Apple released a new iPhone this month, and in true consumer fashion, we lined up to be among the first to receive this new gadget. Those lines can be long and boring but since we have access to so much technology, there is no need for us to be bored. In fact, there is no real need for our regular lives to even be interrupted, either.
Here are my ideas for tech that will help you survive long product release lines.
Amazon Tap
That’s right, Amazon’s Echo Tap is a portable device that is full of entertainment. Enable all the skills and you have hours of time-passing fun at your fingertip. You can have books read out loud, play music, games, and even have the device tell you jokes. The Tap is a great way for you to make friends while you’re in line, too, if you’re into that. Just make sure that you charge your Tap before you head over to get in line!
Cell Phone Games
Cell phone games like Heads Up! are popular for people in line already – I often see people playing it at Disney, Universal and Six Flags. Heads Up! is a fun guessing game that combines the concepts of Who Am I? and 20 Questions.
There are of course other games that are less social. If you aren’t interested in talking to anyone else while you wait in line, check out solo games like Pac Man and Wheel of Fortune or even look into games that you play with other people that are online (but that you don’t have to talk to). By the end of the year, you’ll also be able to play Mario Cart Go on the iPhone.
Just make sure you have a full battery before you head out, and it wouldn’t hurt to bring an external charger in case you’re in line for a really, really long time.
Watch Video on Tablets
Load your tablet up with offline movies to keep yourself entertained. Or, if you have a Wi-Fi hotspot, you can login to your HBO GO, Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon accounts and watch almost anything you want.
Smart Home Products
The great thing about smart home products and smart home automation is that you don’t really have to be home to use them. You can access your smart fridge camera and make a list on your Tap. You can pull up a live video feed to make sure that your household is up and moving for the day, or to make sure that your pet isn’t destroying your house. You can double check that you remembered to lock your doors when you left to go get in line at midnight. You can make sure that alarms are set to wake up your kids or your spouse – even if they have turned them off or put them on snooze.
How do you help pass the time and stay connected to your regular life when you are waiting in a long product release line?
