New Technology Brings Enticements and Frustrations

I just had to have it!  A new phone with some of the latest bells and whistles.  My old phone had served me well but there are apps out there now that I wanted to use... And, even though the websites said there was a Blackberry version of the app, apparently my Blackberry was too old.  "Too old" means unable to support the new apps. 

I think the app developers and the gadget makers are in cahoots!  New apps mean the need for new gadgets.  And, it seems like the minute you decide to give in to the desire (for it usually isn't a true need) to upgrade, they issue a "new and improved" version that does even more! 

I always do my research when considering any new tech gadget.  There are so many options and each one has at least one or two differences -- differences that just might be the deal maker or breaker for my decision.  So, once I decided the time was right -- the instant savings and mail-in rebates helped define "right time" -- I searched the web for consumer comments as well as manufacturer's product specs. 

One of the "must have" features for me was the ability to use the Kindle for mobile phone app.  You may chuckle at this since the whole idea behind getting a Kindle was to be able to carry books in one slim case wherever you go.  I love, love, love my Kindle!  But, I don't want to take it to work with me. Yet I'd love to be able to read a few pages on a break.  With the phone in my pocket, it is easy to envision myself sitting down with a cup of coffee or my lunch and opening up the book to the place I left off the night before when I couldn't fight sleep any longer. 

Android phones seemed to be the best choice for me.  Little did I realize that the "droid" would be a source of both pleasure and frustration!  No qwerty keyboard on this phone!  Now I find myself trying to get a feel for the touch screen virtual keyboard which is far more sensitive to the touch.  My Kindle for android app works like a dream -- and that was the main reason I chose the phone I now have.

But, can I figure out which buttons and tabs to tap in order to get to the screen that allows text messaging?  No!  Can I easily (operative word is easily, mind you) get into the contact list and add a distinct ring tone for a certain caller?  No!  Can I quickly find the tab for an app I know I downloaded?  Absolutely not!  Have I read the "Basic Guide" at least three times?  You betcha!  Am I any closer to feeling comfortable with this newest gadget?  No way!  But I can read my Kindle books on it!  I made sure of that!  There's a short cut on the main screen that takes me right to my current book.  So, while the mundane and essential features of the phone are frustrating me to no end, I can take a deep breath and get lost in a good book for a while! 

And maybe... just maybe, by the time this phone is ready to be traded/upgraded, I'll have figured out how to text and how to use the camera!  I told myself that when I got home from work tonight, I'd sit down and master at least one feature.  But it was a l-o-n-g day... twelve hours turned into fourteen and a half hours and all I want to do is go curl up with my Kindle - no, not the phone app - the real Kindle and enjoy a few chapters!  And that, my dear friends, is what I am going to do now - as soon as I hit the "Publish Post" key!