Smart Phones

9/17/2012

Smart Phones

For years, I, along with millions of other people, got along just fine with a home telephone and maybe if you were living on the edge - an answering machine.  Then somebody invented a cell phone and the first ones were huge and ungainly and I easily resisted the urge to drag one around with me.

I finally got a cell phone a few years ago which I thought of as my "911" phone.  I didn't know my cell phone number (still don't actually), couldn't remember how to answer the phone and was barely able to make a call.  I carried it around in my purse faithfully every day and even remembered to charge it occasionally!  My family knew better than to call me on it - for two reasons - (1) I seldom associated the sound with my phone and (2) when I did I was just as likely not to answer anyway and never answered  if I was driving.

This year I got a yen for a smart phone, not for making or taking calls but for the other stuff.  I wanted an electronic calendar, a way to take notes (i.e., list of medicines you're taking, books I need to read, etc.) and have remote access to my contacts and emails.

I've had the phone for several months now and love it.  I've only made about six calls from it.  And I still see no need to be talking to somebody when I'm driving around even though I'm able to make/take calls from my steering wheel.  But the convenience of being in a doctor's office and have them ask me about the meds I'm taking. I can produce the answer in a flash.  No more stammering around trying to describe a pill (because I'm sure there is only ONE orange oval shaped pill out there).   I can book my next nail appointment easily while I'm standing in the salon AND will know immediately if I have a conflict.  How cool is that?

The sound I use for incoming emails is glass breaking (I have no idea why) and when I hear that sound, I'm exactly like Pavlov's dog.  I HAVE to check my email and I HAVE to do it right now.  Nine times out of ten the messages are junk emails - you know the kind - buy this, invest in that - send us a million dollars.  Those kind of messages.  As early as I get up each morning you would think that I would know by now that an incoming email at 5:00 in the morning is NOT from my closest friends.  But I still check anyway.

Before I got my new fangled phone I'd check my email once a day when I got home from work.  That was it.  Now I, like most others, are in a frenzy to check for incoming emails as soon as possible.  It might be important - but seldom is.

My phone has that person you can talk to and tell her to do things for you.  Of course I can't remember how to find her to tell her to do anything!  Guess I'm going to have to look that one up.  And, I have no earthly idea how to retrieve a voicemail.  Better check on that too.

Here's to advancing technology that makes it possible for more people to find you more often.  Do we really need to be connected with the world 24/7.  Think about it, but I gotta go - I have an incoming email!
P