iPhontastic

Today Apple announced the new iPhone 4S. It is an exciting day for us all, especially me, because I will finally be getting rid of my Blackberry Curve. Yes, I am still using a crackberry. Besides the fact that I will no longer have to watch the sand timer of death do flips on my screen, I will finally have a phone that allows me to read on the go.

It reminds me how much smartphones and other mobile devices affect our reading habits. This fall, The Red & Black, The University of Georgia's independent student run newspaper, stopped printing a daily paper. The Red & Black is now a weekly paper with it's focus on digital content.

I spoke to Rachel Bowers, editor of the Red & Black who said that part of the reason for the change was the popularity of digital content.

“Walking around campus you see so many kids on their phones and you walk into a classroom and there’s just laptops everywhere." said Bowers, "There’s not papers folded out.”

I applaud the Red & Black for trying something new. They are addressing the fact the industry is on the move and they taking necessary steps to keep up. The problem is that now, students have to seek out the news instead of being able to pick it up on their way to class.

For those of us who do seek out news, we have to be able to read it at a convenient time. Unfortunately, in my life, this has not been an option lately. Like I said, I have been carrying around a Blackberry Curve which has a terrible online format. I also choose not to carry around a laptop because it is heavy, the battery life does not last long enough and it would only distract me in class.

So, believe it or not, my excitement for the iPhone4S goes beyond Angry Birds, FaceTime and scanning QR codes. I am finally going to be able to get my UGA news on the go.

I hope that other students with smartphones, or the lucky few who have iPads, seek out the news. It is so important to get college age students in the habit of reading the paper so that they are well-informed citizens. Now is the best time to acquire good news reading habits and since The Red & Black is free, there is no reason not to check it out.