I admit it. I am not an electronics or gadget junkie. I had no idea what the big fuss was when the iPhone was released. I thought it was ridiculous anyone would spend that much money on a phone and wait in line overnight and camp out for one.
In Colorado, where I live, people used to only camp out for Denver Broncos play-off tickets, or something equally as important- like Colorado Rockies World Series Tickets, or Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup tickets. I can understand that- after all, cheering on your favorite sports team when they have made it to the big game- it can be a once in a life time event.
I have failed to see what is so exciting about the next big ‘must have’ electronic device that motivates people to spend all night laying on the sidewalk in a sleeping bag in front of Best Buy. Whether it is the latest phone, Mp3 player, computer, HDTV, or video game system. It is just a thing.
A little less than a month ago, I wrote that it was finally time for me to replace my almost two-year old cell phone, which was absolutely ancient in electronic years. I had decided to get a Blackberry Pearl. One of the reasons I liked the Blackberry was because it was not an iPhone. My boss has an iPhone, and I have used hers before. I don’t like how sensitive the touch screen is. Every time I thought I was touching what I wanted, I had touched something else instead. I realized I need buttons I could push, and the Blackberry Pearl has buttons- yay!
I knew there were other features that I would like, but the main reason I decided on the Blackberry was because of the buttons. How high tech is that? My friend, Amy, told me to watch out- I was getting a ‘CrackBerry.’ I laughed and thought that was funny, but I would never become that dependant on a phone- it is just a thing.
Not even a month later, I am not laughing. While I haven’t officially signed up at CrackBerry.com, I find every day I am becoming more and more dependent on my Blackberry. I love it. Never mind I can make phone calls. It has a calendar in it. I no longer have to wait until I get home to write on the wall calendar an appointment- better yet, I don’t have to try to remember to write it down. I just pull out the Blackberry and presto- the appointment is in the calendar. It even sends me a reminder just to make sure I really remember it. My mommy brain doesn’t even do that.
It has a note pad. Now I don’t have to carry around 10 different pieces of paper with me (a.k.a. my memory), with the grocery list, the Target list, the Costco list, the errands I need to do, or the tasks I need to complete. I can start a new note for each one, and when I need it, I push a few buttons (love those buttons) and presto- my memory is at my fingertips.
I no longer have to be at the computer in the house to check e-mail. I can receive and send e-mail from the phone. I can respond to the important ones right away, like the one I received from my boss this week. I was out and about and it would have taken me hours to get back to her. Instead I was able to respond moments after she sent the e-mail. I was able to respond quickly to some e-mails regarding my blog too. I can keep up with my family and friends via the cool Facebook application.
There is a camera and a video recorder on the phone. The other night Ryan was doing something cute, and instead of lugging out the video camcorder, I just hit the button for the video recorder and recorded him dancing. There is a password safe, that keeps all my passwords in one place. There’s an address book, voice dialing, speaker phone, Mapquest, the weather report, a multimedia player, and more features I haven’t even gotten around to learning yet.
I can’t believe all the things this phone does. Now I understand why people will camp out for an electronic thing– it makes life easier. Instead of having a big, thick, day-timer that I have to lug around or relying on the calendar hanging on my kitchen wall, everything I need to run my life and stay on top of our schedules, fits in the palm of my hand.
While I doubt I will ever be one of those people camping out for electronics, I do understand it now. It is great when there is a gadget that can make our hectic lives run a bit smoother, and if you want to be one of the first people who has the latest gadget, more power to you. I think I’ll save my camping out for the mountains, or maybe just maybe, Broncos play-off tickets in the near future. 🙂