[Quick Tech] My Smartphone, My Precious Companion: Mala Bhargava

My career in technology journalism spans over two-and-a-half decades, but my love for gadgets started even before that.

My dad was the real techie in the family, responsible for us all developing a lifelong curiosity about technology. He would make sure that any new gadget invented soon found their way to our home as soon as they hit the mart – the first intercom, the first cassette recorder, the first cordless phone, and the list goes on. As a child, I more or less took tech innovations for granted – and that doesn’t seem to have changed.

But never at any point in life did I realise what precious companions our gadgets could be. Until one fine day we found ourselves firmly locked down hiding away from a nasty virus. I guess if there’s ever been a time for introspection, this is it.

Today, if I had to choose one gadget I can’t do without, it would be my smartphone. You could say it’s my one big window to the outside world. It is my way to connect with friends and family, and colleagues, and also with the neighbourhood mom-and-pop stores and chemist, who deliver those essentials when I give them a call. I am connected to my bank, I am paying all my bills to keep my WiFi, my TV, my electricity and even my cellular network going – all on my phone. I am talking to and chatting with my friends on it, I get news updates on social networking apps, and I am learning new languages through videos. It’s with me by my bedside, while I am working out, I am in the kitchen, and even when I am learning Belly Dance in front of my giant mirror. Now, I am revealing some of my secrets! More on that some other time.

But while I work from home in these difficult times, I’ve picked up a new way to use the phone. I have been working on digitising old photographs for some time now. While we used to have those scanners in the past, several apps on our phones are now able to do the job as well. I leave it you to choose your app. There are many you will find on the app stores. I am spending this time using my Galaxy Note10 to digitise a lot of old family photos. You get to see them once again, touch and feel the memories of yore, and bring them back to life.

Of all of my gadgets – there are so many around me – I rather like using the Galaxy Note10 because of its versatility. The S Pen makes it easier to navigate, scroll, and calligraph – another thing that I picked up from my dad. I like using the trace method of writing, which I can do easily with the Galaxy Note.

In the hustle bustle of life, we didn’t have the time and energy to look back. We all have a beautiful past. Despite the tough times, look at the positives of being home today. And create something nice for the future.

[Mala Bhargava is an Independent Technology Journalist and writes for The Hindu Business Line. She wrote this piece at the request of Samsung Newsroom India]