KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and SportsAddicted to technology

Addicted to technology

Rochester, MN (KTTC-DT) --

In the past month or so, you may have heard about the new apple gadget that is supposed to take us into the next wave of the technology sea. The iPad was announced at noon Wednesday. Which got newscenter's Fanna Haile-Selassie thinking about how far we've come from the cord phone and dial-up internet access.

Now you have smart-phones like these that can get any information you want at the touch of your fingertips In fact, this kind of technology is so pervasive, you may wonder if it's now a necessity rather than a luxury.

At any minute of the day, you're bound to find someone in public that's on the phone or computer.

"How tragic would it be if I took it away from you for two days?"

"My phone? Anything? Everything? It would be very tragic," replies Angie Reedy.

In some ways people are addicted to technology. Just look at the hype surrounding Apple's new iPad, a type of hand-held computer. A portable portal into a digital realm.

"Email I'm on constantly, for work mostly, but also for pleasure, facebook. My phone, I use all the time," says Reedy.

Technology is integrated in so many people's lives. You want internet access? You can now get on your phone. Here in the Shops of University Square, we found 3 open wireless connections.

"When wireless internet very first came out, it was only in a few homes. Now you go into someone's home and you expect it to be there. Like I would think they would have it," explains avid technology user Justin Ford. "Or like, we're sitting here in this plaza, wireless is up everywhere. It's like almost a necessity now. Like it's not just a luxury."

Lyle Mullican is the Vice President of Corporate Web Services. A company born out of the digital boom that helps other businesses become more efficient using new technology.

"The reason why we're addicted to technology, I think is not so much for the technology itself, but what it does for us."

Here, employees work on several projects, chat amongst themselves on their business messenger system, all without leaving their desk. Mullican says the rise in technology can be daunting for some, but it is the way of the future.

"There's a learning curve. It takes an adjustment to get used to something when you're used to doing it in a different way. But the benefits that we reap are so great, that it's inevitable. And these things will be adopted and a part of our lives for the foreseeable future."

If you want the latest inventions in technology, Apple's iPad comes out end of March and will put you back anywhere from $500 to about $830. But for people like me, you'll be happy to know you can still get a cell phone for under $50.