Oct 14, 2010

Stupid is as stupid does

I finally broke down and got a smartphone yesterday. Not an iPhone or a Android phone, but a phone running Palm OS. Mostly because, when it comes to cell phones, I go for the free ones. And this one was free with my service provider.

Here's really all I want to do with a cell phone:
  • place and take calls
  • send and receive text messages
  • take pictures
  • send pictures
  • check and write email
  • check the baseball scores
  • occasionally Google something
not really me
That's it.  And I don't want to spend an arm and a leg to do it.

I don't use it to tweet. I don't use it to update my Facebook status. I don't use it for GPS (we already have one of those). I don't use it to shop. I don't use it to play games. I don't use it to play music. It's a phone, not my life*.

So the new phone does pretty much what my old dumbphone did. Faster and with a touch screen and lots of confusing apps, but pretty much what my old phone did. And pretty much what Gia's iPhone does too. I just don't really grasp the wonder of it all, I guess

And it was free. So there.

*This is no way is meant to disparage you or your love of your own phone. I'm just saying that, for me, it's just a phone.
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Note: Remember to play the Badgerdaddy Trivia Challenge every day. Yeah, that's right...I got a phone that came out a little less than a year ago. It takes time for me to catch up with technology.

21 comments:

RW said...

My wife calls me on my cell phone. Sometimes.

OK that's it.

They have them that can take pictures?? Really???

Verdant Earl said...

RW - Just the newfangled ones.

Kaye Waller said...

I think I use my phone four times a month. It spends more time on the charger than in my hand. This is why I have a Net10, no Google, no camera, no games, no frills, no credit card bill. Just calls, texting and an alarm clock.

I'm happy.

Paticus said...

okay, so the picture isn't you, but that IS what your new phone looks like, right? Because I wanna gets me one of them!

Verdant Earl said...

Steph - Oh, I'm on my phone constantly. I use it as my work phone and we decided we didn't need a home phone. So it's attached to me. I just don't need it to cook breakfast for me, ya know?

Paticus - Those were pretty sweet back in the day, eh?

white rabbit said...

I used to switch my mobile on when I wanted to make a call and switch it opff when I'd finished. Now it's like an extension of my arm...

Heigh Ho!

Slyde said...

i hope you got the limited data plan. thats what i got. its only 10 bucks a month.. i dont use my phone for everything under the sun like some people do.

Heff said...

Cell phones are of the Devil. (I have the model PICTURED.)

hello haha narf said...

i haven't turned my laptop on in MONTHS. love my cellica phone.

Verdant Earl said...

Wabbit - I never turn mine off.

Slyde - I'm guessing you meant an unlimited data plan, and yeah...I have one of those. No extra charge though. All part of the price I got.

Heff - Ha! We need a pic of you "using" it.

Becky - I couldn't live without my laptop.

sybil law said...

My phone isn't even a smart phone but I can do all the stuff you mentioned - and most of the time, I don't even use it for that! Like you said - it's not my life.

Verdant Earl said...

Sybil - Same thing with my old dumbphone.

marty mankins said...

Which PalmOS phone did you get? I've used a Palm OS device for almost 14 years before getting a Palm Pre (webOS) earlier this year. My last phone was the Treo 755p and I loved it. In fact, my wife is stil user her Treo today and has no issues with it, other than the occasional "how do I do this?" question.

Verdant Earl said...

Marty - I got the smaller version of the Pre, the Pixi. Makes me feel manly just saying that. ;)

Bruce Johnson said...

I once recall reading a rather trashy Sci-Fi novel on my Palm Pilot (before the days of Kindle). It was about mysterious portals that appeared all over the place on earth one day, and when you walked though them, you gender changed. Pretty bizarre stuff.......but I digress. One of the many themes about this future story, is that everyone lived on their cell phone. It WAS your identity. It is what you showed the cops if you got pulled over, it was how you paid for things, it had all your medical information on it. Long story short, when everyone started changing genders by walking throught he portals...the govenment declared marshall law and guess what they did???? They started confiscating everyone's cell phones. Interesting concept....if not a bit to real in the near future.

Trooper Thorn said...

But I still need to use a phone booth to change my clothes.

Verdant Earl said...

Bruce - I think that was a book (or a trilogy) called The Sex Gates by Darrell Bain and Jeanine Berry. Never read it, but it sounds interesting.

Verdant Earl said...

Trooper - Well, you could always use your super-speed to change in a one of those revolving doors. I've seen it happen. Or sensed it...

Kevin McKeever said...

I own a pay-as-you-go, makes calls, take crappy photos phone. Works for me.

Lifeofkaylen said...

I didnt' realize Palm was still in existence....you might have my recycled phone from 5 years ago.

My work buys my smartphone or I wouldn't have one, but it is REALLY convenient and everyone who I know who has been all "I don't need one, blahblah" eventually gets one and then they are all "I don't know how I ever lived without it blahblah."

Verdant Earl said...

Kevin - well, since I use it for work, I do need something a bit more than that. Not much more.

Kaylen - Yeah, Palm is still making phones. Good ones too. And yeah, I'm beginning to see the benefits. See tomorrow's post.