WSET.com - ABC13My New Technology by Pattie Martin

I've finally taken the plunge. I am now the owner of a smart phone. To be honest, I'm not sure I really needed one, but my old phone was on its last leg and this was a deal that was almost too good to pass up. 

I remember the first cell phone I got.  It was about the size of the handset on a land line and didn't hold a charge for more than a few hours. It took a while to get used to having one. I remember going into a store once and the clerk having to tell me that she thought the phone in my purse was ringing. Before she told me, I remember thinking, "I wonder what that noise is?" 

Now I have access to my email, Facebook, the Internet and just about anything else you can imagine. It's been fun so far. I'm still learning a lot about how it works. I feel so old when I get around younger people who can text faster than I can read and who send pictures and upload videos in the blink of an eye. I tried to send my first picture the other day…fail. 

I think what really drove me to get one was my recent trip to Las Vegas. I spent a lot of time in airports watching, what seemed like EVERYONE, using their smart phone. They were talking, looking up the weather, watching movies and texting. I was so embarrassed. My phone was at least 7 or 8 years old and had duct tape holding on the battery. I kept trying to hide it in my hand whenever I had to make a call. It didn't help that one of my good friends laughed at me in a restaurant when I pulled it out. In fact, some of the tape had started to come off, so not only did I look ridiculous using it, but my hands were left a sticky mess. 

So, now I've moved on the next level of the cell phone. For now I feel very hip. Of course, it would all be a lot better if I actually knew what I was doing. But at least I can put away the duct tape…for now.