Why I Love My Smartphone

I’m always amazed by the technology available in today’s smartphone, like video calling or playing games in 3D. The stuff you can do with a device that fits in your pocket is amazing. But those aren’t the features that make me giddy when I discover them; those aren’t the things that make me think “wow, I’m living in the future RIGHT NOW;” those aren’t why I reach for my phone a dozen times a day.

The first app that blew me off my feet was a banking app my brother was using. It allows me to deposit a check by taking two pictures (back and front), and it deposits immediately. Then I dispose of the check. I can deposit my reimbursement check at work, 2 minutes after I get it. I switched banks for this feature.

The second lets me pay for coffee at Starbucks using my Starbucks card on my phone. I don’t even have to take my purse into the store, just my phone. And I can reload with just a couple taps, via PayPal. I had to increase my monthly coffee budget for this one.

The final app is the newest, and the one I actually use the least but find the most convenient. It allows me to refill a prescription at any time by scanning the barcode on the prescription with my phone. No automated phone system, no typing in a billion numbers. Just a quick scan, and it tells you when it’ll be ready. I switched all my prescriptions for this one.

All these apps completely changed my previous behavior, and actually got me to switch brands in two cases. And these are basic apps that allow me to do ordinary, everyday stuff, like buy coffee. But they let me do it with a minimum of fuss and fumbling, and they put it all on a device I take with me everywhere I go.