Advantages & Disadvantages of the Mobile Internet

Perhaps the biggest advantage of mobile internet is always having access to the latest facts, figures and information as it happens. This information might range from breaking news delivered by news sites, to stock and shares prices or other business information, to travel updates and the latest weather forecasts in your area. Having up-to-date info allows you to make decisions with all the correct facts at hand.

Another practical use of mobile internet is to find information regarding the area around you. For example, you might want to find the nearest restaurant, gig or bar and your mobile internet could tell you with a quick look on a search engine. You could then get recommendations and find a map. Many phones also come set up to utilize GPS (Global Positioning System), which uses satellites to locate the phone's user and provide information based on their location. This means the info you obtain using mobile internet can be personalized for you and is thus more helpful, especially if, for example, you are lost on the road and need directions home.

With many people now using social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, mobile internet can only make engaging with contacts on these sites easier. In particular, having the net on your cell phone allows you to update your status or check what your friends are up to at the touch of a button---handy for organizing your social life.

Something to consider is the added cost of mobile internet. For some phones, depending upon your phone network or carrier, having your phone enabled for the internet may cost an extra $7 to $10, while a monthly subscription for a smartphone---let's say the Nexus One, for example---might get you unlimited access to the internet, but will also set you back around $79.99 per month.

There are privacy issues to consider, too. With more and more people accessing the internet through mobiles, it's easy to forget that five of the major search engines archive the search histories of their users on a regular basis, according to a report from the Center for Democracy & Technology. So individuals may be giving away more information than they realize through their increased net usage.