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An unlikely mobile moment

Posted: 06/27/08 by Mobile Future Team

As some of you may have seen, we used to have a section our Web site called "Mobile Moments." Mobile Moments were for the times when you saw something and thought "I've got to take a picture of that," so you pull out your cell phone camera and snap a pic. The other day I had the misfortune of experiencing the kind of Mobile Moment that no one likes to have - a car accident.

It was a Monday morning and I was driving to work in DC-rush hour traffic, something I try to avoid at all costs.  As I was circling the block looking for a parking spot, I got into a fender bender with a delivery truck.  Luckily, no one was hurt and there was only some superficial damage to my car.  However, as with any accident, my reaction to said incident was to become flustered and discombobulated. As I surveyed the scene and tried to keep from crying and/or cursing, one of my coworkers happened to be walking down the street.  Fortunately, he was more composed than I was.  He quickly assessed the situation and helped me tremendously by getting the other driver's information, saving it in his cell phone, taking pictures of the scene from all angles on his phone (Mobile Moment!), and then emailing all the information to me. 

It probably only took about five minutes, but proved to be so helpful when I was making the claim to my insurance agency.  Thanks to my colleague's help, I was able to reference the pictures to answer all of my agent's questions clearly, and was able to forward them to her so she could evaluate the situation herself for her report.  While being in an accident is never fun, his cell phone assistance made the experience much less painful.  While I hope that no one else has to experience the kind of Mobile Moment that I dealt with, it pays to keep your head and use your cell phone should it happen to you.

When a Camera Phone Makes All the Difference

Posted: 03/13/08 by Teri Rucker

Yesterday I was talking to a friend of mine whose dad recently had quintuple bypass surgery. He's fine now, but family and friends around the U.S. and the world were really, really worried about him and anxious to hear how he fared.

My friend took pictures of him beforehand, saying that he always took lots of pictures of the family, even at embarrassing moments, and she knew that no matter what happened it was an important family tradition to observe.

After surgery, she e-mailed a progress report and told everyone he was doing well. That was great, but what does "doing well" REALLY mean after major surgery like that? Well, she SHOWED them by taking a picture of her dad with her wireless phone. Not long after surgery he was sitting up in bed eating lunch and looking great. She sent the e-mail and picture immediately from his bedside, which he got an extra kick out of because he could dictate the message to his friends. She sent that picture of him smiling, plastic fork held high -- across the country, to Germany, to Ethiopia -- to the great rejoicing of family and friends.

That is truly a meaningful Mobile Moment.

Here's hoping she will be taking a lot more pictures of her happy, healthy dad for years to come.