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Let’s Hear it for Technology!

Let's Hear it for Technology! I wonder – what in the world made me think that I could handle a phone that is smarter than I am?  Are you a techie person? Here's a post for you! #mobile #smartphone #newphone

That’s been me this week since my new Palm Centro arrived and I’ve been trying to get it set up.

First, let me explain that my previous cell phone was so old that we received a notice from Sprint that they would no longer be supporting its format in a couple of months and I had to purchase a new one to continue their service. It had 12 buttons and made and received phone calls – really basic. Oh, it did a couple of other things but all I ever really did with it was make phone calls, and then only when I wasn’t at home.

So, being the brilliant person that I am, I decided that if I had to update I just had to have one of the latest in technology “Smart Phones” so I would have my calendar along and be able to check e-mail when we travel, and do almost everything on the road except cook meals.

Well, it arrived on Monday and it’s hardly left my hand since then – not because I’m having so much fun with it, but because I don’t know how to use it! It took me a while to even figure out how to turn it on! Who would have thought that the button with the red on it meant “power/end.” That still baffles me – on and off with the same button?

The directions said, “Call this number immediately to activate your phone.” Since I like to follow instructions, I called right away – of course they forgot to tell you that you should at least know how to turn the phone on and access several 20+ digit numbers that the person at customer service would need before they could activate your new “Smart Phone.” Since we’ve been with Sprint for years and years, as witnessed to by the age and obsoleteness of my phone, I also had to remember passwords that I haven’t used in decades. I’m sure I ruined the day for the very intelligent young lady that I spoke with, since we had to begin with, “Ah…how do I turn this thing on?” To her credit, she was extremely patient with me – especially since we had gotten three new phones and we had to go through the same process with each one of them.

Getting them activated was all I accomplished on Monday. By the way – after I activated my new “Smart Phone.” my old faithful cell phone no longer worked and I was still struggling to turn this new “Smart Phone” on and off, much less make a phone call with it. So…I couldn’t leave the children home alone until I mastered on, off, and making a call. I finally figured out that after you dial the phone number you have to press the green button – which means talk. I thought we just had terrible service out here and left my dear husband a half dozen garbled messages while I practiced calling his new very simple cell phone to wish him a happy birthday. Oh well, it’s only Wednesday evening and I can now make phone calls on my new “Smart Phone.”

One of the reasons I chose the Centro is that it uses Palm software and I have Palm Desktop as my main calendar and didn’t want to change. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? If you buy a “Smart Phone” with the same software they should work together and transfer my information seamlessly from my desktop to my new “Smart Phone,” right? Wrong! My new “Smart Phone” has newer software so after several failed attempts to hot sync the two, I went online and downloaded new desktop software and got it to work. So why won’t it hot sync to the new software I installed on my laptop? I don’t know.

Wouldn’t you think that if this truly was such a “Smart Phone” it would know some of these things, instead of me needing to figure them all out so that it can do what it’s supposed to do?

I finally sat down to read the 140 page “Getting Started Guide” that came with it. It’s only one of three books that came with it. The others are, “Setting Up Email Guide,” and Experience Sprint Power Vision.”  So far I’ve read 20 pages of the first one because I have to keep stopping to figure out what they’re talking about by looking up the little picture of the button on the phone and discovering all that it does. This could take a while.

I wonder – what in the world made me think that I could handle a phone that is smarter than I am? Oh well, I’m going to go make dinner for my family – since the phone can’t do that and I can!

Finding Joy in the Journey,
Phyllis

Phyllis Sather
Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness at:
http://www.Phyllis-Sather.com
© 2007 Phyllis Sather
All rights reserved
Contact me at: Phyllis@Phyllis-Sather.com

4 Comments

  • Tamera
    Posted February 18, 2008 at 6:27 AM

    I can SO relate! Cell phones are incredibly irritating to me and I use one as rarely as I possibly can, LOL.

  • Belinda Letchford
    Posted February 17, 2008 at 7:18 PM

    ahhh, Phyllis! My husband would be in total agreement with you. He has just updated his phone (it is far more than a phone these days aren’t they?!) and his laptop as well. So far he has had more success with his phone than with his laptop (which has gone back to the technician!).

    Though we get frustrated with it – we really do find it hard to live without once we’ve started don’t we.

    Have a good week. I’m off for a bit of a holiday (when flood waters go down that are across the highway at the moment) so I am hoping to write up about our planning time.

    Love
    Belinda

  • Elaine
    Posted February 5, 2008 at 8:20 PM

    Dear Phyllis,
    I sat down to learn how to do my new phone and I actually “got it”.
    This is more commonly referred to as A MIRACLE!
    Maridel’s comment made me laugh, and while I was laughing, I lost the post I just wrote!
    Technology. I’m glad we won’t need it in heaven!
    love,
    Elaine

  • Maridel
    Posted February 4, 2008 at 9:56 AM

    Hi Phyllis,

    Thanks for your funny post. Now I know I am going to continue to stay back in the 90’s with my technology! (I don’t even turn my “basic” phone on except when I need to make a call when away from home.)

    I tried to back up my website this week and somehow started spamming my own email account, shutting down my email for 2 days! Praise God for my techie friend, Joseph, who comes to my rescue. I do not have teenagers to help me out yet.

    Maridel

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