Sunday, November 21, 2010

Phone Upgrades

Cultural Offering has a rant on phone upgrades.

I can identify with it, but only up to a point. My cell phone is, by modern standards, a Korean War model. It's very basic. I can't get email. I never text-message. It can probably be used as a bottle-opener but I haven't tried. There are days when the thought of using it as a hammer seems plausible.

Truth be known, I hate talking over the phone. Give me face-to-face conversations, email or good old fashioned letters. People who feel compelled to talk while driving are a special mystery to me. Most of those calls are probably the equivalent of tweets - "I am now pulling into the driveway" - and will be utterly unnecessary within a few minutes.

The sole reason for my eventual upgrade will be the ability to check and send email. Having just written that, I now need to reconsider. Just how connected must one be?

4 comments:

Kurt Harden said...

Michael -

Avoid it at all costs. If it weren't for the need to text my children (two are diabetics and I consider it a valuable feature to text: "blood?" and get a "134", or "220" back no matter where they are in the world.

If, however, you do decide to make the leap, let me know and I'll drop you text.

Take care.

Kurt

Michael Wade said...

Kurt,

Your point is well-taken. I keep looking for ways to simplify my complicated-enough life.

Thanks!

Michael

Richard (Rick) Georges said...

Michael, Michael, Michael. I am going to have to drag you kicking and screaming into the 21st century, aren't I? For $99, you can get a phone that looks a lot like your Korean war model, and which gets email whenever you want. Smart phones do a whole lot more, but you don't HAVE to use the other features, if you don't want to. I used to tell my tech seminar participants who asked why I had all my tech, since it would always be interrupting me, and an annoyance, that I knew the most important thing about all my tech. Where the off switch is. :-)

Michael Wade said...

Richard,

If I have a phone that is always off, how can I be in the 21st century?

Best,

Michael