Weekend Assignment: Phone Me
Fresh when it gets here from
Julie Barrett
Friday, June 27, 2008
What
do you use a phone for? Do you strictly use it to make calls and pick
up messages, or do you take advantage of other technology bundled with
phones these days? Which features do you use all the time, which others
would you use if they were available and cheap, and which would you not
bother with even it they were free?
So Karen got a new phone. Very cool, Karen!
Well, you know me. I'm a geek. I'll try almost any technology at least once. I have the Sprint Mogul phone:
Like Karen's Rumor, it has a slide-out keyboard. But the phone keypad is on the screen.
The reason I like this phone is that I can do so much with it. The Mogul isn't just a phone, it's my calendar, contact manager, MP3 player, portable video player, satellite navigation system, and off-site e-mail and web browser. And don't tell anyone, but I can play games on it as well.
Oddly enough, the telephone is the least-used of the features. (But I'll save that for the extra credit.)
What don't I use that I pay for? Probably Sprint TV. I just got it going on my phone the other day, so I haven't had time to really give it a try. I probably won't use it a lot. The other feature is sending photos via text messaging because Sprint hasn't activated that feature on this phone yet. It's something I would use, though.
That's one big reason I use the camera: I can send pictures via e-mail (which is different from text messaging) to people. Hey, it's a handy feature. A few weeks ago I told Paul I'd pick up something he needed from Hobby Lobby. I got there, and found the item was available in a myriad of colors. I snapped a picture of the items on the pegboard and sent it to him. He looked at the picture and told me which one he wanted. Not only was I saved the time and gas involved in a second trip, but he was able to start on his project that evening rather than having to wait for me to go out the next day. (Yeah, he's very capable of doing his own darn shopping, but I figure if I'm out already I can save him a trip - especially if he needs something from somewhere I have to go to anyway. With gas prices the way they are, it makes sense.)
Yes, I pay for the data plan. Sprint just rolled out a very nice family share plan that includes unlimited data and text messaging. I don't use text messaging very much, but Chris does. That's no surprise considering that's the main method of communication amongst his peers. That and IM. The new plan is going to cost essentially the same as the old plan, so it's a bargain. Who knows? I might just get into text messaging.
Oh, one thing I love about my phone is the ability to get online. Sometimes while we're out (especially at bowling) someone will start talking about a movie or something ... what was that film called? Out comes the phone, and soon we have an answer. I can debunk urban legends with a few keystrokes! If we hear thunder outside, I can pull out the phone and bring up the local radar.
I use my phone to play music in the car a lot. I have a 2 GB flash card, and it holds quite a bit of music. One day I was with some friends and someone mentioned a somewhat obscure novelty song. Well, I happened to be gathering a playlist for another project, and that song was part of it. I'd moved the playlist to my phone just a couple of days prior to that so I could listen in the car. A few taps on the touchscreen, and I was playing the song. Strange, but true.
Extra Credit: Do you still use your land line to make and receive calls from friends and family?
Definitely. I don't give my number out to everyone on the planet. This is partly a throwback to when I got my first cell phone in 1989 and calls were $.45 a minute on top of the monthly charge. Also, I don't want to be one of those people I see constantly chatting on their cellphones at the market, at restaurants, while driving, or whenever. I try to reserve general chatting for the land line.
I don't know, Karen. You may find that data plan calling your name. You'll probably be able to do blog posts from your phone - pictures and all!
Tags: Weekend Assignment
Filed under: Weekend Assignment
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Karen Funk Blocher said:
Yes, but I don't want to pay to have my phone do what my laptop does already! I did enjoy updating my contact list via QWERTY, though. And I think I just solved my phone upload to computer question - the little SD disk slots into a normal size one, and the laptop has a slot for that.
Your phone is marginally cooler than mine (she said grumpily). Way to go!
Date: 6/27/2008 8:31:42 PM
Date: 6/27/2008 8:31:42 PM
Karen Funk Blocher said:
Yes, but I don't want to pay to have my phone do what my laptop does already! I did enjoy updating my contact list via QWERTY, though. And I think I just solved my phone upload to computer question - the little SD disk slots into a normal size one, and the laptop has a slot for that.
Your phone is marginally cooler than mine (she said grumpily). Way to go!
Date: 6/27/2008 8:31:42 PM
Date: 6/27/2008 8:31:42 PM
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