Technology Changes

Do you really need a new phone or television?  Why?  Has something important changed?  My current personal cell phone (pictured on the right) is a feature phone (aka dumb phone).  It does exactly what I need it to do… make and receive calls.  Texting is blocked since my old service plan doesn’t include texting.  It’s hard to let go of my $30 monthly plan when it serves its purpose.

People usually laugh, and people are always amazed that I still use that phone.  That’s okay, I love my phone!  (Although, my second cell phone was better in many ways.)  I especially love the low-cost service plan!  In a pinch, it can even take photos (granted, not good ones).  It has an alarm.  Best of all, it has better service in my house than most other phones (mostly because of the carrier).  Reception isn’t great at home, but most visitors have worse reception than me.  The battery is fantastic too; I only charge it once or twice a week.

As you can see, I’ve only had three personal cell phones.  (I got my first in 1999.)  I’ve only replaced them when the batteries will no longer hold a charge (including new batteries, if I could find them).  I loved the customized cases that my first two phones had.  They made them easy to hold and easy to wear.

I couldn’t resist including my old pager in the picture. 😉

Okay, so, to be fair, I recently had to get a smartphone for work.  I like being able to send or receive a quick text.  I don’t like having a conversation via text.  If someone wants to chat instead of talk on the phone, I prefer to do it online since typing on my computer is so much easier for me than texting.

The camera is nice, but I recently noticed that the color and quality aren’t as good as my real camera.  It’s great for taking pictures of coupons instead of printing them.  The calculator is better than the one my personal phone has.  I also use the timer since both of my kitchen timers broke.  It’s helpful to have access to maps when I’m traveling.  That’s it!  That’s all I do on it!  I haven’t downloaded any apps.  I don’t use it as a computer.  For security, I don’t log into anything on my phone.

Unfortunately, I will have to give up my dumb phone soon.  I’m not looking forward to it.  Fortunately, I have come across a cheaper plan, but I’m not sure if the service will work at home.

My ear tends to change settings on the smartphone while I’m talking, and the phone keeps falling off of me.  I probably need to start wearing a belt to keep it from falling.  Ugh.  I never had those issues with any of my dumb phones.

At the beginning of this month, my tube TV died.  You know, the enormous, bulky ones (not flat)? It’s been dying over the last year or so, but it finally bit the dust.  A friend who came to town laughed because I’m the only person she knows who has ever been disappointed about getting a new TV.

I love my entertainment cabinet so I had to get a new TV that would fit in it.  I found one for $120.  It’s so much smaller than my old TV!  The sound quality is also worse.  The picture quality is only good when looking straight at it.  The color washes out at an angle (i.e. from the kitchen while finishing my dinner preparation).

It’s a good thing I’m a recovering TV addict; I only have three shows left, and two are probably (hopefully) being canceled.  I just watch movies and listen to Music Choice.  So, the TV really isn’t very important to me.  The good news is that it’s compatible with my VCR so I can record movies when I’m gone.

I’ve always been a late adapter to technology.  It isn’t necessarily a cost issue.  It’s a need issue.  If I don’t need something, I normally don’t get it (especially now).  I didn’t get a digital camera until 2007.  I loved my 35mm camera!  Of course, when I switched, I started taking hundreds of photos everywhere I went.  Sometimes, it’s a bad thing since it’s more work for me later.  It took me a long time to switch to DVDs.  It pretty much took the unavailability of VHS tapes for me to make the switch.  Of course, now, I don’t buy any movies.  I’m fine watching them on TV once they’re older.

So, do you really need the newest phone, TV, or whatever?  I doubt it.  Does yours still work?  I imagine it does.

Updates: My personal cell is now a smartphone because my previous carrier decided to stop supporting dumb phones. It actually worked out well because my current carrier is half the price of my previous one, and the signal strength in my house didn’t change. I canceled cable, and I wish I had done it sooner. I now stream free movies with a device that connects to my TV, and I absolutely love it.

Linda 🙂

Here are other helpful posts in addition to the links above: Previous Articles