Colorado Springs Independent, 7/27/11 “If you’re like more than 70 million others, you’re probably reading these words via smartphone…[Always On] tells you how it got to be that way.”
January Magazine, 8/5/11
“[A] very smart and eloquent book…Chen is succinct, lucid and often fun…If you love your iPhone and think it’s the greatest invention since sliced cheese, Always On is for you. If you loathe the very idea of the iPhone and think it’s going to ruin the world, Always On is for you, too. Chen’s book is simply that marvelous: even-handed, engaging and informative, it looks at all sides of a tricky but interesting questions and makes a few assumptions that will surprise you.”
Seattle Times, 8/14/11 “A smart, engaging overview of studies, articles and arguments about our increasingly online world—and a look at how corporations got us here and how much further we could go.”
Midwest Book Review, September 2011
“Business and social issues collections alike will find this an important survey.”
Kirkus Reviews, 5/1/11
“A swift, engaging analysis of how the iPhone is changing the way technology is integrating contemporary society…A relevant, refreshingly charismatic nod to personal technology, its innovators and, of course, everything Apple.”
Publishers Weekly, 5/9/11
“Tech guru Chen's columns on Apple for Wired.com have gained him a wide readership, primarily for the same qualities he displays here: an in-depth knowledge of the history of Apple and a wide-angle view of the impact that Apple has made across the globe.”
New York Journal of Books Review, 6/29/11
“[Always On] is a page-turner for technophiles, but weaves enough humanity into the topic to keep most readers engaged.”
Shelf Awareness, 7/8/11
“A compelling analysis of how the iPhone has revolutionized every aspect of our lives.”
Connecticut News, 7/3/11
“Always On gives us a sharp and funny journalist/guide who shows us how the Apple phone (and the iPad that followed) and its easily used apps are reaching into nearly aspect of modern life.”
A swift, engaging analysis of how the iPhone is changing the way technology is integrating contemporary society.
Wired reporter Chen asserts that so-called "always-on gadgets" like high-tech smart phones are ushering in what he calls the "anything-anytime-anywhere future," where consumers will become increasingly inundated with data and technological functionality. In concise, enthusiastic language, he argues that, however daunting, this type of progress isn't harmful since the advantages of devices like iPods are limitless in their enjoyment. The author issues a hefty caveat that users greatly sacrifice their personal privacy in exchange, however. Chen's narrative includes his personal experiences navigating life armed with an arsenal of modern gadgetry, including a soured online love affair that necessitated him to disconnect from electronic communications for a month. He ably traces the genesis of Internet search engines, web browsers and the "perfect device" itself, the iPhone—from its pricey emergence on the cellular marketplace to a high-demand, second-generation release complete with "App Store" compatibility. The author spends considerable time on the advent of these downloadable applications ("apps"), and, an obvious enthusiast, he extols their many benefits, from everyday conveniences like reading media online or booking a restaurant reservation and a taxicab home, to medical apps that could potentially save lives, assist doctors or find a thief's location or a missing person (via GPS). Chen adroitly examines the intricate nuances of the "always-on" society and intelligently puts forth a "realistic portrait of our future." He claims that while modern technology may be overloading us and enabling our compulsive tendencies, it has also created a "terrifyingly beautiful and exciting time to live."
A relevant, refreshingly charismatic nod to personal technology, its innovators and, of course, everything Apple.