Recently I was introduced to an iPhone ap that impressed me - a voice activated Google search! I’ve been using voice activated dialing for several years now. It’s such a convenience when I’m in the car, sitting at my computer, walking on the treadmill. I don’t have to remember numbers or fumble around with the little tiny keypad. I just push the button on my bluetooth and say,”Call Linda.” My Blackberry dutifully dials the number. Pretty sweet! But to be able to search the internet that way? That’s fantastic!

Earlier this week I saw an electronic ad for 3D television. Having purchased several HDTVs to replace the old tubes within the last two years, I must say that I wasn’t very excited to hear about the newest TV technology. You’re going to tell me that I have to replace my TV sets again? That’s not going to fly with the American public. We still think that TV sets should be replaced as often as an appliance or a piece of furniture, right?

Then there’s the iPad. It’s not even available in most places yet, but it’s already generating lots of buzz. Cool aps, touch screen, 3G. But we just bought new computers! Ugh!

When does it all become too much? Do you ever want to escape to a place where there is no cell service and dare I say it… no wi-fi? I daydream about it sometimes. I even found such a place on the picturesque Oregon Coast. But I don’t know how long I would last in that tech-free zone. Maybe a day. I haven’t made a reservation. Yet.

Although I have been a PC for many years, I have to hand it to Apple. They know how to market. I especially enjoyed the most recent Mac campaign launched to combat the new Windows 7 operating system. “PC” is anchoring a newscast reporting about Windows 7, and learns from man-on-the-street interviews that people are lining up to switch to a Mac instead! Watch commercial.

Then there are the flashbacks with the visibly younger PC. “Windows Vista won’t have any of the problems XP had.” And so on.

Well, I’m happy to say that I’ve moved over to the cool side. Rather than take my chances with Windows 7, I purchased a Mac. I’m delighted with its speed and stability. No crashes or lockups during my first video project. Impressive!

It may be true that “…mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.” I decided I was done suffering. Hello Mac!

We hear a lot about oil dependence these days, specifically foreign oil dependence. We can all see–and feel–the drawbacks of too much dependence on a resource that is not under our control. We all feel the effects when we see the total after pumping a tank of gas. Too much dependence on something so far from our control is not a good thing.

Recent events in my life have made me wonder whether I am too dependent on technology. It all started when I upgraded to a smart phone. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as smart as I needed it to be. It had all kinds of fun features: a touch screen, a slide out qwerty keyboard, email, Windows Mobile, and even Wi-Fi! It synchronized all my contacts, emails, and appointments with those on my computer.

The problem? It wouldn’t answer my calls! About 50% of my calls would go directly to voice mail. And, when I was talking on the phone it was hard for people at the other end of the line to hear me. After two models of the same phone, it was apparent. I didn’t just get one bad unit. It had a design flaw.

So, I did what any technology-dependent (early adopter) businessperson would do. I upgraded to the latest release! A 100% touch screen unit that would even interpret my scribbles on the screen – turning them into typed words, web addresses, and phone numbers. Don’t you just love technology? The other exciting thing about these latest generation phones – I could easily load my favorite songs as ringtones. Very cool!

Again, there was a problem. The sound quality just didn’t compare to my previous generation non-smart phone. Not only did callers have trouble hearing me, I couldn’t hear them well either. As much as I wanted to fall in love with this new phone and all its cool technology, I kept arriving at the same conclusion — if it doesn’t work as a phone, it’s no use to me.

So, I am onto my fourth phone since July. I wish I could say that this one is flawless. It does, thankfully, have good sound quality, it answers my calls and delivers my emails. But when I loaded the software for my newest phone onto my computer, it didn’t work. I couldn’t synchronize my phone with my computer. Not only that, it just about crashed my computer!

So now my computer, which contained volumes of client media files, commercials, websites, marketing plans, photos, as well as my company financial files is currently in the shop for the third time in two weeks! I do have a backup copy, but now I’m working on my old laptop, and lugging my external hard drive around as well.

You can see how a little snowball had turned into a mighty avalanche! When I thought it might actually sweep me down the mountain, I picked up the phone – a land line. And I called a friend. We spent the afternoon enjoying the mountains, where there’s no cell phone service or Wi-Fi. It was refreshing!