The Technograph

Technology and lifestyle in Europe combine the old with the new. During my thirteen-plus years spent in Romania, I witnessed a great change in the technology available. I noticed how Europeans like to stick with old technologies that have worked well, but they are also quick to accept and adapt to new trends. This flexibility allows the Europeans to choose the best of both worlds and benefit from it.

When I lived in Europe, daily life was not centered on the house as much as it is in America, something that is still true today. Therefore, the technology in each European home may not be quite as up–to-date as in the U.S. Everything you would expect to find here in a typical house would also be found there, except usually in a smaller size. Of the household electronics, TV’s receive far less attention since people don’t watch them as much.

Cell phones, as anywhere, were and still are indispensible. The gadgetry evolves constantly, with each company vying for customers’ attention with evermore sophisticated features. The European and American markets vary greatly. CDMA phones work without SIM cards and are still widely available in the U.S., but the proximity of nations within the European continent makes SIM phones that can be used in any country more practical. CDMA phones are so rare, in fact, that I did not know anyone who owned one. Leading manufacturers such as Nokia pride themselves on unique designs and dominate the market with their chic style and advanced technology. I think that, in America, a great model tends to hit the market, but soon competitors copy it and flood the market with look-alike phones.

When Europeans are tired of using a phone, the Internet always provides a great alternative. Be it at home or at an Internet café, Europeans use the Internet to work, talk, and play. Internet cafés only appeared during my latter years in Europe but they are extremely popular while rarely found in the U.S. since Americans prefer to use the Internet in their homes or in a public library. Now, the Skype phenomenon now dominates online-messaging and chatting services in Europe. Its ease of use allows me to still routinely have video conversations with my friends in Europe. This method of communication is also catching on in the U.S. with college campuses leading the way.

Due to the relative short distances between nations, which allow for the use of more traditional transportation means, I was able to easily travel around the continent, something many Europeans that I knew did. If traveling via automobile, manual transmissions still dominate while automatic transmissions are vanquished to the more expensive car models. While the manual transmission may be more cumbersome in slow traffic, I think that it delivers much more enjoyment out of driving.

For those without cars, train travel provides a great substitute and is my favorite form of travel. Regional European trains can be inexpensive, safer than driving, and offer a rich travel experience. High-speed train travel, however, is a faster method of transportation, but comes at a higher cost.

I describe only a few types of technologies here, and only through living in a European country did I fully understand how Europeans live and interact with their technologic environments.

Tagged with: America, technology, Europe, immigration, CMDA, SIM, Skype