It finally happened. Diane, Patrick, and Katie decided I needed a cell phone. I have been resisting cell phones for years. I don’t think I need one. I’ve gotten around 76 years without one. But, I was outvoted so Santa brought me a pink iPhone 16 Plus.
My preferred method of learning is reading so I picked up iPhone for Seniors and iPhone for Dummies to help me learn how to use my new cell phone.
How long have you had a cell phone? Do you have any tips for me?
I got my first “mobile phone” when my oldest was a baby (she’s now 33) to keep in touch with her babysitter (I had a long work commute through L.A. traffic and I was often running late) especially if John was traveling for work. I find having a cell phone to be both a convenience and a safety feature (particularly if I’m driving alone and/or at night). I’m not on any social media, but I do like being able to text family & friends. Like all technology, a cell phone can be a blessing and a curse: it can provide a feeling of safety and instant communications with loved ones, but, if you let it, it can be a time-suck and expose you to some of the most dumb-f*ckery humans are capable of.
TL;DR: enjoy your new phone…and use it wisely.
P.S. love that color!
Deb, pink is my favorite color!
Deb, with great power comes great responsibility. I’ll try to use my new iPhone 16 Plus wisely…once I figure out how it works!
Google it!
Jackie will be pleased to hear this. We’ve had them since Jackie retired in 2004, though we started with flip phones. When you were stuck at the airport you’d have been able to call or text people.
The worst we had was when Jackie was coming back from a trip ca. 1999. I went to pick her up at JFK, only to find out her flight had been switched to LaGuardia. I had no way to get in touch with her. I ended up driving home and waiting until she called. I think I met her at Port Authority.
It’s great in the car if you want to look up directions or call a restaurant for a reservation or to make sure they’re open. Each new series gets faster and better IMHO. The battery stays charged longer, and the Wi-Fi is faster.
Welcome to the 21st Century!
You can send me the number or – yes – text it!
Jeff, first I have to memorize my new phone number. I have trouble remembering Patrick, Katie, and Diane’s iPhone numbers…
Once you have your Contacts list set up, you’ll never have to memorize another phone number!
Jeff, that would help a lot!
Jackie: “…or if you want fast medical advice. ”
I don’t agree with that one, but she said if you use reliable sources like the Mayo Clinic.
I use it to check acting credits on TV shows- Wikipedia rules! – or look up authors or songs. I have my libraries on there, also Libby, so I always have a book available to read if I have a few minutes and don’t have my Kindle or a “real” book. I also have Wordle and my other games on here.
Also my newspapers. And blogs. And the weather.
Jeff, Diane and I use our iPads a lot. Diane listens to NPR on her iPad as she moves around the house doing chores. I use my iPad mostly for reading e-books. I have over 400 Kindle books on my iPad so far.
Oh, ours is an Android, Samsung Galaxy S25+.
Jeff, Patrick loves APPLE so we are an iPhone family.
Except for the infrequent use of a “burner” flip phone (when on a rare adult-life vacation trip or too-common distant funeral trip), I’ve never had a cell phone, being a 15-year younger fogey thus than you. I will cave in soon, particularly with my sister and her partner living in Montevideo, Uruguay, these days.
Todd, like you, I never felt like I needed a cell phone. But, I’m slowly working my way through the iPhone books and watching some YouTube videos as I learn the ins and outs of the device.
I got Linda, me, and my two daughters mobile phones at the county fair (The Puyallup) around 23 years ago! I locked in a rate of $70/month and still pay that, even though the girls are no longer on my plan! I carry it everywhere and look at it frequently, like when a commercial come on TV or I’m waiting for an appointment! I never text and drive or scroll and drive! I can talk hands free! I’m not married to a big-ticket brand that has 1,000 features I’ll never use!
Bob, your cell phone behaviors make sense. I’ll be more of a minimalist since I don’t plan to use my iPhone unless I leave my house…which I rarely do.
I don’t remember how long I had a cell phone but this is my 4th. My 2nd one went in the water when we took the dogs to the bay about 4 months after we reconnected. I had one leash and saw a dog with shark fins on its back and missed a step. I generally say the most common thing Larry says to me is “give me your phone”. Because I have messed up or can’t figure out what to do. The 3rd phone died recently, so am getting used to the new one. The first phone wasn’t a smart phone. I’m addicted to it having a phone available 24/7 and have actually realized texting is convenient.
Maggie, Diane likes texting, too.
We got our cellphones way back when because I would pick Ann up after work at night, and sometimes I would get caught in traffic and be late — it was good to be able to tell her to get back inside inside of standing outside on a downtown street corner in the dark. We had our original dumb phones for a long time. Stores and restaurants would tell us to put their apps on our phones and I would just show them the flip phone and they would say “never mind.”
Eventually we switched over to iPhones, and have gradually added more and more things we do on them. We rarely talk to anyone on the phone anymore, just text. And we’re always checking the news or looking things up on Wikipedia. (I use Wikipedia a lot, so have it set up to send them a small monthly financial contribution.) And tickets. The only physical tickets I get any more are to the Symphony; I keep waiting for them to go digital only as well. The baseball stadium is 100% digital, you can’t even buy a soda with cash.
Jeff, I just sent Wikipedia a $100 contribution since I use it all the time. I know they’re struggling but only 2% of the users actually contribute!
Yes, tickets. We have concert tickets and theater tickets on the phone too, and I’m sure if we were still going to Yankee Stadium it would be on there too.
Other than Jackie, the only calls I get regularly are from my sister. I don’t text nearly as much as Jackie does, but I do it a lot more now.
Jeff, Diane gets our concert tickets on her phone. But, most of our phone calls still go to our landline.
I bought a cheap phone about 15 years ago when I was on a trip to Florida. Later was given an older iPhone by my partner when she upgraded and upgraded once more since then. I have a landline that I use and, but take the cell with me when I go out just in case. Re my cell phone number, at times I do need to look it up.. I have been making an effort to put contact numbers into it. I sometimes am frustrated when I try to phone someone and discover they no longer have a landline.
Kent, we had some static on our landline and we finally got Verizon to send out a repairman. The repairman fixed out problem–took two tries–and mentioned that our phone zone (1000 houses) only have 86 homes with an active landline. Yikes!
Congratulations – I think.
I got a Jitterbug and signed up for a plan with unlimited calling and texting. True to form, I haven’t looked at the phone in 2 months.
I need to just take a basic plan and face the fact that I’m not a phone person.
I wish I was. I know life would be a lot easier. I’m scum.
Beth, if you’re scum, I’m scum, too. I’m not a phone person, but Patrick, Katie, and Diane want me to have an iPhone with me when I leave the house for safety.