My old phone died over the weekend, which meant it was time to get another phone.
This was a tragedy to me, as I can't stand parting with money unless it is absolutely necessary. I could ignore the fact that I had cracked the face of the phone when I dropped it on pavement. I put clear tape over the broken glass shards, and made sure not not to swipe the phone near where the broken glass was. I could get around the fact that the phone had started giving me a weird echo when I spoke on most of my calls, and that sometimes when I answered calls I couldn't hear the caller nor could they hear me. Simple solution. I hung up the call and called right back, whereupon I would get the weird echo thingy, hang up a second time, then call again. Well. Third times the charm, or so they say.
What I could not ignore, finally, was that it was taking me longer and longer to get the phone to recognize the charger. Even when the phone acknowledged the chargers presence, there was no guarantee they were going to play well together. The phone would simply refuse to charge overnight, and I would wake up to either a dead phone, or ominous warnings that my phone would only be around for a little longer before it cacked. Seeing as I had kept this phone for a little over two years, I was a bit misty-eyed to see it go. Not really. The thought of having to spend money on another phone, and learn a whole new set of quirks, was not terribly appealing.
A technophobe, I am not. I am a techie by trade, and my day job is computer support, either by phone, remotely or in person. I embrace new technologies, and my fascination with the newest items on the market are only hampered by my meager budget. Learning a new phone takes time; time I don't always have. For the new phone, I was also changing operating systems, from Windows to Android. Now, geek I am, I already have a Kindle Fire (nerds like to see the world in color!), so the learning curve with the new phone wasn't too bad. It was just a matter of finding all of the bells and whistles on the new phone. Well, that and re-finding and downloading all of my apps, of which there were many.
But the money! Most modern electronics are designed like some older cars. They were never meant to outlast the payments. Most phones are meant to be obsolete in one year, and we humble consumers are expected to upgrade every year. At $100 - $200 a pop. Yeah, right. Whenever I spend that kind of money, especially if I have to make payments on it, I will keep it until it begs to be put out of it's misery, or just falls over and dies on it's own. I amaze every phone store employee that helps me by keeping each phone I've had for well over two years. The very first time I upgraded from my very first cell phone, the salesman called my phone a dinosaur. I had that phone for five years before it finally died. I did the same thing with my very first car. Repair after repair after hose after belt after brakes. When both the transmission and engine needed to be replaced, it was finally time to let it go.
This was a tragedy to me, as I can't stand parting with money unless it is absolutely necessary. I could ignore the fact that I had cracked the face of the phone when I dropped it on pavement. I put clear tape over the broken glass shards, and made sure not not to swipe the phone near where the broken glass was. I could get around the fact that the phone had started giving me a weird echo when I spoke on most of my calls, and that sometimes when I answered calls I couldn't hear the caller nor could they hear me. Simple solution. I hung up the call and called right back, whereupon I would get the weird echo thingy, hang up a second time, then call again. Well. Third times the charm, or so they say.
What I could not ignore, finally, was that it was taking me longer and longer to get the phone to recognize the charger. Even when the phone acknowledged the chargers presence, there was no guarantee they were going to play well together. The phone would simply refuse to charge overnight, and I would wake up to either a dead phone, or ominous warnings that my phone would only be around for a little longer before it cacked. Seeing as I had kept this phone for a little over two years, I was a bit misty-eyed to see it go. Not really. The thought of having to spend money on another phone, and learn a whole new set of quirks, was not terribly appealing.
A technophobe, I am not. I am a techie by trade, and my day job is computer support, either by phone, remotely or in person. I embrace new technologies, and my fascination with the newest items on the market are only hampered by my meager budget. Learning a new phone takes time; time I don't always have. For the new phone, I was also changing operating systems, from Windows to Android. Now, geek I am, I already have a Kindle Fire (nerds like to see the world in color!), so the learning curve with the new phone wasn't too bad. It was just a matter of finding all of the bells and whistles on the new phone. Well, that and re-finding and downloading all of my apps, of which there were many.
But the money! Most modern electronics are designed like some older cars. They were never meant to outlast the payments. Most phones are meant to be obsolete in one year, and we humble consumers are expected to upgrade every year. At $100 - $200 a pop. Yeah, right. Whenever I spend that kind of money, especially if I have to make payments on it, I will keep it until it begs to be put out of it's misery, or just falls over and dies on it's own. I amaze every phone store employee that helps me by keeping each phone I've had for well over two years. The very first time I upgraded from my very first cell phone, the salesman called my phone a dinosaur. I had that phone for five years before it finally died. I did the same thing with my very first car. Repair after repair after hose after belt after brakes. When both the transmission and engine needed to be replaced, it was finally time to let it go.
But time and technology march on, and like most people I use my phone as a watch, mobile calendar, camera, and to return texts and emails that might actually be important. I can now also use it to track the weather, and see if my bus is going to show up on time (they rarely do, but at least now I don't have to guess). Phones are not just for talking, and haven't been for years. No matter what function you need, there is now, literally, an app for that. Even apps for killing time in a waiting room or restaurant. Which I am guilty of. With a scotch taped, broken phone that hadn't charged. So...yeah. Maybe it was time to get another phone.
RSS Feed
