Lire & STYLE. Have a fitness tip or recipe to share? Contact the editor at lifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca Smart phones for dummies Are smart phones a necessity or an addiction in school? By Elliot Chan, Staff Writer mart phone ownership has grown significantly in the past few years. In a survey conducted by Google, 56 per cent of adults are now using smart phones—a 33 per cent increase from last year. This comes as a result of the way we live now. We wake up, roll out of bed, and instantly have our phone in our hands before a toothbrush or a cup of coffee. It might sound alarming to be so reliant on a device that commonly runs out of battery halfway through the day, but is it an addiction or is it a tool? Where does a smart phone rank with the other important things in our lives, especially for students? Let’s admit it; most of us aren't business executives conducting big money deals. Most students just use smart phone for casual communication and research. “Smart phones are not really necessary for school,” said Jordan McChesney, an Asian Studies student. “All we really need is an Internet connection.” He added, “T intentionally leave my phone at home sometimes so I can’t be contacted. I can use Facebook messenger.” Although some can detach themselves from a smart phone, others find the technology to be a multipurpose solution to everyday monotony. A smart phone is not a textbook. It is something we enjoy looking at, it is a relief for students during the trails of a school day. “1 cannot go on transit without my music,” said Chris Pereira, hospitality management student. “I’ve run home before and missed the bus.” “Tt is an addiction for me,” admitted Solange Valverde, university-transfer student. “] use my phone a lot.” Smart phones can be considered an addiction, but for now they are merely a lifestyle choice. Eight out of 10 smart phone users admit that they will not leave their house without their phone. The average smart phone user has approximately 30 apps installed and uses about 12 consistently in a month. “It helps with involvement for sure,” said McChesney. “It helps with involvements in clubs and allows you to be more social. You can also use it to prove the teachers wrong.” Although it may seem rude to be texting or scrolling through Facebook while in a real life conversation with someone else, nobody will condemn you for it—not yet, at least. We have already banned handheld devices while driving, in theatres, and in certain classrooms and workplaces, but when will we start treating it like a real addiction? No texting three metres in front of doorways, no tweeting at the dinner table, and no Instagramming during working hours— can there be any mitigation for smart phones’ eventual take over? Technology is constantly evolving, and with the new Google Glass gadgets gradually making their way into consumers’ homes we should all address the consequences of the tech-dependent lifestyle to which we are adopting. “A smart phone is not food or air,” said McChesney. “It can make you more socially-active and give you more options to contact people, but it is like a cup of coffee. We don’t really need it.” your FLORIDA Photo courtesy of TheeErin (Fickr) Motivation to move A review of the Nike FuelBand By Aidan Mouellic, Staff Writer e don’t move enough. Whether it’s due to work, school, or addiction to modern technology, a large proportion of the average North American’s day is spent stationary. A side effect of immobility that we all are too familiar with is obesity— the less we move, the fatter we get as a population. The key to weight loss is motivation and if the size of our collective waistlines isn’t motivating us enough, perhaps making movement an all-day game will keep people motivated to alter their lifestyle. This is what Nike hopes the FuelBand does for its users. The Nike FuelBand is a device worn on your wrist that measures steps, calorie expenditure, time, and Nike’s proprietary NikeFuel, which is a standardized measurement of one’s activity level. For everything you do, the FuelBand measures your 10 movement and gives you a NikeFuel score. The point of the game is to get as many NikeFuel points as you need in order to reach the goal you set for the day. The FuelBand itself oozes cool. Its rubberized construction and hidden LED display are very futuristic and the one-button operation is a breeze to use. Keeping track of your NikeFuel progress is easy with the sliding LED scale which lights up from red to green depending on how many NikeFuel points you have won during the day. When you reach your goal, the FuelBand lights ups and a cute graphic appears to congratulate you. I purchased my FuelBand at the Apple Store and have been wearing it every day now for over a month and I’ve been thoroughly impressed with it. As someone who is trying to lose weight and who doesn’t move enough, I bought the FuelBand in hopes that it would motivate me to move and also show me some data I was interested in. The band has proved highly effective in that regard. Your Fuel points update in real-time (and they reset at midnight), which allows you to know exactly how far away you are from your goal. A few times this scenario has played out at 11 p.m.: I’m watching Pawn Stars reruns and I see that I only need a few hundred more points. Before having a FuelBand I would just continue watching TV; now I get up and go for a short jog or neighbourhood walk in order to meet my daily goal. A neat feature of the band is that the clasp to attach and remove the band has a USB plug built in which allows you to upload your data onto the Nike+ website. On the Nike+ site, you can almost overdose on data. There are attractive graphs that show how active you are during the days, weeks, or months that you use your FuelBand. You can also compete against other NikeFuel users to see who can get the most Fuel points. What I like the most is how you're rewarded when you meet your goals or reach a milestone, such as 50,000 Fuel Points (my daily average is around 3,000) or having a long streak where you reach your daily goals regularly. The virtual high-fives satisfy the human desire for recognition of hard work. So far I’m a big fan of the FuelBand, but it’s not perfect. The price of $150 turns many people away from reaping the benefits of this motivation tool and not a lot of retailers stock it either. Also, the way that NikeFuel is measured leaves many forms of exercise ignored. The FuelBand measures wrist movement and calculates the movement into Fuel points and steps taken. Sports such as cycling (where your wrist is mostly stationary) don’t get picked up very well by the FuelBand. The FuelBand is also only water-resistant: it’s okay for wearing in the shower, but swimming with it will likely damage it. For more information about the Nike FuelBand check out Nike.com or visit your nearest Apple store.