A Huffington Post article Smartphones Bring Hope, Frustration As
Substitute For Computers states, “When Erick Huerta was growing
up in Los Angeles, his family could not afford a computer. His
mother sold tamales from a street-side stall, and his father
drove a taxi. Huerta and his three sisters were more worried
whether their parents could pay rent than whether they could get
online. Yet when Huerta, 27, enrolled at East Los Angeles
College, he knew he would need reliable Internet access for his
coursework. So four years ago, he spent $250 of his scholarship
money on a piece of technology he could afford: a smartphone. He
split the cost of a wireless plan with a friend and used his
iPhone for almost everything, from checking email and taking
notes to conducting research and writing papers. The experience
typically proved exasperating. Typing papers entailed pecking
away for hours on the small screen, an exercise that left his
fingers aching and numb. Registering for classes, seeking
scholarships and applying