Tuesday, January 31, 2012

My history with smart phones

All throughout college I had crappy flip phones.  Phones that the hinges broke on and I'd have to figure out a way to super clue pieces back together so they stuck.  My dad was footing my cellphone bill back then so I didn't get new phones until I was ready for an upgrade or he switched carriers, which he did a lot while I was in college.  I think I started with Cingular, then move to T-Mobile before finally landing with Sprint, who since I've always loved.  I haven't had the horror stories with Sprint like so many I know and aside from a horribel Blackberry experience I've always loved my phones with them.

In fall 2007 I had been at my first real job for about 8 months and I was getting comfortable enough to take on my cell phone bill as my own responsibility- that and I'd just received a raise and wanted a cool phone instead of the dying flip phone I hated.  I walked into Sprint with my dad and told the guy that I wanted to transfer the line into my own name and I wanted a new phone.  The Sprint guy asked what I wanted my phone to do and I told him email, calendar and texting.  My dad then jokingly added that it should also be a phone.  What I got was this...


Within hours I was in love.  This was the best thing ever! A Palm Centro! I had never had a smart phone before and this to me was perfect.  It did everything I wanted.  I could text like no one's business, email in a snap and it kept a great calendar.  Yes the internet sucked and getting directions on it was no fun either.  But back when I was 21 and didn't use GPS to the extent I do today or search everything on my phone, it was great!  I had this phone for about a little over a year.  Christmas Eve-eve 2008 it had a very unfortunate accident involving vodka, cranberry juice and more vodka.  I was devastated. I couldn't live without my phone! It had my whole world on it! It was so dead I couldn't even pull the numbers I needed off of it.  

Everyone told me to just get another Centro since I loved this one so much they even came in Pink then, but I wanted to upgrade, I wanted something bigger and better. I wanted something that was made for email and calendar.  I thought I wanted a Blackberry!


I was so very wrong.  I hated my Blackberry cure, pretty much from the moment I turned it on I hated it.  I hated it's lack of color, I hate it's swirly little ball mouse, I hated how it gave directions! I hated trying to search for something.  The keyboard didn't feel gummy and soft, it was hard and plastic.  I hated it.  Two weeks later CES announced the Palm Pre and I knew! I'd have to wait it out with the horrible Blackberry till June so I could get my Palm Pre and be done with this awful creation Blackberry.  


I was somewhere outside of Houston for a wedding on June 6th, 2009 when the Pre was released.  I had resigned myself that I'd just wait till I got back to San Antonio to get it, but then as I sat in my hotel room that morning trying to look up directions to the church on my Blackberry, I realized it was time.  My Blackberry could not get me to the church, it kept sending me to some random parking lot with a liquor store and gas station.  I went to the front desk and asked for a map to the nearest Sprint store.  20 minutes I was there...


Look! They had balloons set out for all the smart people getting new Pres! 



I was number 31! This was the first and sad to say not the last time I paid a ridiculous amount for a new phone.  "Ma'am you contract isn't up till next January you phone will be $5,000" "What?!?!" Just kidding it wasn't $5,000 but at the time that's what it felt like.  Luckily it was totally worth it. 


Look at this beauty! Look at that Palm Pre! Loved it! Not as much as I loved my centro, but the keyboard felt completely natural.  I had every intention of keeping this bad boy for two years, but unfortunately after I started dating Bruce the darn things started breaking constantly and I started having to use my insurance to replace it.  I'm not blaming Bruce for the destruction of a lot of Pres, but I'm just saying you can't argue with timing.

Nothing ever felt wrong with the Pre, it wasn't like the Blackberry thank god, it did everything I asked it to and it did it well.  I honestly had no complaints.  Then that damn January came back and I learned about all the fancy new phones coming out in the summer and I got phone envy.  Then this happened...


6AM on June 4th, 2010 I found myself in line at the Quarry Sprint store!  What happened?  There were no balloons, I was first in line out like maybe 15-20 other people.  The kick stand it totally wat intrigued me at first.  This phone is awesome, I really like it.  Again another step better then my previous phone.  It does everything I need it to (except sync to my UTSA calendar, but there's an app for that so it's cool).  Bruce had total phone envy and after he'd broken his 4th Pre, I'd honestly lost count he eventually upgraded to a cool new Android phone too.

Now it's 2012, no cool CES phone caught my eye.  I'm satisfied with my Evo, it does what I ask I never have problems with it.  But come June what am I going to do? I don't think I'll want another Evo, but none of the other Android phones out right now are piquing my interest.  I go back an forth daily about wanting an iPhone, can I disable Siri if I get an iPhone? Cause that shit scares me.  Are there are new Androids coming along down the pipes?  Where is the next Centro? I loved my Centro, I will always consider it my favorite phone.  Maybe because it was my first, maybe because it was Red, maybe because I don't have a good reason, but for now the Evo will do, maybe I'll hang on to it till something new and cool comes out and just save up my new phone credit.  Who knows...

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