Broke down and had to do it

I’m displeased with myself… very displeased.
But it had to be done. I couldn’t fight it any longer.

I was dropping one of my daughters off at school last Friday morning.
Her school is on a dead end street. She got out of the SUV, I pulled out, drove to the end of the road.
I went to hit the brakes so I could pull a U turn. However my vehicle continued on, sliding on black ice.
And it slid me right into a snow bank.
No problem I figure. We’re rolling with all wheel drive baby… Nope!

I fought to get the stupid vehicle out of the snow for 25 or 30 minutes. Yelling and screaming in the street like an idiot.
It was - 35 C out that morning. So fairly brisk out.
And because I didn’t have a cell phone, I couldn’t call anyone to come help me.
Thankfully, by the end of that half hour, someone who lived close by must had heard my vocalizations, because they came out all bundled up and offered to give a few pushes. And it worked.

I thanked my saviour about 50 times and drove directly to the mall and bought a cell phone.

The last cell phone I owned was a Motorola razr. The metal flip phone.

Im familiar with apple products. I have 3 IPads. So I know the layout.

Well, I wanted to get a phone out right. I didn’t want to be paying for 2 years.
The IPhones they had were the 12 mini which looked stupid, or the 13. And they both cost over a grand.
Not really what I was planning on spending, on something I didn’t even want.

So I cheaped out. Got a Moto 5G ace for $550.
And I fricken hate it!
I can’t stand it what so ever.
I had to get the woman at the store to show me how to use it. I never used an android interface.
There was no home button. Hell, I couldn’t even figure how to go back a page when she showed me the internet on the phone. There’s no back button!
Instead, everything is a gesture. The phone is a fricken rubics cube of gestures.

I was told I had 3 days to return it, if it’s in mint condition still.
Well the moment I bought it, not thinking, I had gotten that shatter proof glass protector installed on it.
So it’s no longer exactly mint.

But whatever, I’m stuck with it. Buyers remorse to the max. I should had bought the iPhone.
I was mad when I bought it due to the situation earlier that morning. So I wasn’t exactly thinking that I should shop around a bit.

I hate it about 20% less though after tonight.
My friend changed the settings and got rid of that stupid hand swipe gesture bs.
There buttons now. 3 buttons at the bottom that do exactly what I need.
Now, I just need to become familiar with everything.

But yeah, that was a good run of 10 years without a cell phone.
I’m going to give it another 2 weeks.
If I’m not feeling it by then, I’ll put it up for sale for $400 and just eat the $150 loss.
Then buy an iPhone. Surely I can find one for under a G in this hell hole of a town.

a reply to: Macenroe82

Personally I wouldn't use an iPhone (or ANY of their related products or gadgets) even if someone paid for it AND paid me to use it.

I like a regular flip phone. I don't need the internet when out and about. I don't need an app to find a house, I don't need to text anyone. We have a smart phone, we do not text, we do not use the internet on it very often. It costs us about eleven and a half bucks a month and it works, but it is a smart phone and I dislike it. The wife likes the camera though and the ability to send the daughters pictures...mostly of deer in the yard or cats of course. She does that at home and our internet data is only like two hundred megabytes a month but we do not even use that much average, because it hooks up to WiFi before it hooks up to the internet and everywhere we go seems to have open WiFi. It is at the places we eat at, it is at the senior center where she goes to knitting or at the library when she goes there to help out. We hook up to both daughters internet too.

The phone we have we got from our daughter, some China knockoff she could not use in her business because it did not have enough memory in it. It needed a new battery which we bought and it works well for us. I hate having to unlock it all the time, that sucks. The good thing is it does connect to the car and we tend to use that most of all.

Wow .
I have never owned a "cell phone" , unless you count the Star Trek communicator style .
As soon those days are ending , and not by choice , I will get the cheapest nothing they have .
All I need one for is for emergency use only that is mostly for my wife going to and coming from work .
I almost never leave the house as there is just too much insanity out there.
Otherwise I have multiple PCs and a land line to do ALL the rest .
The insanity of just watching folks with their phones attached to them is enough for me .
Hell , they are texting folks standing right next to them .

ETA , I saw one lady AT the freakin pizza place ordering her pizza online from her phone .
Sitting there.
There was no line .

a reply to: Macenroe82

I've had Motos...I'm on my third one.
Just got one, but opted for 4G....figured I could wait on the 5G until I know how scary they are.

Only time I get pissed at the phone is on Duck Duck Go. Cannot find the back/home button.

I'm an android gal.
I refuse to pay for the iPhone big bucks.

Give it a little time, you will figure out how it operates. I admit phones can be intimidating if you are used to a PC, They are really a PC with a smaller screen. But, they are frustrating as hell.

a reply to: Gothmog

LOLOLOL
At the idea of ordering from the phone while in the store.
Although the pizza place here gives a discount if you order online, so maybe????

We almost never use the phone for a phone.
I prefer my landline for phone convos.

We do use the camera, text feature.
And the internet--- use it for weather and radar while on the road. Looking up when some song on Sirius came out, etc.
And for emergencies, like Macenroe82 had.

a reply to: Macenroe82

If you wanted crApple, you should have bought a used iphone 8 plus, 64gb or 128gb. It would have cost you less than $300 and !!!! the replacement screen if you break it is around $25. You can check the IMEI online and get them unlocked pretty easy if need be.

Otherwse, Samsung S8 and S9 in a plus version (larger) are around $250 in the 64 gb flavour used and in perfect condition.

PS, I have probably fixed 3,000 ipads and 7000 phones in the last 6 or 7 years. I keep busy that way, when I am not building guitars or computers.

Cheers - Dave

Just reading all the reply's to this thread. I think most of us are old farts on here.

a reply to: bobs_uruncle

I like Apple because I’ve never had one of their products break down on me. I have all 3 of my iPads still, with a soon to be fourth - the 9th gen.
I’m currently using IPad 7 right now. I keep upgrading only with myself to blame.
I’m probably going to grab the 9th gen in the next few weeks once our Best Buy gets the 128 GB in. Then, that should last me awhile.

a reply to: whiteboyrick

Haha YES!
Well, I’m 40 this year. An been out of the cell phone game for ever.

originally posted by: Macenroe82
a reply to: whiteboyrick

Haha YES!
Well, I’m 40 this year.

Youngster!!!

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Do you have to swipe the screen from the left to go back page on yours?

My friend went into the settings and turned those swipes off, and like magic, there was 3 buttons that appeared at the bottom of the screen.
One does back page. One is like the home button and the other displays all open pages/apps.

A few things I have to admit that I do like on this phone, is the 40 something megapixel camera on the back.
The 128 GB of storage. And the ease of transferring music on to it.

Apples iTunes is a complete disaster. I despised using iTunes.
What I hate is that I can’t transfer my music purchases from my iPad to my cell phone.
So… my friend took note of my music catalog and went on an “alternative” music downloading site.
And just like that, I had all my music on my cell haha

a reply to: Macenroe82
Love the camera.
To the point we no longer use our digital camera.

I think that is how the swipe goes.
I'll have to playboy with settings in the light of day.
I think I prefer the buttons.

If you can handle refurbished here's a really good deal on a SE 2020.

www.straighttalk.com...

$129.

Does 5g where there is a signal. Even has the old button at the bottom. Or they have brand new ones for $249

originally posted by: whiteboyrick
Just reading all the reply's to this thread. I think most of us are old farts on here.

Im 37, I think i have a ways to go yet before the moniker 'Old Fart' applies.

I have a smartphone, Motorola E or G or...C, D, i dunno, a letter and a number, ran me less than $100 & supposedly does smartphone stuff. Don't particularly care about any of that, it's for phone calls & texting. That's it, its not a toy, its a little cordless phone working with towers instead of address-locked phone lines, big deal.

It's just a phone, people, we grew up without this junk & I think we'll make it to the grave just fine without it should we ever wise up & calm the collective jugs.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Although the pizza place here gives a discount if you order online, so maybe????

Nope . I always check before I go anywhere for coupons , sale , anything to save a penny .
Nothing .

I have 2 uses for a phone.
1) Place calls .
2) Take calls .

That is absolutely it , with triple exclamation marks.
Salesmen ask "what type of phone are you looking for ?"
I give em the answer above .
They look like they were kicked in the cahonies .

originally posted by: whiteboyrick
Just reading all the reply's to this thread. I think most of us are old farts on here.

I darn sure am .
Just as a noble member here has stated several times : "old as dirt"
Dang skippy , and proud to be here .

originally posted by: whiteboyrick
Give it a little time, you will figure out how it operates. I admit phones can be intimidating if you are used to a PC, They are really a PC with a smaller screen. But, they are frustrating as hell.

No .
Just no.
Hail to the no .
That little wimpy thing would hang its head in shame , turn around , and rum from any of my PCs .
"What you talkin about Willis ?"

a reply to: Macenroe82

If you don't like the swipe gestures to do everything, don't get an iPhone. That's the only way you can do things on an iPhone and there is no other option. Here in the states the Android phones are standard with the buttons you are familiar with at the bottom such as the back button, home button and the recent apps buttons.

I was confused at first because the hand gestures you were describing as on an Android is how the iPhones work here and the back button and such is how the Androids work here.