New Phones For Old...

About 17 months ago, I was gloating over my new PDA/mobile-phone thingy. I was very impressed that I could now keep my diary, my address book, my notebook, my MP3 player, and my camera all in one handy device which was easily synchronised with my home PC.

Well, ok, those of you with better memories might just remember my cri de coeur when I thought I'd lost absolutely everything after my computer threw a hissy fit...

But, to be fair, I've had a great deal of fun... especially with the camera.

Then Fr. Z came to England. With his new iPhone. I saw. I coveted. I contemplated relieving him of the burden of such a secular item... I even considered (briefly) the possibility of shelling out hard cash to buy one. Finally, I decided to wait until the new iPhone was released... an event which was due to coincide with the renewal of my contract and upgrade possibilities.

The main consideration here was cost. I didn't fancy having to pay for my phone. Having a phone contract is more than enough, thank you. I was also influenced by my students when they (occasionally) caught sight of me using it... "Miss, you know you're not allowed to use mobile phones in school !" "No, you aren't allowed to use mobiles in school. I am... and anyway, it's a PDA..." "Ooooh, it's really nice... can you get the internet on it too? Sweet... Hey, Charlene, Miss's got Facebook on her phone..."

Yes, the students were actually impressed. I suspected that they'd be even more impressed by an iPhone, but that was a side-issue.

My contract came up for renewal, and I popped along to various phone retailers to see what was on offer. I'd had a look on the internet, but there's nothing quite like getting your paws on a phone to see if you actually like the feel of it. I looked at the iPhone, but realised that there was no stylus, and it wasn't really geared up for note-taking and what-have-you... it's more of an entertainment device.

A very, very nice piece of kit. But not really me...

So I decided to check out the Xda Orbit 2 - the new version of the phone I already had. Strangely, for an upgrade, it's actually bigger (by a few millimeters - well, actually, longer. It's marginally less wide.) The screen resembles that of the iPhone, in that there's no "raised edge" which is handy, because it always collected gunk. The casing at the back feels sort of rubbery and velvety at the same time... it's very touchable. The loading time for programs is much faster, and there's a finger-touch action on the screen similar to the iPhone. But there's also a built in stylus.

The O2 shop wanted to make me pay nearly £200 for the phone as I was trying to reduce my monthly bill at the same time. I smiled sweetly, said I'd think about it, popped to the coffee shop round the corner and phoned O2 customer services while having a coffee. Asking for one's PAC code produces a most gratifying response: I was promised the phone for free as well as a £10 per month reduction in my bill...