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I recently had to go downtown for a client meeting and I realized part way to the train that I'd left my iPhone on the charger at home (next to the bed, of course). Already running late, I concluded I'd just have to go without it. Really, how bad could it be? As it turns out, I've become pretty dependent on my iPhone.
Since moving back from Europe 5 years ago, we've only had mobile phones - the only number anyone has for me is my mobile phone number. So....immediately, I wouldn't be getting (or making) any calls. Likewise, I wouldn't be texting anyone or getting any texts. Hopefully, I was going to be on-time and the meeting wasn't going to be moved or cancelled.
I also wouldn't be tweeting or reading other tweets - while relatively new to Twitter, I had already become accustomed to checking and posting to Twitter from my phone. Same with Facebook. As well, on a typical 30 minute train ride into town I would usually listen to music, check and reply to email, and check the latest news on my iPhone. Occasionally, I'd play a game.
Luckily (and unusually for me), I'd already looked up (on my iPhone) the address where I was going before I left the house and determined which stop I would need to get off the train. Normally, I'd do this on the train using Google Maps on my iPhone. Once off the train, I'd use Google Maps again to get my bearings and figure out the 'walking' part of my route. If early for my meeting, I'd use my phone to search for the closest Starbucks and then use the Starbucks mobile app to 'pay' for a coffee. Just two days before, I'd seen a QR (Quick Response) code on an ad on the train, downloaded a QR code reader and scanned the code out of curiosity just to see what would happen (which is a subject for a different blog post!).
So...now that I was on the train without my phone, what would I do? Mostly, I observed what everyone else was doing...which was looking and using their phones (mostly) or iPads (4) or eReaders (2) - probably in much the same way I usually do. I saw one other person on a packed car *not* engaged with their phone or other electronic device. There was very little conversation and I don't recall making eye contact with a single person. I could have been in a foreign country and wouldn't have known it by the people on the train.
It also occurred to me that billboards along the train route were likely not as valuable as they used to be with everyone looking down instead of around. I noted that none of the billboards we passed had QR codes or 'Text for more info' calls-to-action that mobile users could have engaged with (had they been paying attention). The train did stop for 5 minutes due to construction delays and some people did look around briefly to see what was going on before quickly retreating to the devices in their hands.
Interestingly, 3 ads on the train that day did have QR codes. I didn't see anyone attempt to scan them though - a difficult enough task without having to reach around other standing passengers to get close enough to scan them.
Without the distraction of my phone, I found that I had time to organize my thoughts for the meeting. I also realized my watch still tells time - usually it is on the stopwatch setting for my runs and I look at my phone to check the time. When I got off the train, I was (a little surprised, to be honest given how infrequently I go downtown) able to quickly get my bearings by looking at the which landmark buildings I was near and noting which way the lake was. I also found a great little coffee shop with Intelligentsia coffee that gladly accepted my cash.
I was early for my meeting and the receptionist called to let my client know I'd arrived (normally, I'd have texted or called myself).
The meeting went great too...except that my client occasionally would get distracted by a text message, incoming email notification and two phone calls.
On second thought, maybe it would've gone better if he had forgotten his phone as well!!
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