I’ve battled it for years, refused to convert, held to the old ways, but now I am hooked. How did this happen? I have allowed myself to be influenced by those around me and finally decided to take the plunge and although still encountering some rough water, I am keeping myself afloat most of the time.
What am i referring to? The scary and dangerous transformation from a traditional flip phone to a smart phone. In my case, I went with the Apple IPhone. After I made that decision and proudly announced my conversion I had some people tell me I should have gone with an android or a windows based phone, but being it is my first, I am doing okay and seem to have made a wise choice for me.
What I have found is nothing makes you feel dumber than a smart phone. Everything you do when setting it up requires a password, and trying to type on a tiny screen keyboard can be challenging at best. Finally discovered the pinky finger serves that purpose best, only to discover that those darn automatic fill-ins for words can make for some weird messages if you aren’t paying attention.
A major challenge — my ringer has no sound. I was baffled. It worked when I got the phone and for several days after, then suddenly gone. I checked and I had the volume on high, the ringer tone selected for all features, calls, text messages, etc. When a message or call came in I received a vibration but no sound, nothing. I can play a video and it has sound, so I know the speakers are working. My daughter has a smart phone, android based, and she stopped over so I had her try to help me figure it out. We checked menus, verified settings, made test calls, but no sound. In walks her boyfriend, looks at the phone and flips a slide button on the side of the phone and what happens – the ringer now works! An unbelievable neat feature that turns the ringer sounds off with the slide of a button had dumbfounded me and my daughter for more than 30 minutes. Nothing makes you feel dumber than a smart phone!
One of the fun advantages is the built in video and camera that allows you to take a shot and immediately post what you are doing to Facebook….and who can deny the fun of a “selfie.” Fun, Fun, Fun! Although I always said I had no desire to be connected on a regular basis to everything and everyone, I find myself glancing at the news feeds that come in from the local TV station and newspaper, and I do occasionally glance at the update run of Facebook postings without opening the actual website. I have found that scanning Facebook or playing a game of solitaire while watching TV is a handy form of multi-tasking, making me at least feel somewhat productive while in a stagnated couch-potato state.
I do however have unexplored territory and ongoing challenges. I have seen those little squares you are supposed to be able to take a photo of with your phone to access additional information, I have taken pictures but get no info. What is the trick to that? I have never used Face Time, have no idea what Safari is, and wonder if I will someday use all the features that are on my screen. Why is it when I want to place a call or send a text message I get a list of all my email contacts, not just my phone contacts? While I’m looking at things I accidentally call someone when I had no intention of doing that. I don’t have to butt dial anyone, I can do it with the phone firmly in my hand and still not know what is going on. Little challenges that I will hopefully tackle over time.
Life is a Melting Pot of unexplored territory, new adventures and technology. I have adventured into the smart phone world and can guarantee I have no interest in turning back now. If I could only feel smarter than the phone, that is the challenge!
--- LIFE IS A MELTING POT --- Grace Grogan...Writer, Photographer 