Just tring..tring.. or more?

Over a period of time, technology grows so fast; like a group of cells multiplying infinite times but only getting better at doing what it does, each time. In the period of twenty years of my life- I have seen so many changes that it almost feels like a different era. Just imagine, sitting exactly where you are now but, twenty years ago.

Picture this: A cartoon playing on your picture tube TV screen with Tom and Jerry on (I mean, who hates them right?). “Muqabula..muqabula..”” playing on the radio somewhere in the background. The pure non-polluted air blowing in from the window where the sparrows are chirping away to glory. Wanting to get up and change the channel, but too lazy to move your bum from the sofa.

Can you think of just the above picture in your mind for more than two minutes? Without worrying to check your whatsapp messages from your loved ones; or if your status/picture on facebook has been liked or commented on; or if your instagram video has the maximum number of likes? Without thinking if you have received a reply to your mail from the client or your co-worker or your manager. Without thinking about booking something important online; or about what to play on your PS4 next; or about calling your dad/mum/brother/sister/friend on their mobile?

There you go!

Technology has become a necessary part of people's life. I still remember the first time we got our landline connection at home; what with my dad working for a telephone company and everything. My mother asked me to call my best friend from school and inform her that this was my telephone number. For some weird reason, I was scared to call and did not agree. After a lot of pushing from my parents, I mustered the courage to finally call her. I said “Hello..”” and could hear her confidently say hello from the other end. I wondered how she did it so easily. I couldn't continue to talk, so my mother took the receiver from me and told her to call me on that number if there was anything important. I guess this was in first grade. Slowly, I distributed my number to all my friends and started receiving calls to discuss about the homework or about the colour of the new fountain pen that I had bought.

For many years, we had a landline connection. It rang short rings if it was a local call and long rings if it was an STD call. In summer holidays, our favourite pastime with cousins was to dial 161 on the landline and hang up, only to make it ring again and ask our younger cousins to pick the phone. The dial tone would play, without any voice on the other side and the younger ones wondered with such amaze and looked at us unbelievably.

We had to get our telephone directory replaced or exchanged every year to have the updated phone numbers. We randomly picked numbers from the directory and called unknown people and pranked them with their names, saying something really stupid. After getting yelled at from our parents we were prohibited from making any calls. That's when we would stretch out the coiled wire of the phone and see how far it could unwind; or dial the numbers really quick and time it, to see who dialed the fastest. The ones with the circular keypads which had to be rotated for dialing a number was particularly very interesting.

With time, cord-less phones became more common, though we did not have one at our home. It was very amusing for us because we wondered how the voice could be heard if there was no physical connection with any wire. Where and how did the voice of the other person come from, magically? Seemed like some kind of really advanced technology that we did not know of since we were still in middle school.

After a few more years, mobile phones with green background and black pixels of text and pictures came into existence. The Nokia models were really famous. However, dad was gifted this Motorola model with blue back light and black pixels. The screen was really small, but the fact that such a tiny device could send messages, make calls and have games in it, brought a huge sense of excitement and a whole new level of curiosity to our lives. Brother and I used to fight to get hold of the mobile phone and play the snake game. It still is epic, I think. Changing ring tones once in a while, changing the screen saver, the background image- all this seemed very very interesting back then.

As I passed out of school, I had to travel by bus. Since I had never traveled alone before, for my “safety”, my dad bought me this colour phone that had more games, more images, more ringtones and was much better than the one he had. And then began the obsession of texting - sending SMS. I remember putting a message pack of 300 messages per month, which seemed to be enough initially. As time passed, the texting and sending forwards saga increased. 300 messages per month were not enough. By then, the telecom providers had started introducing better plans. The student plan had 100 messages per day free! That was like a big boon for us, students. Texting in class, in tuition and at home- typing away to glory! Along with this boon came the expertise of typing without looking at the screen. Oh yes! We used to compete to see who could type faster without looking at the screen and without making any spelling mistakes! An added challenge was that, there were no QWERTY keypads. It was the letters-on-numbers keypad. To type a letter, we had to press the same button more than once. After gaining mastery at this unique talent, we were introduced to phones with QWERTY keypads but with smaller buttons. Some of us still stuck on to the non-QWERTY ones, though. FM radios were introduced in phones and to have a ear phone hanging down from your ears and going all the way down to the phone in your hand or pocket was a “cool” thing! While travelling by bus or walking on the road or just doing nothing, listening to the radio was considered as an “in thing”.

Just when we thought that it couldn't have been made any better, touch phones were introduced! I mean, seriously?! Touching the screen and dialing a number?! Changing the keypad from letters to numbers whenever you wanted? And such amazing wall papers; looked almost life-like! To add-on to it, it had cameras. CAMERAS! Of course, few of the non-touch screen phones too had cameras, but to have touch screen and a camera? Dad had bought one for himself and after a few months of buttering, I exchanged mine with his - and wohoo! I was a proud owner of a touch phone with camera! I loved bragging about it. During the same time, or maybe before, flip phones and slide phones were also introduced. I had this friend who was really crazy about flip phones and went shopping to buy just that! To flip a phone and say hello! Whatte style, I say! After a few years, feather/capacitive touch became common. The phones with resistive touch seemed so difficult to use. Just a light brush against the screen and you could scroll up and down with the new one. No more stylus usage or hard presses with your fingertips!

FM was one thing, but to have your favourite songs on your phone and listening to it whenever you wanted - was a whole new level of joy! MP3 players on phones became an instant hit among people.

However, over-texting, over-camera usage, etc led to phones hanging quite often and it kind of diminished the whole excitement for me. The continuous evolution of the telephone/mobile industry made me believe that anything was possible.

Sometime during my under graduation course, android phones started gaining popularity and ever since, they have stayed in the hands of people. Different versions are released and each time it only gets better. And there are iOS devices - always more expensive than the android ones. To add on to it, like some long lost brother who doesn't get enough attention, Windows phones also came into picture.

Whatsapp, facebook, instagram, twitter, and so many more social apps are available to keep in touch. Apart from these, some very helpful apps like a dictionary, or a vocabulary builder, payTm, bank apps, have only made our lives so much easier. Almost all online shopping websites have an app for the phone. These are now multi purpose devices and have become an essential necessity.

After having seen phones evolve just in about two decades, it makes me think that there is no limit to the new innovations man can make! Just when you are about to settle for something, you find something new, something better and something much more interesting to explore. This anticipation keeps our inquisitiveness alive.