The Phone Conundrum

Remember my big protest against Verizon last March?

Since then I’ve been using a combination of Skype on the iPad and a prepaid Tracphone for emergencies when I’m away from internet sources.  It was going great and I was spending around $25 total each month for unlimited calling (with international).

I was just considering purchasing one of the new pay as you go airtime cards for when I’m afk and do without the Tracphone at all.

One of my issues tho was the iPad size.  It’s too large to carry around comfortably.  Another concern I had was the iPad’s relative delicacy.  My son had dropped it and cracked the screen the day after I wrote my impassioned iPad post.  Ever the trooper, it still worked but I couldn’t help wondering for how long.

That question was answered for me yesterday when I turned around too quickly during a phone call and the iPad flew from my hand to lay face down on the floor.  My heart sunk as I flipped it over to see a blank blue screen with lines of color flashing spastically at the edge.  Why do we wear black to funerals?  The new color of mourning should be blue screen blue.

A day prior to this my Tracphone flew out of my pocket at work to take a fatal dive into the toilet.  Presently entombed in a bed of rice (I think I was told to bury it in rice to dry it out nearly 100 times), it looks like it’s recovery isn’t going anywhere.  So now I am absolutely tech-less.

Yesterday I left the house for work feeling naked.  I ran thru my usual checklist… phone, iPad, camera… but it was pointless.  None of it was there.  The iPad had become my phone, camera, alarm and more.  There’s something to be said for diversity.  With one blow all my tools are gone.

All is not lost tho.  When I got the Tracphone I didn’t really explore my options and now I have the time.  The other day I found a working Android phone (the original owner had already upgraded and replaced it when I tried to return it).  I can possibly use this phone with a $12.99 sim card from SIMple Mobile.  I can also just buy a new no contract phone from Straight Talk and have 1000 minutes and texts with 30 MB of data for $35 a month.  I already buy $20 worth of Tracphone time a month and pay Skype $5 a month so that may be worth it.

I won’t get into a zillion details here because I’m still exploring.  I need to replace my phone but I am taking time to explore all the options and really see what’s available.  In the meantime I am enjoying being unplugged from the world for a space.

No texts, no Facebook, no calls… that’s just leaving me alone with my own thoughts.  I love being connected and have often wished I could just get a SIM card installed in my head so I could eliminate the fragile gadgets I’m usually dependent on.  If and when that time comes I’m sure I’ll be first in line but for now I am finding… and enjoying… being disconnected.