I did it. I made the move to a smartphone.
I did it. I bought an iPhone4S and I am now one of those people who is addicted to her smartphone. (Hope I don't become what New York Times writer Lizzie Skurnick calls a "clogin," one who blocks an entrance or exit while checking a smartphone. I definitely have signs of what Lizzie calls "e-ander," to walk slowly while checking my messages, and I also have "sentropy," as I do have a tendency to come to a stop to see if a message has been sent.)
I did it and I love it. My phone is smarter than me. (Although I don't find Siri so smart. Siri doesn't answer all my questions correctly like it does in the iPhone4S television commercial.)
My smartphone can tell time. (However, unlike my millennial children, I never go out of the house without my watch on my left wrist. I'm a creature of habit. I even had my mother-in-law's old watch refurbished and I actually have to wind it to make it work. Imagine that!)
I can keep my "to do" list on my smartphone and delete each item after I complete it. No more little scraps of paper to keep track of. No need to keep my "to do's" once they are done.
I can check my stock quotes on my smartphone and get up-to-date information in a matter of seconds. (Not sure I want to do this on a daily basis anymore with the way the Dow is doing lately.)
Oh, boy. Oh, boy. This smartphone is so, so, so smart. I can check the daily and weekly weather, find out what time it is around the world, take fabulous pictures, buy newspapers and magazines from the newsstand, find maps and directions when I need to go someplace new, keep my photo album up-to-date, listen to my music, read and sync my books with my Kindle, check the latest movie schedules and watch new movie trailers and movies too. I can update my status on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and shop on Rue La La or any other site I want to shop.
I can download yoga routines and wellness routines. (Wonder if my smartphone can help me lose the few extra pounds I put on this week from all the turkey and stuffing I ate on Thanksgiving?)
"You have to protect your new smartphone," said the AT&T salesman. "You need a good case and a car charger."
"How much will that cost?" I asked.
"Let's see, the case is $50 and the charger is $29," said the AT&T salesman as he rang up the two items.
"You are going to show me how to put the phone in this fancy case," I said to the salesman." Absolutely," he replied. "And you can also set up a speaker phone in your car."
"I can set up a speaker phone in my car. Wow-o-wow, this phone is really fantastic," I said.
"What kind of car do you have?" asked the nice twenty-something salesman.
"I have a 2004 Honda Accord," I said.
"Ooh, I don't know if a smartphone will work in that old a car," he said.
A new case for my smartphone: $50
A new charger for my smartphone: $29
A new car for my smartphone: $27,000+
I love my smartphone. I adore my smartphone. But now I need a new car for my smartphone. What will it need next? Sure hope it is not a college education. My youngest graduates in May 2012 and I'm done with paying tuition. It's time to save for retirement, not for my smartphone expenses.