Do smartphones make you stupid?

This article would be one example of a situation where carefully choosing words and the presentation of an idea in the right context would be a helpful exercise.

The title is a rhetorical question which implies a blanket causality, just like those catchy one-liners on the cover of Cosmopolitan.

The right way to present the idea that smartphones bite into some of the good things that we had before they along would be to talk about how they work for us and how, if we let them, we work for them thus being too costly for their benefit.

Smartphone=stupid human is a sellout headline.

It could be that it's not the technology that makes us stupid - it could be ourselves.

Technologies give us tremendous speed, as never before - that is true. And we have trouble learning to control it. We are no longer the masters of our time, and that's really stupid. The opportunities via smartphones go a long way providing options of 'access' and also ruining the normal work-flow of the day. No wonder, smartphones (like the one from NOKIA, e71, as advertised on this page when I am writing) offer two user profiles - one for business and one for holiday... scary.

We have to remember who is in charge of planning our day and making decisions to communicate. As long as it's ourselves - no problem even for smartphone woners.

Hello Steve

The Smartphone approach to emails is to get a response out and make it someone else' responsibility. Cynical thought but I do think this happens often.

Secondly, some people use the mobile to browse the blogs etc. Save time etc. The focus is on consumption of information but how much of it is absorbed is a moot point..

Another thought with regard to Mobiles etc is the approach with audio books. Can one really absorb what is being said, contemplate or prepare a perspective as we hear an author read out their book. Do people who buy audio books also end up buying the print edition ?

While I agree on some parts, I do feel that in today's world, there is a great need for use of PDA's. I for example own a PC repair/consulting company that works a great deal in the real estate industry. An industry where where my clients - clients expect immediate responses and often times my clients are working on very short time lines and such. When they have an IT issue, they must get a hold of me either via text, email, or by phone. If I don't answer within a reasonable short period of time, then they go to other sources for answers.....I don't make money from them going to other sources. Some may say well it all goes to one device--why do you need email and text when it all goes to the phone/pda? The answer is short. In small businesses (and larger companies as well) Owners wear many hats, and are very busy, and may not be able to make a phone call but a txt back or a quick one or two line email usually can be done in most circumstances where you can't or shouldn't be using the phone

Maybe I'm the only Business Week reader that isn't a high level Exec, but I don't find that many of my emails require this kind of ponder & prose.

And don't tell me you don't take gratification in being the first in the office to click through that Fake Steve Jobs email alert!

Good point. But what if you read the email and allowed it to process and then at a later time responded to it. So you reduce turnaround time. But what you are pointing out is a behavioral issue that has nothing to do with technology and in this case technology is an enabler because it gets the information to you faster than the person who waits around for the email on the desktop computer. When you choose to respond to the information is then a personal choice.