My Mobile Future: Part I

I have been using mobile phones since 1994. My family's 1992 Honda Accord had a car phone installed (complete with a rear-window antenna!) and made rough, analog calls. Plans only came pay-per-minute, coverage was spotty, and calls were full of static. Roughly $40 per month covered the phone bill, though.

In 2000 my family upgraded to wireless Audiovox phones through one of the companies that would later merge to become Verizon Wireless. The phones were compact, made clear digital calls, and lasted about a week on a full battery. We had two phones that ran around $45 per month of service. Although they were primarily for my parents, I carried one of the phones on the weekend since I was a new, young driver.

Around 2004 our family upgraded to new phones, and this time I got my own phone number (the one I carry today) and a cheap, color-screen phone. $65 covered two phones per month.

In 2006, instead of upgrading phones through Verizon, I bought a mid-level camera phone by Samsung in order to keep up with my friends. Texting also entered my life, and I started at nearly 3000 messages a month.

In 2007 I wanted to try something a bit more complex, and I bid on a Windows Mobile 5 smartphone on eBay. For about $140 I had a brick-of-a-phone attached to my belt, but I also had a touchscreen, a web browser, and access to lots of neat apps on the go. The phone itself was old, so the battery life was awful and the experience generally poor.

2008 saw a change into the post-iPhone world. I left my parents' shared phone plan and signed up for a new 2-year contract with Verizon, this time paying $60 / month myself for an LG Voyager touchscreen phone that so badly wanted to be an iPhone. It was no iPhone, of course, but it was a texter's dream.

In 2009 I upgraded to the LG enV Touch and pounded away on its keyboard for a year before I finally decided I needed a full smartphone to stay up to date on the go.

November of 2010 saw me take the plunge into the Android world with an HTC Incredible. I instantly fell in love with Android and all its features. I was paying a lot, though: $90 / a month. My Meijer employee discount stuck with me after leaving Meijer, so I saved a bit on my bill anyhow. I knew right away that I would be stuck on Androird forever - despite being a bit buggy, it has all the apps I need, provides access to the Internet everywhere I go, and is hackable to no end.

At the end of 2012 I will be in a position to upgrade my phone again. Interestingly enough, I may upgrade by not having a mobile phone at all. I have been living in a mobile world for 18 years. That may suddenly end come November.

Stay tuned for Part II, when I look at my current mobile situation and answer this question: What purpose does my mobile phone serve and do I really need to carry one anymore?

B3 out.