Joining the smartphone age

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    Earlier this year I wrote a tongue-in-cheek column about my aversion to texting, noting the number of teens punching keys relentlessly during a basketball game. In some cases, they were sending messages to their friends who were seated two rows away.
    I also had a flip phone with a postage stamp-sized display and was reluctant to replace it due to the cost of upgrading to a more sophisticated model.

    Well, reluctance gave way to rationality two weeks ago. The old flipper was showing wear and tear and reception quality was fading fast.
    After being besieged with online and mail offers to buy a smartphone — providing that I upgrade my service by another $20 a month — I caved in. I took some of the online offers to my cellphone dealer where a salesman cautioned me that most of the one-cent offers were for new clients only.
    But I reminded him that I’d been a customer for 14 years, mainly because of the reasonable price and trouble-free service. But since it was at the end of my latest two-year contract, any offer would be considered — even from his competitor.
    Just like marketing magic, he came up with two smartphones in the inventory that he’d let me have for a penny. More negotiations began on types of service and coverage. I did get one pleasant surprise: a military discount I wasn’t aware of. So that knocked off a few bucks from the bill immediately.
    The model I selected was one of the uglier ones. It has a hard-rubber case and is supposedly dustproof, shockproof and waterproof. The manual says you can dunk it in three feet of water for 30 minutes without harming it. So I guess this means I can safely wear it while shooting Dexter football photos in a rainstorm next fall.
    It has about 25 apps, most of which are useless to me. These include Daily Perks, Android Games, Slacker Radio, Oregon Trail and Tone Room Deluxe. I have no idea what these do. I’m guessing that Daily Perks has nothing to do with fresh coffee. And I have never been to Oregon.
    But I’m not interested in reading a novel, listening to music or shopping online with a smartphone. I do that in the comfort of my home office.
    The sales guy gave me several helpful hints, however, which included using Wi-Fi whenever possible to cut down on data usage. There’s also something called an eco-mode which decreases battery usage when the phone is idle. I accidentally left the device on overnight and it still had enough juice in the morning to power it up.
    So I guess I’ve been dragged into the 21st century of technology. Nevertheless, I still don’t like texting and have no interest in opening a Twitter account.
    But at least the phone reception is much clearer and the screen is easier to read.
    Mike Lange is a staff writer with the Piscataquis Observer. His opinions are his own and don’t necessarily reflect those of this newspaper.