New Phone

I have a new phone. And I have mixed feelings about it. Apparently I'm still able to make a phone call - which is the main point. And I'm able to do about a thousand other things it never occurred to me were even possible, much less desirable. I've been intimidated by the iPhone. When Maggy said, "I'm glad you chose a smart phone," I answered, "It didn't look that smart." It looks like a phone with a keyboard and pictures. But I fear it's still considerably smarter than I.

Remember my year long non-adventure with the iPod? I've had a Verizon phone for about 10 years. Verizon has the "new every two" concept where they let you have a free or discounted new phone every two years. That's definitely more for their benefit than for mine. I imagine the technology on every phone I choose is outdated long before I learn how to use it. I'm about eight months past the date when I was eligible for a new phone and Verizon's reminders have been getting more frequent and - um - encouraging. Now it's like, "Upgrade the damn phone NOW. Please."

Yesterday, when the phone was brand new, I read the "Read First Poster" and the 64 page "Tips, hints and shortcuts" book. Neither can be called an instruction manual by any stretch of the imagination. But on the "Welcome" page, it says: For more details, refer to the Owner's Manual that came on the Getting Started CD with your wireless device. Today I figured out which disk has the manual on it. Okay. I'm all about paperless. the PDF manual has 102 full size pages instead of the sixty-four 4"x 4" pages of the Tips booklet. The first ten pages are disclaimers and safety warnings.

• SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR DIRECT SUNLIGHT
• PREVENTION OF HEARING LOSS
• SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR RF EXPOSURE [I know what RF is from months of talking to people about cell phone towers]
• INTERFERENCE WITH MEDICAL EQUIPMENT FUNCTIONS
• NONIONIZING RADIATION [I really don't know what nonionizing radiation is]

The warning get a little less dire - which I can tell 'cause they're not all caps.

• Avoid hot areas
• Avoid wet areas
• Avoid using your device after a dramatic change in temperature
• Avoid applying excessive pressure to the device ... remove the device from your pants’ pocket before sitting down [Excuse me? Excessive pressure!?]
• Do Not Use the PC Functions of Your Device While Driving or Walking [or chewing gum]

Okay. I'm bored enough with the warnings to stop paying attention to any of them.

I'd go on to page 11 but I'm way beyond what I allotted on my schedule for this task.

And, like the manual, this post has too many words, too few pictures.