Assorted Afflatuses
Imperfect Choices
While I may have an unhealthy affinity for gadgets, I am lagging far behind when it comes to cellular technology. Unlike the mobile phones owned by nearly everyone in the United States, or even Ghana, my cell phone is over three years old. Admittedly, I have spent countless hours attempting to find a replacement, but nothing fit the bill. At this point, however, I have become quite desperate: I really need a new mobile.
Most people would automatically put me down as one of the lunatics who will buy an Apple iPhone the minute they go on sale. But, unlike most gadget addicts, I do have at least some degree of sense. First generation products, of course, have an unpleasant tendency to break or malfunction in some way. Not a desirable trait. The iPhone's lack of a 3G wireless radio also seems somewhat backwards to me, especially considering the iPhone's remarkable HTML web browser.
So, I have narrowed the playing field down to three possible choices. None of them perfect, but I suppose one of them must do.
Nokia's N80 model is choice number one. It may not have a QWERTY keyboard for easy texting or datebook entries, but it does have three very impressive features. For one, it has not one, but two cameras: one on the front and one on the back. The rear camera permits the user to take high-quality 3-megapixels photos and the one on the front can be used for video calls. Secondly, it has the aforementioned 3G wireless radio so that I don't feel like I have been transported back to 1998 when I browse the Internet. And thirdly, it has a comparatively high resolution screen.
But the N80 is enormous. Unlike the Motorola RAZR, it measures over one inch thick! It may not sound that bad, but an inch-thick mobile would create a very uncomfortable bulge in my pocket.
Contender number two is the Sony Ericsson M600. Like the N80, it too has a 3G radio. Though unlike the N80, the M600 has a slick touch-screen and a QWERTY-esque thumb keyboard. It's also much thinner than the N80, measuring just four-tenths of an inch thick. The M600, however, does not have one key feature: a camera. I cannot honestly say I use the camera feature of my phone very often, though I like the idea of having one, or even two cameras, especially if I can wow people with video calls.
My last cellular possibility is the Sony Ericsson P990i. It has every bell and whistle anyone could possibly cram into a phone: a 3G radio, two cameras, a touch-screen, a full QWERTY keyboard, a numeric keypad and even WiFi. But the P990i is even more bloated than the N80. It's both over an inch thick, has generous horizontal and vertical dimensions, and weighs a lot, for a cell phone. The P990i also has the added disadvantage of costing the most of the three.
At the moment, I am leaning toward the M600. As I said, I really do not use the camera all that often and I like the idea of having a more svelte phone. Granted, I also cannot say that many people have two cameras on their phones. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Two camers is completely useless, if you ask me. How often do people make video calls? Almost never. Even one camera isn't really necessary. I vote for the M600.
Kibe, Kibe, Kibe.
Is there an urging need for you to get a new phone? Yes, your current phone is over three years old, but doesn't this mean something to you? In a world where products are made merely to replaced in a year, don't you think that you have cheated the system, and in doing so have won?
I say you ditch the whole new phone idea. What you need to do is see how long the one you have now lasts. Why get rid of your phone to see it tossed onto the garbage heap to be sent to the landfill? Is there a point to simply upgrading when the essential function of a cell phone still continues to serve?
I know you like gadgets, and as aforementioned, it is no secret that you have plenty of them. However, would a web browser on a phone compel you to surf the web while away from your desk? No! The repeated execution of such a task would cause carpal tunnel in no time!
When it comes down to it, why not save the earth and your sanity?
Firstly, Daniel, I seriously doubt that even you, Mr. I ♥ The Environment, have a cell phone as old and decrepit as mine. Yes, my mobile was fancy and state-of-the art back in 2003. But in technology time that's like looking back to the Triassic.
Secondly, I use my cell phone for much more than simply calling people. That would be mundane and, dare I say it, cliché. I mean really: who uses their cell phone just to call people? The bells and whistles are necessary.
Thirdly, I do not think that I am playing a game with corporate America. I cannot "win." So your crazy proposition about winning is just that: crazy.
Fourthly, I would not throw my old phone out. Instead, I would keep it so that the next time I travel to Europe I can use it there and not worry about some lunatic pickpocket purloining my fancy new phone. That way, it's possible to hold some other lunatic to account for throwing it out. And really, we must face the fact that some things just should not be made out of corn.