Cell Phones -- National Blog Posting Month Day 4

I should preface this entry by saying that my son is a "gadget guy." He wants the newest and latest electronic gadgets and wizardry. As soon as he hears of something new coming out, he starts researching - he can tell you anything you'd ever want to know before it ever hits the market. He will sit with a new gadget and have all its in's and out's figured out in a couple of hours.

I should continue by saying that I am not a "gadget girl." It takes me quite a while to learn the in's and out's of new gadgets -- like maybe a couple of ..... oh, let's say ..... I don't know .... years! Shoot, when the gadget is out-of-date and being replaced, I still haven't figured it out!

Day before yesterday, Verizon Wireless introduced the Motorola Droid. The stores were opening at 7am; he and I were sitting in the parking lot at 6:45am waiting. Please believe, I didn't go because I wanted a new phone - I went just to be a part of his excitement and because he asked me to go.

Well ..... needless to say ..... things don't always work out the way you want. He just knew he was going to walk in and within 30 minutes walk out with the newest and latest phone in technology. NOPE!

We are former Alltel customers - sometime this past year Verizon purchased Alltel. The Verizon representatives quickly told him that in order to do anything with his phone, the entire plan had to be switched from the existing Alltel plan to a Verizon plan - which meant everyone on the plan had to get new phones. I'm sure you totally understand when I say -- he was not a happy camper receiving this little tidbit of information.

I'm not technical - it's like speaking Russian to me. You can start to explain technical stuff to me, and I immediately go into overload and my brain begins to shut down (some of you reading this may not see the dilemma we non-technical people have with these decisions - others of you are now sitting with your heads nodding up and down).

After I steadied my nerves and cleared my head thoughts started falling into place ....

I have a Blackberry that I don't really utilize to its fullest capacity ....

Why keep this Blackberry and continue to pay a monthly fee for it to do all it does if I don't use it to do all it can do?

"What do you want to do with a phone," asked the Verizon representative?

Well .....

I want to answer a call .....

I want to make a call .....

I want to send a text .....

I want to receive a text .....

I want to take an occasional picture .....

I want to send an occasional picture to a friend's phone .....

A calendar would be nice so I can set reminders to watch my few favorite TV shows (this is where my son just walked away to look at another display while shaking his head) .....

A notepad might be handy

I don't need to receive an e-mail while I'm on the go - I can read it when I get home .....

I don't need to send an e-mail while I'm on the go - I can send it when I get home .....

I don't need to see what someone wrote on my Facebook page while I'm on the go - I can read it when I get home .....

I don't need to write something on another's Facebook page while I'm on the go - I can write it when I get home .....

I don't need to keep up with the latest sport's scores through ESPN while I'm on the go - oh, now wait, I might need to do that - I can just turn ESPN radio on in the car

I don't need to be instantly accessible to anyone while I'm on the go

Unless it's my son

He can call or text me

I know how to answer a call or text

So...they make 2 recommendations for a phone.

Why?

Just tell me which phone will best serve my needs.

Don't make me try to figure this out.

I don't know -- it's new -- it's different -- I'm not used to it -- what do I do?

I text a wonderful friend - a wonderful techno friend - a cell phone and technology genius - my knight in shining armour - my hero

JEFFREY

and say,

"Jeffrey, please tell me what to do!"

He researches the 2 phones they suggest and tells me the one I should go with. This is simple now. Right? NOPE!

We get back to the store - they tell us a memo has come through from the home office saying that any Alltel plan that wants to upgrade to the new Motorola Droid may do so without effecting the other phones on the plan.

All that work ....

All that texting ...

All that thinking ....

All that worry.....

(Personally I think there were other confused moms, and the home office decided if they wanted these kids to have these phones they better make it easy on the mom.)

So, my son now has his Motorola Droid and is a happy camper.

So, I still have my Blackberry that is not being utilized to the fullest and a crowded brain.

So.

What to do with all these thoughts?

I hate technology.