News

The Editor’s View: The Technology Issue

By Katrice L. Mines, Senior Editor 

Quick: What was the last gadget you purchased?

If you haven’t purchased anything recently, good for you. Just about every other commercial on television or advertisement we see and hear in passing is one for the newest phone, computer or voice-controlled device to “make our lives a little easier.” I’ve been baited. I have an iPhone 6 — still. But, an upgrade is approaching. I recently ordered a Macbook (I worked my old laptop into the ground). I have the Amazon Echo Dot. I wear an Apple watch and use a Fitbit during workouts. A ring light for my cellphone just arrived, thanks to my Amazon Prime penchant. I also have camera lens attachments for my iPhone that allow me to take great travel photos.

You get where I’m going with this. Before I listed out the tech accessories above that I use, I wouldn’t have described myself as a gadget geek. On second thought, I’ll admit — I’m slightly into technology. And now that I really think about it, I really do use all the things I’ve mentioned regularly.

 

  • My iPhone is ubiquitous. I use it for my alarm in the morning. Keep my entire schedule on its calendar and don’t know where I’d be without the reminder alerts that I’m constantly setting. I have a password-protected password app that has saved me too many times to count. When I don’t travel with my tablet, I watch movies on it inflight with Delta’s free entertainment app.

 

  • Island hopping has caused me to have a great affinity for the sound of waves crashing against the shore. The Echo Dot handily delivers a simulation of that sound as I’m winding down in the evenings.

 

  • I’ve talked about my family’s wellness challenge here in the past. It includes weekly step contests (we each endeavor to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps daily) and I’m very competitive. I love my Apple Watch but I’ve become dependent on my Fitbit for an accurate step count.

 

  • Probably the handiest of the tech accessories I’ve gotten in the past few years has been the cellphone camera lens attachments that expand my photo-taking capabilities with wide angle and zoom options.

 

My work tote and carry-on bag are always a little heavier because I carry many of these things with me daily. They’ve become such a fixture in my routine that though I do remember making do just fine without them, I really do appreciate their usefulness. I feel the same way about the companies we’re shouting out for their impact on the technology sector here in Atlanta.

 

Technology is changing the world so vastly and so quickly that each year when we come around to an entire issue dedicated to the industry at-large in Atlanta, the news feels like years since the stories that preceded.

 

Of course, I believe every edition of the magazine is one you’ll want to file away for future reference. But, there are a few that I suggest to pick apart, take notes in and even pass around to friends and colleagues. This is one of those issues. Atlanta’s black tech arena just keeps getting more solid.

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