ensured bacteria could not survive in the flesh.
Birds were cooked and placed in gourds sealed in their own fat. Cooking killed any bacteria
present and the fat seal prevented contamination by subsequent bacteria.
The gourds would be decorated with the feathers of whatever bird was inside to label its contents.

Figure 7: Decorated gourd. (Source: nzetc.victoria.ac.nz)

Kumara, unable to grow all year round, were stored in rua kumara - low roofed storage pits in the ground. Soil, an effective insulator, maintained an even temperature necessary to keep the tubers alive over winter. The location of the pits were carefully chosen in slopping ground to ensure good drainage. Once dug, the pits were disinfected using fire. They were
lined with decaying wood and ferns to absorb moisture and aid insulation.



VESSELS

Hue (gourds), patua (bark baskets) and kumete (carved wooden bowls) were used for storing liquids. When ripe, the rind of hue becomes very hard and the inner flesh dries into a spongy matter that adheres to the inside of the gourd. Small stones were placed inside and the vessel shaken to loosen the desiccated flesh from the rind.

Figure 8: Hue. (Source: teara.govt.nz)

Figure 9: Gourds. (Source: richardnunns.net.nz)

Patua were made from a single sheet of inner bark from totara or manuka. The bark was generally steamed, aiding pliability so it could be bent into shape. The ends were tied to maintain the desired form. Apertures were filled with vegetable gum or clay.

Figure 9: Patua- bark basket. (Source: collections.tepapa.govt.nz)

STONE TOOLS

Chips struck from blocks of obsidian (volcanic glass) and chert gave sharp edged, ready-made
knives. Sandstone was used as a grindstone to give a smooth surface and sharpen blades.
Sharp-edged flakes were struck off greywacke boulders to saw through bone and stone.
Holes were made using a tuwiri (drill) that was manipulated with two cords. A hard sharpened
stone was used as a drill tip and sand and water was added as an abrasive to aid the process.

Figure 10: Tuwiri - drill. (Source: hvhsawhina.blogspot.com)

Toki (adzes) and whao (chisels) were used for chopping and carving wood. The blades were made from fine-grained rock such as argillite, basalt, greywacke and pounamu (greenstone, jade). Most stones were first roughly shaped by removing chips with a hard round rock (hammerstone). The roughly shaped tool was then ground against sandstone to give the finish blade. Flax cord was used to lash the blade on to a wooden handle.

Figure 11: Taki - adze. (Source: squidoo.com)

Pounamu was prized amongst all rocks. It was treasured not only for its beauty and rarity, but
also its toughness and the thinness to which it could be cut, making it perfect for sharp hardwearing implements and weaponry. Pounamu is difficult to chip, a property that is ideal for
blades but makes it difficult to fashion. It was first sawn with greywacke before being worked
with sand stone. A pierced gourd filled with water provided a continuous drip of water to aid
the sawing.

Since so much labour was put into making such a tool, they were generally passed down from generation to generation. Pounamu tools and weapons were most treasured and gained value
through the contact of the great ones of the past. Fame of a pounamu mere could be so great that prisoners of war asked to be killed by it.



TA MOKO (TATTOOING)

Figure 12: Uhi - Bone toothed comb. (Source: larskrutak.com)

Figure 13: Pigment pot. (Source: carters.com.au)

Uhi, a fine bone comb, was employed to make perforations in the skin. Blood was wiped away
with wisps of soft flax fibre and pigment was inserted in the cut groove. Pigment was made
from burning kauri gum, resinous heartwood and a wheto (vegetable caterpillar). The resultant
soot was moistened into a fine black pigment. When the face was too painful for chewing, the
person would be feed finely prepared food through a korere, a carved wooden funnel.

Malaysia Iban People

Iban Longhouse

Figure 14: women weaving the pua at the Iban longhouse. (Source: journeymalaysia.com)

The Iban longhouse sits on stilts and normally accommodates the entire village. Unlike the land dayaks, the Ibans or Sea Dayaks position their villages on the banks of accessible waterways. The Ibans are great adventurers and take long sojourns across lands but prefer using the waterways to move about.

The longhouse is inhabited seldom more than 15 or 20years. There are various reasons as to why an Iban community would move. The new site would quite often be in the same tributary or in the same river, within a few miles from the old one perhaps because the good timber and planks are removed from the old longhouse and towed along the river to the new site. As Ibans practice shift cultivation, moving often results from looking for fertile land to till after the existing land has been exhausted. The same area is normally cultivated not more than 4 times at intervals of several years. Other reasons would be from enemy attacks sometimes causing burning of the longhouse, or an epidemic that hit the village or if the villagers have been hit with a string of bad luck or evil omens.

The Ibans conduct certain rituals upon opening new padifields etc. Life-sized images of a crocodile is molded in clay by an elder and placed on the land chosen for farming. This crocodile is believed to destroy all pests that eat the rice. Many Ibans as in other tribes claim to be closely related to certain animals in the jungle. For the Ibans it is the crocodile. Also it is believed that the Ribai, the River god sometimes appear as a crocodile but he may appear as a bear or a tiger, or the python or the mias (orangutan). Therefore the Ibans seldom kill these animals for fear that should he kill one which was really the Ribai, which in turn would cause him the ultimate fear of insanity.

Figure 15: visitors can opt to stay at the iban longhouse at sarawak culutral village. (Source: journeymalaysia.com)

Living along rivers, each Iban family possesses at least one boat, big enough to fit 8persons and used mainly to transport to and from the padifields and for short trips. The village itself would have several larger boats used for long journeys and at least one war boat capable of carrying 50-100 men. 'Each boat, even one of the largest size, is hollowed from a single log, the freeboard being raised by lashing narrow planks to the edge of the hollowed log. In the middle of a large boat is a section, the freeboard of which is raised still higher, and which is covered by an arched roof of palm leaves. The boat is crossed at intervals of some three feet by seats. In traveling on the lower reaches of the rivers, the rowers sit two on each bench,side by side and facing the bow. On the upper reaches, where rapids abound, a deck is made by laying split bamboos along the length of the boat upon the benches, and the crew sits upon this deck in paddling, or stands upon it when poling the boat over rapids.' Charles Hose, Pagan Tribes of Borneo .   If a boat is urgently required and none at hand is available, Ibans construct makeshift boats by stripping the bark from a big tree. This boat can be completed within 2 hours and are able to carry several men and baggage. Rattan strips are used to tie together the ends of the sheet of bark to make a bow and stern. The body of the boat is strengthened with ribs and longitudinal strips; and crossed pieces of wood are wedged in the middle to form seats. Apart from these material possessions, the Ibans and most other tribes prized their jars.. The more common jars stand about 3 ft in height and are brown with glazed finishing. 

Musical and Dancing Heritage

The Iban as well as the Kayan and Kenyah also play an instrument resembling the guitar called Sape (instrument). The Sape (instrument) is the official musical instrument for the Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is played similarly to the way rock guitarists play guitar solos, albeit a little slower, but not as slow as blues. One example of Iban traditional music is the taboh.

The Ibans perform a unique dance called the ngajat. It serves many purposes depending on the occasion. During Gawais, it is used to entertain the people who in the olden days enjoy graceful ngajats as a form of entertainment. Iban men and women have different styles of ngajat. The ngajat involves a lot of precise body-turning movements. The ngajat for men is more aggressive and depicts a man going to war, or a bird flying (as a respect to the Iban god of war, Singalang Burong). The women's form of ngajat consists of soft, graceful movements with very precise body turns. Each ngajat is accompanied by the taboh or the body.

Religion, Culture, and Festivals 

Fugure 16: An Iban woman prepares cotton for spinning. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Ibans were traditionally animist, although the majority are nowChristian, many continue to observe both Christian and traditional ceremonies, particularly during marriages or festivals.

Significant festivals include the rice harvesting festival Gawai Dayak, the main festival for the Ibans.Other festivals include the bird festival Gawai Burong and the spirit festival Gawai Antu. The Gawai Dayak festival is celebrated every year on 1 June, at the end of the harvest season, to worship the Lord Sempulang Gana. On this day, the Ibans get together to celebrate, often visiting each other. The Iban traditional dance, the ngajat, is performed accompanied by the taboh and gendang, the Ibans' traditional music. Pua Kumbu, the Iban traditional cloth, is used to decorate houses. Tuak, which is originally made of rice, is a wine used to serve guests. Nowadays, there are various kinds of tuak, made with rice alternatives such as sugar cane, ginger and corn.

Religions of Ibans
Religion			Percent
Christianity			76.3%
Folk religion			13.63%
Islam			1.54%
Other religions			1.35%
No religion / Unknown			5.91%

The Gawai Burong (the bird festival) is held in honour of the war god, Singalang Burong. (Singalang the Bird). This festival is initiated by a notable individual from time to time and hosted by individual longhouses. The Gawai Burong originally honoured warriors, but during more peaceful times evolved into a healing ceremony. The recitation of pantun (traditional chants by poets) is a particularly important aspect of the festival.

For the majority of Ibans who are Christians, some Christian festivals such as Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, and other Christian festivals are also celebrated. Most Ibans are devout Christians and follow the Christian faith strictly.

Despite the difference in faiths, Ibans of different faiths do help each other during Gawais and Christmas. Differences in faith is never a problem in the Iban community.^{[citation needed]} The Ibans believe in helping and having fun together.

The Ibans men dress flamboyantly as compared with tribes living in the interior, who dress in little but chawats or bark cloth. He enjoys adorning brightly coloured cloth about the waist, turbans with feathers and other ornaments. The Iban woman wears a short skirt from the waist to the knee and a long-sleeved jacket both woven cotton material. She also wears a corset made from a stack of rattan rings to enclose her body from breast to waist. Each rattan ring is sheathed in small rings of beaten brass. The corset is made to open partially or completely down the front, but is often worn continuously for long periods and is removed when pregnant.

Reference List

Maori Culture. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.newzealand.com/travel/media/topic-index/maori-culture/maori-culture_home.cfm

Maori Technology. (2001). Retrieved from http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/site_resources/library/Education/Teachers_Guide/Teacher_Resources_Library/Maori_Education_Kits/Maori_09MaoriTechnology_1_.pdf

Maori History. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/culture/maori/

The Ibans or Sea Dayaks - Sarawak. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.journeymalaysia.com/MCUL_iban.htm

Iban people. (2012). Retrieved 10 October 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iban_people

Module 3 : Ethics (Air Pollution)

A Step in the Right Direction for Clean Air.

America’s power plants are the biggest industrial polluters. Each year they pump more than two billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air. Carbon pollution is causing climate change that drives dangerous heat waves and worsening smog pollution, which causes asthma attacks and other serious respiratory illnesses.

Thus climate change looms as one of our most serious public health threats; yet few people are aware of the many dangers posed by a warming planet.

Figure 1: Climate Change Heat Deaths in Top U.S. Cities (Source: nrdc.org.com)                                                 

• Air Pollution: Warming temperatures worsen smog pollution, which triggers asthma attacks and permanently damages and reduces the function of children’s lungs. Higher smog levels even contribute to premature deaths.
• Heat-related Disease and Illness: As temperatures rise, so do deaths and illnesses related to heat stress, heatstroke, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease.
• Infectious Disease: Climate change affects patterns of diseases such as dengue fever, West Nile virus, and Lyme disease. Increasing temperatures and rainfall have been associated with increased occurrence and transmission of insect-borne diseases like West Nile virus. Higher temperatures can lead to more rapid development of dangerous pathogens within insect carriers and allow these diseases to expand their range into new, once cooler, regions. Approximately 173 million Americans in at least 28 states live in counties with mosquitoes that can carry dengue fever, a painful viral illness that has increased globally 30-fold in the last 50 years.
• Floods: Warmer air holds more moisture, so when it rains it’s more likely to pour, increasing the risk of flooding. Warmer ocean temperatures have also been linked to more powerful hurricanes and other storms.

The potential health impacts are also expensive. In 2011, NRDC studied six types of climate change-related types of events in the U.S. between 2002 and 2009 -- episodes of ozone air pollution, heat waves, hurricanes, outbreaks of infectious disease, river flooding, and wildfires. All are projected to increase in severity, frequency, or extent with climate change. We found that associated health costs exceeded $14 billion. That included deaths, illnesses, and more than 760,000 visits to the doctor, hospital, emergency room or other health care facilities. 

What would happen if all the lobbyists for polluters were replaced with asthmatic children?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to propose standards that limit carbon pollution from new power plants soon. Americans rely on EPA to protect our health from dangerous air pollution and that’s what these standards along with related standards EPA needs to issue to reduce carbon pollution from existing plants will do.

Gasping for Air: Toxic Pollutants Continue to Make Millions Sick and Shorten Lives.

Figure 2: Carbon pollution (Source: current.com) 

Forty years of Clean Air Act programs have brought steady and life-saving improvements to our air quality. Despite this important progress, however, many fossil fuel power plants, boilers, and cement plants continue to treat our skies like sewers. From soot to toxic heavy metals, dirty coal and fossil fuel smoke stacks emit vast quantities of dangerous pollutants that are well known to cause disease and death. The total cost of these health impacts is more than $100 billion per year. Until stronger standards to reduce toxic emissions from coal and fossil fuel burning industries are implemented, harmful toxic chemicals will continue to be released into the air of our communities, threatening public health.

Coal is Dirty and Dangerous

Figure 3: A home in eastern Tennesse is partially buried in toxic waste from a coal-fired power plant. A spill on Dec. 22, 2008, sent a billion gallons of toxic sludge sloshing across 400 acres of countryside. Courtesy: United Mountain Defense. (Source: nrdc.org.com)

Coal is the world dirtiest energy source -- and the country's leading source of global warming pollution.Coal mining destroys land, pollutes thousands of miles of streams and brings massive environmental damage to mountain communities.

Pollution from coal plants produces dirty air, acid rain and contaminated land and water. Health problems associated with coal pollution include childhood asthma, birth defects and respiratory diseases that take nearly 25,000 lives each year.

The better solution is to re power America by investing in clean energy. Green technologies and renewable fuels will create millions of good-paying jobs, lift our poorest communities out of poverty, reduce dangerous pollution and help fight global warming.

Air Pollution: Smog, Smoke and Pollen

Figure 4: Air Pollution (Source: nrdc.org.com)

Rising temperatures can make smog pollution worse and increase the number of "bad air days" when it's hard to breathe. This puts many of us at risk for irritated eyes, noses, and lungs -- but it is particularly dangerous for people with respiratory diseases like asthma. As the climate changes, unhealthy air pollution will get worse.

Ozone smog forms when pollution from vehicles, factories, and other sources reacts with sunlight and heat. Increasing temperatures speed this process and result in more smog. Added to the mix are ragweed and other allergens in the air -- which are expected to worsen as rising carbon dioxide levels cause plants to produce more pollen. Also, as dry areas get dryer, wildfire risks go up and smoke from burning landscapes intensifies poor air quality.

Kim and her family talked with us about dealing with asthma and air pollution.

Exposure to increased smog, pollen pollution, and wildfire smoke puts a wide range of people at risk for irritated eyes, throats and lung damage (the U.S. EPA likened breathing ozone to getting a sunburn on your lungs). This includes outdoor workers, children, the elderly, and those who exercise outside.

But people with asthma, allergies, and other respiratory diseases face the most serious threats, since exposure to increased pollution heightens sensitivity to allergens, impairs lungs, triggers asthma attacks, sends people to the hospital, and even results in death. In 2010, the American Lung Association estimated that about 23 million Americans suffered from asthma.

Conclusion

Amy and her 10-year-old son, mother and grandmother all suffer from asthma. Her grandmother died with a nebulizer in her hand. Her mother has had breast cancer, kidney cancer and lymphoma, and beat them all, but "It's the asthma that's killing her." As a child, Amy missed over 180 days of primary school due to asthma attacks. She spends between $10-15,000 a year out of pocket on asthma medications and treatment.

Communities must take steps to improve air quality, but everyone should know the risks that climate change poses and learn how to best protect themselves when bad air days get worse.

REFERENCE LIST

Natural Resources Defense Council. (2012). Clean Air Saves Lives. Retrieved from http://www.nrdc.org/air/asthma-stories/

Carbonpollution, climate, EPA, globalwarming, mercury, powerplants,powerplantstandards. (2012). Retrieved from http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/dlashof/what_would_happen_if_all_the_l.html

(2012). Asthma stories: Amy S. from Detroit, MI. [VIDEO]. NRDC flix. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=91SyWVmY5t4

(2012). Asthma stories: Kim C. from Detroit, MI. [VIDEO]. NRDC flix. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DkDD-qt-mRU#!

(2012). Capital Kids-NRDC. [VIDEO]. NRDC flix. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GbrNZjRqfmQ

Module 2 : Smart Phone

SUMMARY

In this paper I am going to discuss about Smart phone which really being popular among everyone in the world now. Other than that I will describe about the background of this technology. The impact of the technology on the society also will be discussed and also will identify historical similarities with another technology. Then the last topic that I’m going to bring up is the ethical principles on society.

INTRODUCTION  

Figure 1: Cell Phone. (Source: marketingpilgrim.com)

There many mobile phones have been in use for more two decades among everyone who afford it at that moment. It came in various shapes, size and weight. It made communication easier to people who is travelling far from family or friends.

Mobile phone is also handy, small and easy to bring it around with us. So this characteristic of the mobile phone is brought until now in this era but had made many improvements such as Smart phone whereby we can do everything in the particular phone.  

HISTORY

iPhone 

Figure 2: Iphone 3GS (Source: support.apple.com)   Figure 3: Iphone 5 (Source: techrepublic.com) 

The  outstanding  product  of  smart  phone  was  from  the  computer  makers  which  was  the  Apple,  Apple  had  changed  the  smart  phone  industry  with  their  masterpiece  which  was  their  I  Phone  introduced  in  2007. A smart phone is a mobile phone which gives more advanced computing ability and also connectivity better than an ordinary featured phone. Smart phones and featured phone is almost like a computer which is integrated with mobile telephone. But most of the featured phones are able to run application base on platforms such as Java ME, a smart phone actually can make users to install application and also run more advance applications.

Nokia

Figure 4: Nokia E63 (Source: whitegadget.com)                        Figure 5: Nokia E61 (Source: smartphone.productwiki.com)

Nokia also introduce smart phone to compete the rival Simon from IBM. The first line of their smart phone was the Nokia 9000 series which starts to heat things up. The smart phone that Nokia produce is not only the first series of popular smart phones, they were also more expensive then the rival by 20% to 40%. Then came the Nokia 9210, which was the first real and true smart phone because of its open operating system.

Then the cutting edge of smart phone began, in the 21^st century the smart phones had turn extremely awesome and powerful also easy to operate. The main is the touch screen operation, whereby become very normal and manufacturers such as Apple, Nokia and the Research in motion are extremely competing for the smart phone consumer and business dollar.

 Advantage 

Smart phones have all features and also aspect of outstanding mobile phones, it able normal voice calls, text messaging and a lot more applications. With its Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) features and includes the PIM system (personal information management), multimedia applications, program notes, browse the web, task and also arrangements. The smart phone also applies the open operating system, on this system platform, it able the user to install different types of application.

Thus, this makes use the smart wholesale mobile phones task can be achieved by non-limited development. On our side these outstanding phone can go up to functions and of personality needs. It extended the performance powerful by adding third party software supporting. This smart phone has facilities such as (WIFI) wireless internet connection access to webs which have to support GPRS, CDMA or GSM network under the 3G network.

 Disadvantage 

The disadvantage is mainly the price. It is too expensive for consumers and the new learner needs to be familiar with the complicated features and it’s also less simplicity of use. Most of the users have to spare time and study for long to get to install most of the applications, which is set up in all the smart phones.

Those things in the smart phones are related with the computers and it’s not very easy or familiar to those non professional people. But if the person fun to the stylish and the features should consume much time to properly examine to study about this, whereby it is not sufficient after all because these smart phones are like small compact PC (Personal Computer)

Technology Impact in Society 

There are a lot of impacts can be given on society from the usage of smart phone, nowadays smart phones that are offering more advanced computing features and connectivity than the normal phone. Smart phone does affect the productivity, social engagement, communication in work place and also will affect the educations too, for now almost everyone is having a smart phone and they use it most of the time in their daily routine rather than communicating with others.

On the negative side smart phone affects the communication and productivity like these smart phone are really addictive, and what will happen those who works in a firm or company may lose interest in meeting as the main speaker or the boss giving his opinion in the meeting. This shows lack of oral communication which will lead to a miss communication or worst and they amount of work   will decrease or delayed as users become more dependable on these smart phones to do their work. The worst thing which happens in the working place will be the interaction among workers, they spend more time on phone rather than speaking to people beside them.  (Slideshare, 2009)

In the mean time it also affects on the social engagement, smart phones mainly uses special applications make them interact with the same person who’s having the same phone, in this case people don’t listen to their pal as they are too into the smart phone applications. People do not communicate orally as much as they can communicate through many different social sites. Smart phones have effect on families, most of them in a family don’t have the good bonds, they don’t speak to each other often and spend most of the time with their gadgets like smart phones chatting with their friends or playing online game and etc. Even parents are also busy with their smart phones doing schedules for the next day on the smart phone after work. The whole family barely will spend time together and also can’t share a thing what they did for the whole day.

This will also affect on the education because most of the schooling teenagers stop going to library and don’t use dictionaries for the words that they don’t understand, they tend to use the built in dictionary on the smart phones because they have instant access to the internet. What most student does in class is, while the lecture is going on they will be surfing social network. This causes them distraction from the information about what the lecturer is talking. This also leads the student to stay night long playing and have lack of sleep which affects them in the class next day.

The positive impact of using smart phone for education have made easier for students to access information on the internet without the need of laptops or PCs. Nowadays most of the smart phone has PDF, Word, Power point and Excel application built in which helps the student to back up all their works and assignments and also projects or reminders. The smart phone has positive effects on most aspect of society, this is because smart phones have improved people’s social lives as they can now interact and communicate with each other through social networks and lot more.(HTC world, 2011)

 In the future it’s possible for them to invent eye scanning device fitted into Smart phone to protect the phone from being operated by others. Then the 3D features also can be brought into smart phones in the future because now they have 3D television and etc. Finger prints that used in the laptop can be used in the smart phone too in the future.

REFERENCES LIST

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Articlesbase. (2009). A Short History Of The Smart Phone. Retrieved from: http://www.articlesbase.com/find-articles.php?q=A+Short+History+Of+The+Smart+Phone

Arlen Hershey. (n.d). Differences and Similarities Between Cell Phone and Personal Computer. e How Discover The Expert In You. Retrieved from: http://www.ehow.com/list_6800857_difference-cell-phones-personal-computers.html\

Finnay, M. (2011). Experts Warn On Smart Phone Security. Retrieve from: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/7_on_your_side&id=8337642

 Joey. (2008, September 3). Features Of Latest Laptops. Retrieved from: http://124laptops.blogspot.com/2008/09/features-of-latest-laptops.html

CARNEGIE COUNCIL. (2010, August 6). Global Ethics Corner: Smart Phones. The Voice Of Ethics In International Affairs. Retrieved from: http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/resources/gec/data/00092