THERE IS PLENTY of talk today about the big news that O2 has been bought by fellow mobile phone company Three.

It’s also a reminder of the early days of mobile phone companies in Ireland when these kind of ads made mobile phones seem like the height of sophistication:

pcummins2009 / YouTube

And also we can realise all the essential things we now use our phone for that we never would have been able to achieve back in those early days.

1. Games

Jameshm26 / Flickr

Oh sure the advent of Snake on Nokia phones was something of a game changer but it’s the smart phone that has let mobile gaming run rampant.

Now you can have games on amazing quality on your phone or just become hopelessly addicted to Candy Crush and their ilk while constantly begging people you barely know on Facebook to help you advance in the game.

Truly, smart phones are enriching our lives every day.

2. Photography

Tammie Arroyo/AFF/EMPICS Entertainment

To think, years went by with people with the skill to artfully photograph both their own dinner and their own face from a flattering angle with just a click of a button were going unnoticed.

Now you can take snaps of a 3-in-1 meal and your best “I’m acting natural I swear” pout and share them with everyone.

Phones are letting real talent come to the fore.

3. Texting

David Kohl/AP/Press Association Images

One of the main selling points about the mobile phones was that we could suddenly text each other instead of having to constantly ring people and ask them things like “When are we going for dinner tonight” or “Did you leave the immersion on?” because you could just sent them a short message asking the same.

In the early days of texting there weren’t many characters so text speaking became the norm.

That meant you and your mates all happily text each other things like:

how r u wat tim U Goin 2 pUB 4 drnks tel me wen u dcid ttyl

And then your parents would try to do it and that’s when you knew things had gone too far.

4. Googling things

Years ago you’d have to carry an encyclopedia around with you at all times in case you ended up discussing some obscure fact and couldn’t think of the answer of the top of your head.

Or you’d have to admit that you didn’t know everything. Terrible.

Now you can just google everything with a smart phone and be confident in the knowledge that if you don’t know something you can use the internet to check it in mere seconds.

It is evolution basically. And saves us lugging encyclopedias around.

5.  Maps

Paul Sakuma/AP/Press Association Images

Before having maps easily accessible on our phones people would spend days walking around their cities wondering just where many key landmarks where.

Thanks to our smart phones we never get lost and know where we’re going 99% of the time.

Progress.

6. Avoiding awkward social encounters with strangers

There was a time when you could be in a lift with someone or at a bar and instead of having your phone to glance at while waiting for your friends you’d have to make actual conversation with strangers.

The very thought.

7.  You can express yourself with how your phone looks

Clip on cases were highly popular with older Nokia phones but now you can put your phone in a protective case that really just wows the competition.

Sure, years ago you could have something like this:

via Factory Direct Cellular

But now you can really let your true character speak for itself with covers like this:

via LuxAddiction

Pining for the days of Ready To Go ads on the telly and only having to chose between two mobile phone companies?

Or has your smart phone changed your life for the better?

Let us know in the comments.

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