Smart Phones, Part Dux

As advertised yesterday, I did follow through on my decision to bow my neck before the gods of technology.

I bought a Samsung Galaxy II ... very carefully avoiding the III or IV versions even though I got the phone for free as an update.

It'll cost me a little more in the short run, because my contract for the 'old' hotspot device doesn't run out for another month.  But when it does, my cell phone bill will be cut in half.

For this I get:

• Unlimited Cell Phone (well .. 450 minutes a month; I typically use maybe half that depending on whether my son and I start talking guns during our weekly chats)
• 2 GB storage per month (downloads et al, y'know); 1GB for the phone, 1GB for the hotspot function
• Unlimited Text
• Hotspot linkage to either .. or both .. of my computers; up to over 100 computers
• Email, up to a couple hundred of accounts (they don't provide the accounts, they just let me access all of my email accounts)
• Photo (still and video) with ability to download to my computer
• GPS .. including maps and directions
• more music and photo storage, if I want to install a memory chip (up to 32 GB)
• ... and a bunch of stuff I still haven't figured out.

That last bit is the kicker.  The damned SmartPhone is smarter than I am.  No instructions ... you have to go online to find it. I have been given to understand (from my SmartDaughter) that this is typical with the purchase of a new smart phone.  Very little of the operating procedures, judging by my experiences so far today, are 'intuitively obvious'.  Well, it took me 2 years to learn my last-generation phone functions, so I'm not totally discouraged.

I am, however, totally frustrated.

SmartDaughter informs me (my first phone call was to her; if it was an email message, it would have the subject-line "Help me!  I've Fallen And I Can't Get Up!") that is also the experienced of the typical first-time user of a SmartPhone (here-after "SF").

She told me her husband, Ryan Lord Randal My Son-in-Law, was pulling his hair out when he first tried to use the SF she gave him.    She implied ... but carefully did not AVER ... that he got use to it.  Well, he's as Irish as one man can be, and as we are assured by Mark Twain:  "You can't hit a dog with an Irishman; the dog's too smart!"

I must admit that Ryan Lord Randal My Son-in-Law is at least as smart as most of the canines of my acquaintance, which puts him leagues ahead of me, but I'm a quarter Irish so I'm not giving up yet.

Well, actually, I did give up.  I quit fisking around with the Devil's Instrument SF about 8pm.  It's 10pm now, and I've spent the past two hours reading my mail .. on my PC, not on my SF. (THAT effort didn't last too long!  I got to install one Email address on the SF, but I couldn't read the stuff.  MUST ... IGNORE ... THE FIST ... OF DEATH!)

SmartDaughter promised to phone me when they get back from the dinner party they are going to.  She'll get me on the SF.

I just hope I can figure out how to actually accept the call by then.

___


Oh, I almost forgot to add:

When I finally get use to this ... thing ... I can quit carrying around:

• my old cell phone
• my old digital camera
• my old 'hotspot' device

..l. and I do NOT have to buy a new GPS device, which was what I had been thinking of doing.

However, I am still carrying around my MP3 player.

Maybe when I get through all the online "instructionals", I can replace that as well.

SmartDaughter taught me a new phrase today:

There's an APP for that!

I'm pretty sure I'm going to learn to hate that phrase.