Why is the future so annoying?
My pocket phone - the third one I've had in seven years - is starting to give me problems. It doesn't ring a lot of the time, and the alarm doesn't always work. Admittedly an alarm is not traditionally a function of a telephone, but the other issue is sort of fundamental for phone service.
Unfortunately the telephone industry, like so many other contemporary businesses, has exploded into a voracious marketing monster. I now have to decide between a "smart" phone, an "android" (which is not in any way an android, it's just a phone) or a phone with a small case "i" in front of it. I have no idea of why I should choose one of these over the others, and the barely-past-puberty boys at the Verizon store aren't extremely helpful with defining the differences - if indeed there are any. (To be fair, they are WAY more helpful than the barely-past-puberty boys employed by Best Buy.)
I'm inclined to avoid the i-phone just because it has an "i" in the name. It's probably an irrational bias, but I already have an i-pod that has proven to be a complete waste of money. (What's the point of having a music machine that I can't play while I'm driving?) I'm also inclined to avoid the android because it is NOT an android. My concern about the "smart" phone is that it may actually be smart. I don't want a telephone with an IQ higher than mine. I sort of like being the one in charge when dealing with my communication appliances.
I miss the days when buying a telephone required two decisions: white-or-black, and wall-or-desk. It was simple and stress-free. I may just hang on to this phone until it completely dies. After that, I don't know what I'll do. Maybe nothing. I'm not sure phone service is worth the hassle it has become.
Unfortunately the telephone industry, like so many other contemporary businesses, has exploded into a voracious marketing monster. I now have to decide between a "smart" phone, an "android" (which is not in any way an android, it's just a phone) or a phone with a small case "i" in front of it. I have no idea of why I should choose one of these over the others, and the barely-past-puberty boys at the Verizon store aren't extremely helpful with defining the differences - if indeed there are any. (To be fair, they are WAY more helpful than the barely-past-puberty boys employed by Best Buy.)
I'm inclined to avoid the i-phone just because it has an "i" in the name. It's probably an irrational bias, but I already have an i-pod that has proven to be a complete waste of money. (What's the point of having a music machine that I can't play while I'm driving?) I'm also inclined to avoid the android because it is NOT an android. My concern about the "smart" phone is that it may actually be smart. I don't want a telephone with an IQ higher than mine. I sort of like being the one in charge when dealing with my communication appliances.
I miss the days when buying a telephone required two decisions: white-or-black, and wall-or-desk. It was simple and stress-free. I may just hang on to this phone until it completely dies. After that, I don't know what I'll do. Maybe nothing. I'm not sure phone service is worth the hassle it has become.