When I lost my cell phone at the Ringling Brothers circus about ten days ago, all my friends assumed that I would replace it with a smart phone. Surprise! I bought one of the rare dumb phones, an LG model that does not have a touch screen interface.
What do I have against touch screen interfaces? I guess I associate smart phones with people who don’t know what to do with their hands, so they spend their lives tweezling around with a microscreen to play games, devise phantom to-do lists, send and read e-mails, and in general replace life with a digital simulacrum .
So today during lunch hour, I took my turn waiting in line at the local AT&T store, while some bonzoid in shorts apparently tried to stage a hostile takeover of the phone company using Lithuanian zinc futures. He took so long that the rep who was helping him went off to lunch, leaving him on hold on the phone.
My cell phone, on the other hand, is used almost exclusively for making calls. I don’t even like to receive calls on my cell. But then, whenever I removed my old Samsung cell phone from its holster, it would automatically shut down the incoming call.
I’m not saying I’ll never get a cell phone, it’s just that I’m not interesting at this time in expanding my cell phone usage, or dirtying up a tiny screen, making it even harder for my bad eyes to read it.
I agree with you, Jim. I don’t want a “smart” phone. I can’t see it, anyway.
I use my little Samsung to make calls exclusively. It’s my only personal number since the land line isn’t in my name.I spend a lot of time on my laptop, anyway, which is much easier to see. If I need a computer, I take that with me. In fact, I usually have it with me. I don’t use a GPS device either. Remember maps? I also ask for directions from locals when necessary and confirm it on a map. It’s actually fun to talk to a human. However, if I had to drive around town on business or go to strange cities, then I might get one. Cell phones don’t work up the Sierra, although there is wi-fi at the local cafe.