Joining the Smart Phone World

Mr. Yoshida did me in.

It was some of his tangy sauce that leaked out of my lunch container and got all over my aging LG Rumor 2 phone, rendering it a sticky mess.

I was able to clean the outside pocket of my laptop bag well enough, but the phone itself was never quite right after the spill.  After putting up with it for a couple months… I don’t make that many calls with it… I decided it was time to replace it.  So I headed over the the Virgin Mobile site to see what el cheapo model I could get to replace the sticky LG.

At the Virgin Mobile site though I found out they really aren’t into phones that are just phones any more.  They have one simple flip phone model these days.  However, since I am as likely to text as talk, I generally try to get one with the slide out keyboard, as I have no mind to master the whole dialing from the keypad thing.

And I didn’t want to go to another vendor, as my VM account was topped up with enough cash to last me a long time.  I have been putting $20 on the account every 90 days for years to keep the phone active, but use maybe a $1.50 of it every cycle.

So I decided it might be time to bite the bullet and get a smart phone.  While there were certainly some el cheapo choices on that front, I figured if I was going to go that route I had best go with a phone that is supported, which left me with the Samsung and Apple options.  After some hemming and hawing, I decided to go the Apple route, in large part because everybody in my family who has a smart phone has an iPhone.

And, of course, there was a cheap option.  The 16GB iPhone 5s was only $199.  So I ordered one and it arrived late last week.

iPhone 5s

iPhone 5s

This also happens to be the same phone my daughter has so… and it has come to this… she can show me how to use it correctly.  When did I become my father?

The phone itself seems to be a pretty nice piece of equipment.  My only problem so far has been getting a case for the unit.  There are so many case options out there, I am not sure how anybody decides, aside from just hitting choice fatigue and taking whatever looks okay just to get on with their life.

13 thoughts on “Joining the Smart Phone World

  1. carrandas

    The cheapest I can find an iphone 5S in Belgium is for €330. Reason enough for me to buy an android.

    Enjoy your smartphone, I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun with it!

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  2. ibaien

    I buy whatever garish (purple and pink? camo? American flag?) otter box is on sale through Amazon; they generally last about four months before the stretchy rubber component loses integrity, but until then they are pretty indestructible. put one on right away before you get spoiled by the responsiveness of an unprotected phone; make safe choices.

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  3. zaphod6502

    You definitely want a case asap. iPhones are slippery beasts and love to fall out of my hand. My family used Otterbox Commuters. Very good protection.

    I had to upgrade from a 5S to a 6S Plus. My old eyes simply couldn’t read the screen anymore and the Plus is big enough not to force me to wear glasses all the time.

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  4. Jeromai

    Welcome to the Augmented Reality world.

    Pokemon, guild/corp mates spamming on Telegram/Discord, and yet another new medium to buy the same games you already own on PC again.

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  5. Jarhead

    who are you trying to kid? surely Mr. Satoshi Tajiri had more influence on your new purchase than Mr. Yoshida.

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  6. trollusk

    You’re going to find that 16GB is VERY little storage space…

    Get a case, but don’t bother with screen protectors – they’re totally unnecessary, the glass is extremely scratch resistant.

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  7. Wilhelm Arcturus Post author

    @trollusk – I have gone over three years with a 16GB iPad 2. I’m not the sort to keep apps around I don’t use. The only real concern I have is if I start using the camera a lot.

    @Sleepysam – yet

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