Here at Syracuse University, diversity is one of the greatest things. There are tons of people here who are from places around the world, each one with their own different background, their own different story. My story starts with my parents. I'm sure the majority of you who are reading this blog can relate when I say that our parents are the ones who give us our foundation, and our strength; for without them we wouldn't be where we are. They support us in everything we do so, wouldn't it be nice to give back to them?
I'm first generation Chinese, my parents cannot speak or write English fluently; so imagine my surprise when they asked me to look into getting a touch screen phone for them--a good one (Not the small clumsy touch screen ones--too frustrating, I'm sure some of you out there know what I mean.) I said, "OK I will look into it", but the question going through my head was how in the world are they going to FULLY use it if they can't read English? Matters are even more complicated due to the fact that my family uses T-Mobile (Please don't hate if you're a fan of another carrier). The only phone that I know of that is top notch and has Chinese in its software is the "almighty" IPhone. Great... As I went through the T-Mobile store I found no phones worth my time, or my parents'. The best ones that were out were Samsung branded and those only had language choices between Korean,English,Spanish, and French. I cannot for the life of me figure out why more Android phones haven't been installed with Chinese in them (I mean come on, its one of the world's most widely spoken languages.)
Alright, now for my project idea. We all know that there are thousands of apps out there. You know the slogan, "There's an app for that." Well, hate to burst the bubble of the clever person (Don't mean to be mean) that came up with that slogan, because there is NO app for what I'm looking for. For my project I want to create an app that can do what an IPhone can. At the touch of a few buttons the phone's entire screen and phone commands will change to that chosen language. Do you have any idea how much that will benefit not only Google, but also the entire U.S. that buys Android phones? It makes me wonder if Google has figured out yet that one of the reasons why they haven't quite surpassed Apple in sales yet is because they can't sell to the masses. I know many families who because of a language barrier have turned away from Android phones for Apple phones, ONLY for the language option. Why haven't Google fixed this problem? There is no way an Android device can stand up against an Iphone if they can't fix this big dilemma. Imagine how much easier it would be for people who do not read English well to use their phones, especially people like your parents. There would be no more of trial and error and frustration for them.
My parents would always ask me to help them delete messages from their phone, help them enter contacts, and every other basic thing only because they cannot read English well enough to fully use their cellphone. Cellphones are meant to be a convenience, there is no convenience in not being able to read a language. Now that I'm away from home because of college I think of them non stop and the different things they might not be able to do without me (Yes, I worry. Who cares. As if our parents don't worry enough about us enough.) With the creation of this app, life would be so much easier for the portion of the population that hasn't fully grasped English. Everyone can enjoy a great cellphone without the fuss and a choice limitation.
I hope that this won't be just an idea for long. Perhaps Google can come up with a solution, they would have so many more people buying their phones. Heck, if I had the knowledge of app creation I would do it myself, but I don't. For now, an app that could change the language of the phone would be great, maybe eventually ALL phones will be programed with every desirable language, but baby steps first right?I hope Google can do this soon, they would gain more then what they put in, probably really quickly too.
So folks, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed. Remember to take care of the people who take care of you (In this case your parents.) Always look to your roots for the answer, God knows that's how this idea was created. HAPPY READING! :) Chao!
