Cellphone Thoughts

Attempt at humor: Buying a new Cell Phone.

I lost my cell phone yesterday.  As you will see, I'm not particularly concerned because the phone was old, the battery tired, and the screen flaky. 


The missing phone is a low-tech Pantech Breeze II -- a standard flip phone; no data plan. Since this phone was made, they came out with a new version, the Pantech Breeze III.  From the reviews I've read, there are no real differences between the two models except to say it feels more plastic-y.

Related article:  Keyliner Review Pantech Breeze II

Friends and co-workers laugh when they see my phone. Apple-iphone-ers will cross the street to make fun of me.  Considering how involved I am with technology, most are surprised I don't use something more modern.   

The abuse continued.  On a Google search:  

To quote:  ...for senior citizens, kids and cell phone novices...  

 No kid would want a phone like this and I am no novice -- but I don't have need for much else.  Besides, the extra $20 per month data-plan is hard to swallow, considering I am seldom far from a computer.  I admit Texting a fair amount (on a T9 keyboard, no-less) and there has been some pain in this area.

In my defense, my phone goes about 4 to 5 days between charges, running 24-hours per day -- I never turn it off.  I've not met a smart phone that can do this.  And my phone weighs a lot less.  When it rings, I open it Star-Trek style and say hello -- no buttons to push.

A good friend of mine has a $500 Blackberry.  He makes phone calls and reads email but even with the nifty-keyboard, he seldom replies by text.  Actually, he despises texting.  Occasionally, he surfs the web, but  only to show he can do it and to poke fun at my phone.  Other friends, with their fancy smart-phones, show games like Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja (yes, they are fun), but once the novelty wears, I am unsure how well the phones are being used.

No doubt a new smart phone would be neat, but I hesitate.  How many high-tech devices do I need? I expect to buy an Asus Tablet this fall and there is no sense having two similar devices.

Then again, later next year, I might replace my 32" CRT TV with a flat-panel.  This will force me to replace the 23-year-old stereo and Kef speakers and I'll have to buy a new cabinet to hold all this.  The VCR might be permanently retired.


Update:  The replacement phone ended up being one of these:

Based mostly on price ($60), I bought an ATT "Go Phone" - a Pantech P7040P, avoiding a 2 year contract.  It certainly looks more trendy than a flip-phone and I bought it obviously for texting.  The phone is remarkably thin but the battery only lasts about 3 days.  I like the new phone.  Read a little more about it in the Pantech Breeze II review, linked below.





Related article:
Keyliner Review Pantech Breeze II

Smart Phone Sales:
Putting smart-phone sales into perspective -- despite all the press and hoopla, take a look at all Smart-phone sales during the last several years.  My low-tech flip-phone is still doing pretty well:
See this article:
Keyliner Smart Phone Sales