Modern Technology, Part 5

After almost two years, my Palm Pilot “smart phone” died. I suppose it was a premature death in so much as it died from drowning. I wont go into details; suffice it to say, recovering the deceased from it’s watery grave would have been less unpleasant had I previously flushed. I will admit, I didn’t mourn the passing. As smart phones go, my Palm was not so much. As a phone it was fine, as a contact database and calendar it was OK, as a camera it was marginally useful, but as a portal to information on the World Wide Web, it was useless. On the rare day I would get a connection, the combination of a tiny screen and my failing eye site would result only in copious cursing (expletives deleted) and me none the wiser.

Three days after it passed, I replaced my Palm Pilot with a new smart phone, the HTC Android Incredible. I took me three days to replace it because Verizon Wireless was going to charge me $60 to cancel my previous contract before it expired, in three days. I also had to change my phone number, because my current number didn’t qualify for the $100 credit that was coupled only to my son’s old number that was being discontinued. So now I have my son’s old number, which means I get calls at all hours (including 4:00 in the morning) from his many old girl friends who, for some reason, he decided not to inform of his new number, or even that he had a new number. I suspect it’s because he can’t remember most of their names, much less their numbers.

None-the-less, despite coming with a completely inappropriate calling circle of new friends, I love my new Incredible smart phone. And incredible it is! It’s a contact database, a calendar, a calculator (actually several calculators), camera, a camcorder, an internet portal, an email device, a navigation device, a video player, a music player, a carpenter’s level, a clock, a stop watch, a dictionary, a thesaurus, a phone book, a scanner, a compass, a planetarium …, well you get the idea. I believe you can even use it to make phone calls, but I haven’t had time yet to try out that particular application.

Speaking of applications, I understand that there are over 100,000 applications available for my new smart phone and, unfortunately, over half of them are completely free. Unfortunate because I now spend way too much time checking out and downloading applications which I don’t need and often can’t figure out. Not to mention the over 50,000 games, which I definitely don’t need and can never figure out. I have to admit I haven’t read a book or even a magazine since I got my phone, but I’m pretty sure there is a book reader application available, so if I can find it I might give it a try, not right away, mind you, but some day, if I can find the time.

Yes, I love my new smart phone, and it really is incredibly smart. Not only does it let me communicate with the world, at least for as long as I pay the cell phone bill, but it also keeps me organized and informed. For better or worse, it provides hours and hours of entertainment, and it even garners me great status among my peers, not to mention hours of discussing and comparing the advantages and disadvantages of my smart phone compared to theirs. I have only one small reservation about my new smart phone. I sometimes wonder if it is wise to have a relationship with a device that is undoubtedly smarter than I am.

02/21/11