Now a tech question for your input. Recently my 4- or 5-year old flip phone started giving me trouble, so yesterday I went in to check out my upgrade options. I didn't want to increase our monthly costs so a smartphone was out….
Well, two hours later I walked out with a smartphone and no increased data charges thanks to a creative salesman who looked at our plan and usage and was able to adjust things to absorb a second data plan. My choices came down to a flip phone plus a 7" tablet, or a smartphone (a flip phone alone would have cost the same amount, so I figured I might as well get a device that would allow me to leave my laptop at home most of the time). The salesman thought the first option fit my needs better, but the better camera on the smartphone sucked me in. When I got home, I headed down to the barn to ride . . . and realized the major flaw in my decision. When I was doing lamb checks/when I ride/when I go for a walk, I carry my phone with me for emergencies. A smartphone does not fit in my pocket like a flip phone – and it's a whole lot less durable should it fall. Now I suppose there are over-the-shoulder protective cases for smartphones so I could carry it like I do my camera; that would mean leaving Mr. Lumix in the house and using the smartphone camera more when I'm out and about.
So what say you? I have 13 days left in which to change my mind and exchange equipment. Should I keep the smartphone, or swap it out for a flip phone and tablet?
Speaking of "progress," here's the construction site next door as of yesterday (click to biggify):
Because I wouldn't want anyone to have cuteness withdrawal, I'll close with a couple videos I took yesterday evening of all the lambs interacting in the pasture. (The grass is so tall that had they been anywhere but near the gate, you couldn't have seen them!) The first one shows Benny and Jet acting like goat kids; the second shows more of Blaise, and all five lambs in close proximity for size comparison.
Benny and Jet, those big, bad boys of rock 'n roll, are troublemakers. Yesterday they led the youngest lambs out of the pasture, then left Barbados and Bali Ha'i outside the gate to cry and stress out their mama!
That's it for today from beautiful . . .
14 comments:
I like the flip phone because I keep it in my pocket, I know several people with smart phones have called me because they bend over or move and their pocket dials my number, LOL.
I saw on Shetland Sheep facebook page where someone had a ewe that lambed at 17, maybe there is a possibility for your 12 year old depending on her condition next year.
I left the flip phone several years ago, and I wouldn't be without my iPhone. But, I also have an iPad, which I use all the time at home. I like the bigger screen for a lot of things. The phone has so many great apps, and they are so handy to have when you're on the run. Also, you can get very nice protective cases for the phone. Many carry them in their pants pocket or on a belt. Is that an option for you?
Stay with the smartphone, there are sooo many more things you can do with it. But definitely get the protective case. You can also get the clear plastic static cover to protect the face of it. I'm still trying to figure out the best place for carrying it though. It's too big for pockets, although I've seen and need to try the 'clip case', a friend has one, it clips to your pants and has a magnet to keep it closed, holding the phone inside....it reminds me of the eye glass cases.
The camera on my smartphone is pretty good, especially for pictures of things not moving around. Plus there are many cool apps for tweaking pics to make them look artsy. Smartphone camera not as great for 'action shots' or really zooming in. Make yourself a case that can hold both...
Oh, those babies are so cute!!!
I have a smart phone and carry it in jeans pockets or in my vest/coat pocket. You can get a case that wraps around it to protect it from amazon plus a thin piece of plastic that protects the screen. I would stick with the smart phone.
The smaller size of the flip phone certainly makes it easier to tote everywhere, Audrey. I even have a flip-phone arm/leg holster for riding when it's too warm for a jacket. And Rick has accidentally dialed me on his smartphone, too. As for Annabelle, I couldn't possibly breed her again. Too thin, not enough milk, lots of stumbling in late pregnancy. She gets a well-deserved retirement now.
Nancy Kay, I rarely wear a belt, don't routinely carry stuff in my jeans pockets, and my breeches either don't have pockets or only pockets big enough for keys or maybe flip-phones. That's why I'm wondering if a flip-phone would be better for me.
Diane, I did get a screen protector installed when I got it. As for carrying it, see my response to Nancy Kay above. :-/
Shelly, I'd have to have a case that held camera, phone and GLASSES! I knew where everything was on my old flip-phone (and rarely get texts), so didn't often need glasses to use it. Not so with the new technology….
And better entertainment than TV, FFG!
I'll have to look into case options, Barb. Thanks for weighing in.
Look for an "Otterbox" for your phone Michelle; they are incredibly durable and your phone can withstand a lot of abuse with one of them. I enjoy my smartphone but the screen is so small it is really hard to do much web surfing. The camera is much better than on my ipad 2 though so I use it a lot for photos when I'm not lugging around a camera. I guess there isn't an easy answer!
I put my smartphone in a vest pocket until it gets too warm for a vest. Then I switch to a fanny pack. My pack has two sections, so I could use 2nd part for glasses.... except they are always on my face. I've been told I look like a nerd with that fanny pack, but I'm too old to care.
Sorry Michelle I'm not much help to you. I have a Samsung smartphone my son passed on to me - I still haven't got to grips with it and somehow managed to delete all my contacts recently! Ssh I don't want him to know! LOL
Beautiful flowers - I've tried to grow Centaurea Montana - the perennial cornflower but it turns it's toes up after a couple of years - yours looks wonderful.
Oh those lambs!!!
OK, your lambs are adorable - I was wondering how you were keeping them from getting out that fence - looks like they do as they wish... Beautiful flower pictures too. T.
Stay with the iPhone. Once you get used to packing it around, you'll appreciate being able to check the weather radar, emails on the road, Ravelry, take nice photos........ I have an Otter Box.
My iPhone fits in my jeans pockets. I have one of those neoprene "holsters" but it doesn't quite fit in there. I'm sure they have made ones that would, but I just work around it. You can also adjust the text size on the phone (iPhone or Android) so the glasses thing isn't the stumbling block it used to be! I've had a smartphone for years, and I don't know that I could go back to a "dumb" one...
SEF, if I keep the Pantech I've got, I will look for an Otterbox; my husband has one for his Razr.
I'll keep a fanny pack in mind, Sylvia! (I don't care, either.)
Shane, thanks for reminding me of the cornflowers' names! (I blame menopause for being unable to remember.) Mine spread like weeds, but I don't mind. The two colors have spontaneously hybridized, too; the hybrid produces a pink flower!
Yes, the lambs are little eels. I do have one lamb-proof lot….
Sadly, I can't justify the added expense of an iPhone, Sara and Laura. I could choose between the Pantech Perception and the Droid Razr M, and chose the first for its thinner profile but bigger screen and faster processor. I've been playing with it some; discovered that adjustable text size….
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