by Nancy
As Marty already knows, my trusty cell phone, which was about the same age as Nicholas, died a few weeks ago. It was a plain, simple, pay-as-you-go phone, but it had served me well. I don’t use it all that often, but it is nice to know that school can reach me if someone gets sick and I’m not at home. And to call Eric from the grocery store when he puts something on the list that I can’t identify. So, after about a week of mourning, I started looking at replacements.
And, boy, are there a lot of options out there to look at! At first it was quite overwhelming. Do I want another simple phone, or do I want a phone that can do a bit more, like send text messages or take pictures, or a whole lot more like an iPhone? (A certain member of my family who loves Grandpa Lou’s iPad, was lobbying for the iPhone.) And do I want to continue with pay-as-you go or switch to a contract? Stick with AT&T or switch to a different provider? Do an individual plan or a family plan with Eric? Phew!
It was a little overwhelming, so I decided to take a survey of parents at the playground after school. There was everything there from the super simple Just A Phone to an iPhone and everything in between. People kindly let me test out the wonders of their phones and told me why they liked what they had and how much it cost. My friend April, who is a bit younger than me and much more technologically hip, explained to me what she likes about texting. So, I took what I’d learned there and did some more research online and compared and pondered. I went to Target and Best Buy to actually handle some of the phones I was considering. The funniest part there was when the Target clerk asked me, “Are you due for an upgrade?” (Usually cell phone contracts are 2 years and you can’t get a new phone before then without paying a hefty fee.) Yes, I’m due for an upgrade.
Finally, on November 3, I felt like I was well-enough informed to venture out to the Verizon store. The salesperson there was quite helpful and not pushy about trying to sell me things I didn’t want, especially after I corrected him on how any Kilobytes are in a Megabyte. (He thought it was 500, which couldn’t possibly be right – the whole point of the metric system is multiples of 10!) So, here it is, my new phone:
It’s called an LG Ally, and it’s an Android Smartphone, for those who are interested in those details. It’s a big step up into the modern world for me, but it’s actually been quite easy to learn how to use. And I was able to keep my same phone number. I’ve sent and received my first text messages, taken and sent pictures with it, and even checked email on it. I really like it! So, if you have Verizon too and send and receive texts or photos, let me know and I’ll send you one! And if you’re happy to have Just a Phone, don’t worry – I’ll keep emailing and calling on a landline like usual.
Can you hear me now? I’m shouting from back in the dark ages…
Let us know how the 21st century is!
(although, in my defense, I did just order a BluRay player to replace the DVD player which I got used from a coworker – I’ve gotten tired of the old player’s inability to cope with the scratchiness on DVDs that I get from the library)
Wow, pretty slick!
I’m still at just one step above Just A Phone: I’ve got a pay-as-you-go non-plan from Virgin Mobile, and my phone can take really tiny, bad pictures and send and receive texts. So if you ever need to text me, feel free to do so!
(And good for you for correcting the Verizon salesperson. How on earth did he not know that? Sheesh.)
Wow, Nancy! Pretty cool! I’m glad – and impressed – that you were able to keep the same number. I just revised our list of frequently used numbers that we keep by our landlines and would not have wanted to re-revise it. For now, Cyber Melv and I will remain firmly entrenched in the 20th century, but should I ever decide to upgrade, I will definitely seek your advice.