For the last few years when asked if I text, check e-messages on my phone, use my phone "GPS", do I have that "app", I'd proudly respond "I don't have those features on my rotary-dial cellular! BTW: I still "hand draw" my architectural designs, even though it's getting harder to buy velum's and drafting leads!"
About a month ago a landscape architect friend who like me was using a "flip-cover" cellular phone, joined me for dinner and proudly showed his "user-friendly" latest design I-phone. "This is so simple and intuitive to use that even you should be able to use it! (I briefly recalled that he said a similar thing when he coaxed me to rent a moped to tour a Southern Caribbean island, and I crashed on it that day!) "Just talk to it and it converts your voice into texts or e-messages!".
Coincidentally, I had just attended a motivational business presentation..."Welcome "change"...use it to boost your success...if you fear it, schedule it on your to do list, and "attack it", and get it done!" The next day, I stopped by my cellular store, and scheduled a future appointment to buy one. The associate that has the same birthday as I, and knows my love of technology personality said that I should allow at least 2.5 hours to have my service switched and to be taught some basics of the new phone's use.
A week ago, a self-professed "tech geek" made a presentation to our real estate company's commercial department. He showed about seven of the "thousands" of available "apps" that could be "down-loaded" for free or a minor fee. As he whisked from one to the next..."These will revolutionize your business and make doing it a breeze!" For a moment, he crossed over to my principal business...architecture...and showed an app to produce as-built floor plans. "Simply hold out your I-phone or I-pad, let the GPS find your location, point the camera eye at the four corners of the room, then turn in a circle while surveying the room, and WA-LA, in minutes a scaled floor plan of the room appears. Just send it to your printer or e-mail it to your clients!" My associated said this would put architects out of business!!!
"Well, you know I have a scheduled appointment in two days to get an I-phone, and this incredible presentation reinforces my decision!" My associates congratulated me on my decision to BEGIN to enter the current century!
The anticipated Wednesday arrived...I arrived for my 10:00 scheduled appointment, and by10:30 I was called to the work station of my understanding sales associate.
"Here is your new phone in "conservative black". Since you have a bundled service with us, the phone will only cost you $200. (note: that when I signed up for bundled service with my phone land line, desk top high-speed Internet, my TV cable, and my unlimited cell to cell calls, I was told that my monthly bill would be $99! It is $255!). As the phone is easily dropped, and will shatter on impact, you should get a ballistic cover for $50! Since it is very likely to be stolen, you should buy the insurance policy that is $7 per month and allows stolen replacement for $200 instead of $650 for the first two years! The battery SHOULD last for your two year contract, but it is not covered, and if it does go our you will need to pay the $650 for a replacement phone! Your monthly bill for limited texting and use of the Internet, will increase $30 per month. I don't recommend buying a stylus (to point to the right section of the phone with my reduced vision and arthritic fingers!) for $13 because they are always lost and also not covered by the "insurance"! Oh a car battery charger is extra. Let's see...that will be $289 for the equipment with the $450 phone reduction, and a $10 coupon!"
After an hour, MOST of my phone numbers that had been stored on my last phones Sim-card were transferred! ONLY about 50 of my most-recently entered numbers did not transfer! "When you have free time you can scroll through your old phone and new phone to determine which ones are missing! And I cannot understand why I cannot seem to have all of the contacts listed by either their first or last names! There seems to be a programmatic failure!"
Another one and a half hours of BASIC use instruction followed..."JUST PLAY WITH IT! DON'T BE AFRAID OF IT! IT WON'T BREAK (unless you drop it without the ballistic cover, or it gets too much moisture or heat (in humid Florida???), or falls in a pool or toilet which is very common here!"
As I drove out of the store, the phone rang over my car bluetooth speaker! "How do I answer it?" I pushed the control button, got to phone (I thought!) and snapped a photo by accident! The caller tried back three times, and by accident I was able to answer and talk! But then I had to determine how to hang up!
As I drove out of the store, the phone rang over my car bluetooth speaker! "How do I answer it?" I pushed the control button, got to phone (I thought!) and snapped a photo by accident! The caller tried back three times, and by accident I was able to answer and talk! But then I had to determine how to hang up!
I went to workout...I had to take the now 2.5 by 5 inch device with me into the gym for fear of what would happen to it if I left it in the car!..."YEAH MAN...LOOK AT YOU...YOU HAVE ARRIVED...YOU GOT YOURSELF AN I-PHONE! YOU WILL SOON REALIZE THAT YOU DON'T KNOW HOW YOU LED YOUR LIFE WITHOUT ONE! It does EVERYTHING! A smart phone for we dumb people!!! (How little did I anticipate how true this last statement was...as a people we are VERY dumb to turn over ourselves to equipment!)
Per my instructions, I plugged in the phone into its battery charger overnight (14 hours). I was now ready to start using it. The next morning I thought I was getting used to the phone app. Press the button at the top right hand of the case; oops, I held it too long and the English accent on the speaker asked how it could help me;try pushing the control button for a shorter time; wait a few minutes for the apple logo to appear; scroll your finger from the left to the right; push the phone app; go to contacts; unsuccessfully try to use the 1/64 inch tall alphabet letters at the right of the screen to get between the letters; then scroll down to the letter; determine that this contact must be listed by the first name instead of the last; get there and find the contact didn't load from the old phone; turn on the old phone and find the number; go to the new phone and repeat the first few steps; go to the keyboard; enter the number; press call; press blue tooth; don't have an accident if driving during this; and then hopefully the person answers; press the + sign on the side of the phone to adjust the volume; converse; oh the screen has gone dark; scroll from left to right to unlock the phone again; press "end" to hang up;and realize that this is improving my life!!!! Make a few more phone calls and turn off the phone (I thought!)...
A few hours later I turned on the phone and was informed that the battery was nearly dead! Drive to the phone store; sign in; see the next available assistant..."What kind of piece of junk is this? I charged the phone all night and the battery went dead so quickly!"..."You must be using too many apps as this can drain the battery in hours!"..."No, just the phone!"..."Oh I see the problem. a few apps are on! Double click on the control button; press down on the apps until they start scrolling; when the minus sign appears in the upper left corner of each app, try to hit the sign to turn off the apps; this will allow you to get more battery time; do this each time you finish tasks and want to place the phone in "sleep mode"; press the top button; scroll from left to right; these steps will become second nature to you!!!"
I reflected that the instructor that demonstrated the apps to our office must have been wearing a battery charger to use as many apps as he did! Day two, and I can already see how improved my life is! For my two year contract my new life will be my "I-Phone and Me" and my six hours of daily sleep will have to be reduced to three to attempt to use my phone! Cups attached to an extended string improved my life! But I am now the proud owner of the invention that has been determined to be the most innovative piece of technology ever!!!
A few hours later I turned on the phone and was informed that the battery was nearly dead! Drive to the phone store; sign in; see the next available assistant..."What kind of piece of junk is this? I charged the phone all night and the battery went dead so quickly!"..."You must be using too many apps as this can drain the battery in hours!"..."No, just the phone!"..."Oh I see the problem. a few apps are on! Double click on the control button; press down on the apps until they start scrolling; when the minus sign appears in the upper left corner of each app, try to hit the sign to turn off the apps; this will allow you to get more battery time; do this each time you finish tasks and want to place the phone in "sleep mode"; press the top button; scroll from left to right; these steps will become second nature to you!!!"
I reflected that the instructor that demonstrated the apps to our office must have been wearing a battery charger to use as many apps as he did! Day two, and I can already see how improved my life is! For my two year contract my new life will be my "I-Phone and Me" and my six hours of daily sleep will have to be reduced to three to attempt to use my phone! Cups attached to an extended string improved my life! But I am now the proud owner of the invention that has been determined to be the most innovative piece of technology ever!!!
