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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Dumb phone

Yesterday, I was one of three speakers on a blogger's panel at a social media meeting. Before it was time for the panel to begin, I was sitting in the audience listening to a Twitter presentation by @jamesburnes (if you tweet, you should follow him).

My phone began to vibrate (I'd turned the sound off for the presentation). I reached into my bag and pulled out my very not-smart Motorola Razor phone.



It was Mike calling. I couldn't really talk, so I let the call go to voice mail and then texted him that I was in a meeting. He immediately texted back a question I needed to answer. As I was multi-tapping my way through my response (you know, tap three times for the letter "c," twice for "e," etc.) I looked around at the other folks at the table who were using their "smart" phones to tweet some of what James was saying, to check e-mail and to answer text messages.

Like a kid wearing knock-off tennis shoes in a room full of kids wearing Nike and Adidas, I was embarrassed and tried to hide the phone a bit under the tablecloth as I carried on my text chat with Mike. I mean, here I was, supposedly an "expert" on this panel, clunking my way through a social media meeting with a dumb phone.

Typically, I'm not one of those people who has to have the latest and the greatest. I think I've had my red Razor phone for 3 or 4 years. And while I still love the red, I think it's time for a smart phone. Not only for texting and tweeting, but for things that will help me be more efficient -- like being able to keep our family calendar handy at all times. And, ok, for the occasional Scrabble game while I'm waiting in a doctor's office somewhere.

The contract isn't up on my phone until December. But I'm kind of thinking that maybe for my birthday next month, I can get an iPhone. Maybe a Blackberry. (I hope Mike is reading this!)

Do you use a smart phone? Which one? What do you love about? What don't you love?

10 comments:

Nate's Mom said...

LOL, I have a dumb phone! I cam make calls and even text. I don't even check my email or tweet on it. I am so out of it. But, it's not in the budget this year.

Sheri in CA

Annie said...

mom u shood get a blackberry and if u give me your fone thats fine but when i cant use it anymore i would like a fone that has a full keyboard like the enV 2

Amy said...

@Annie -- What were you doing up at 3:50am?

Jessica McCoy said...

I love the new Nokia Smart phone! I'm stuck in the stone age as well with my clunker flip phone. I'm NEEDING a smart phone SO BAD but can't fork over the $30/mo for internet access. Maybe I'll get a raise or something soon! (probably not).

Joanne said...

LOL I just got a new phone and its probably the dumbest phone on the planet - sorry little phone. But I probably the reason not the phone - I don't text - I definitely don't tweet and I rarely even have it on except in case of emergency. I am not really technically challenged just not ready to join the revolution.

Lynette3boys said...

I have the same exact razor but in purple. And it drives me nuts the few times I use it to text. I'd do a lot more if it wasn't so dumb. And like you, my contract isn't up for a few more months (October) so until then I will suffer. But I WILL be getting an upgrade when that time comes.

Eternal Lizdom said...

Who's your service provider?

I'm a Verizon gal and I have an "old school" chocolate 3. I love it though... until...

I got a phone to test from Verizon. The enV touch. And I adore it. And I don't want to give it back. It has a 3.2 megapixel camera that takes great pics. It flips open to a regular keyboard. The touchscreen is the easiest to use that I've come across.

So if anyone asks about a missing enV touch... just tell 'em you don't know nothin'...

Cindi said...

I need a new phone and I'm thinking of the BlackBerry Curve. I think it would be easier for texting. I always thought texting was way too time consuming, pressing certain buttons so many times, etc. Then I realized that I can text my 18 year old son via Yahoo messenger. I LOVE it! My son, however, not so much, hahaha! Just wait until he goes off to college in a few weeks!

Amy said...

@Liz - I'm currently w/Sprint. DH has an iPhone through AT&T. I'm leaning toward iPhone, but want to check out all the options.

@Cindi - I think the Curve is the one Annie thinks I should get.

@Lynette - So what are you going to upgrade to?

Mommy to those Special Ks said...

I have an iPhone and I love love love it! It does EVERYTHING. Seriously. It tells me the weather, it has my fandango on there for movies, holds a ton of pictures (which I can then enter into my twitterific app) I have a google app, a weather channel app and of course my calendar which keeps me organized. I even have this cool restaurant app where I can look up places to eat around me wherever I happen to be just by the type of food I want, which is VERY handy when you have picky kids. There really IS an app for EVERYTHING!
Before we switched I had Sprint and I had the Instinct which is a wanna be iPhone and that thing gave me nothing but headaches, so beware of imposters! LOL There's my 3 cents on the subject! :)