kinzel: (computer steve)
kinzel ([personal profile] kinzel) wrote2010-11-22 08:25 am
Entry tags:

Not quite burning questions of the day

OK, good morning, crew. Mr. Phelps, you may leave the room -- your phone is ringing in the hall.

Today's not  quite burning question follows somewhere in the verbiage.

We've been considering upgrading our phones -- that is, our cellphones -- and in pursuit of that, since I'm a hands-on kind of guy -- we've been in/at a number of cellphone stores/big-box stores/corner kiosks looking at the suckers. We've played with keyboards, swiped at letters, shrank and de-shrank windows, observed what the sky looked overhead in Bejing  (I was ay a Sam's Club in Augusta... the demo phone wanted to show me Bejing, I dunno why, and neither did the salesgirl...), and etc.  Decided on an android phone, and decided that if I have a phone I ought to be able to text on it without chording through the letters, and that I really do prefer typing on a keypad, and made lots of decisions with the anticipation that by the New Year I might be finally caught up to 2008, communication wise. But all is not clear, yet.

One question that's come up (asked by the booth inmates) a number of times, often without additional information or clarity, is "where do you carry your phone?"

Now, I've had an emergency/traveling use only phone (trac[hone brand) for years, and in those years Ive carried it on my belt in a leather belt-looped pouch, in my pants pocket, in the cellphone holder on my shoulder bag, in my shirt pocket.  Actually I've had three or four tracphones --  and lost one in it's iron-hand belt pouch (which apparently failed).... somewhere. One just died. Anyway, but the questions I have which are not well answered --

1. Are there phones -- let me be clear, I mean smartphones at this point -- that are best carried in certain places? Should *where* I expect to carry a phone affect a buying decision?

2. Do belt-clip pouches ever work? On my way to Raleigh for NASFIC my clip-on phone pouch got caught in the seat belts a couple times ... and I even tried clipping it to my suspenders, which (apparently) never works, or at least looks awkward as hell. I did manage to answer a call that came in with it in the pouch on my suspenders, but it was vewy vewy vewy iffy, and I swore not again, at least not with that kind of a pouch.

3. Where do *you* carry your phone usually, and what has failed for you (and why) in the past?

Thanks.

[identity profile] jhetley.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 01:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Just to hijack the thread . . .

We're thinking of getting our first! ever! cell phone, emergency and travel use only. Tracphone is in the running. What are your opinions on coverage and general utility, in the pay-for-minutes territory?

[identity profile] kinzel.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 02:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Tracphone worked for us for years but when we traveled in May and June we were teased when Sharon's phone briefly had a working browser (within Tracphone headquarters range, it turned out). If you intend to travel it is pretty useful, but pay attention to the local coverage maps if it is mostly for Maine use.
Sharon had a heck of a time when one of her phones crashed -- she must have spent three or four hours on the phone getting things to work, besides having to wait for new phone and etc ...

[identity profile] jhetley.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 02:49 pm (UTC)(link)
This would mainly (Mainely?) be for local use -- Wife wants me to carry it while biking and skiing.

I just tried their website for local coverage and got an error message . . .

[identity profile] kinzel.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 02:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Unless this is really pressing I;d give them a try a little later.

[identity profile] jhetley.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 02:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Pressing? We've been discussing this for a year or two, now . . .