I used to sit in my 8th grade classroom and then my high school ones, baffled by the word c-o-m-p-u-t-e-r.
It was a whole new world. A brave one. A confusing one. A big blue screen and flashing cursor. Bits and bytes. Out of my league. I didn’t jump in. Back then, I wasn’t an ‘early adopter’.
I didn’t speak tech. And I will confess to being very afraid.
And then there was the Internet. And email.
But a few years ago something changed. Technology began to reach out to people like me…. a degree in computer science wasn’t a requirement to embrace this space. Computers… they have moved from my desk to my lap. From cell phones to smartphones and tablets – oh my!!!
The TABLETS…. recently I was given one of these… a Motorla XOOM to try out. Until it arrived, I had been carrying my laptop with me EVERYWHERE. I took the XOOM with me to BlogHer in San Diego.
(Can I confess my previous inner dialogue regarding tablets? It is much like someone mentally mouthing off about kids before they have kids…. I would sit… fill in the blank: at the airport, in a restaurant and think: SO WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? It looks like a big phone. Meh. I can admit when I’m wrong.)
And I was wrong… on so many levels.
Though I love my smartphone, it is not a replacement for my laptop.
I cannot update my blog from my phone, but from the XOOM? Piece of cake. (You see the picture? That is me updating my site FROM. THE. CAR. – no, I wasn’t driving…. that would be a good trick, wouldn’t it?)
With the XOOM I can multi-task. I am a working mom. Being able to do many things at once is crucial for me. Just like on my laptop, I can open multiple browsers, Twitter and Facebook at the same time.
It is simple to take notes, keep track of my favorite applications and stay in touch with anyone, at anytime.
Oh….and there is VIDEO. Ok… yes, I know, I know…. everything I do has video right? BUT, here is the difference…. not everything my husband uses has video. Let me explain. 1) The XOOM has a built in camera (you will see how well it works in the video below) and 2) I travel a fair amount. 3) I miss my small people. I mean a lot. And lately, my small girl has really been taking it hard. We did a video about it. So, one of the things that makes the travel easier is a little face to face time. Makes sense, right? Well, on this lovely XOOM we simply pull up Google chat, my husband can do the same on his computer and home and voila! I SEE MY SMALL PEOPLE. And that, my friends…. is a little slice of heaven.
Let’s just say we considered exploring the XOOM a bit of an adventure….
