By: Ken Lay
Then came the smart phone, and I saw my entry into the modern world. It wasn’t a phone at all, but a small personal computer I could carry with me. I could check the weather, my stocks, email, Facebook and ebay! I could eliminate the land line, and (if absolutely necessary), make and receive phone calls too! Another urgent motivator to get a smart phone was my company’s need for me to design mobile web pages. This was the argument I used to persuade my wife I had to get one (“It’s for my JOB, Mary… MY JOB!!!).
After Christmas we both got iphones and the land line was cut. Stopping the phone service was a little traumatic. Not because we used it, but because there was our vintage dial phone to think of. Its loud bells announced the incoming call and a cord kept you from drifting away while you talked. When Mary’s girls were little, they had to explain to their friends how the dial worked. Now, its dial tone is silent. The iphone can mimic an old-fashioned telephone ring, but the sound of a dial tone will fade from memory. Maybe someone at Apple will make it part of the iphone’s functionality. A nice bit of nostalgia to listen to before your voice travels into space and back.
Having the smart phone has been very convenient. It’s also been a lot of fun to explore and build the mobile web site interface. Three months into owning it, I’ve made or received at least six phone calls too! (Below is a photo of the phone I’m talking about)
