Samsung Dead at Age Eleven

One of the oldest working cell phones in western New York has died. The small Samsung SCH-a670 flip phone was placed into service on June 4, 2005 and has been with the same family ever since. As the first cell phone of a fifteen-year-old boy, the Samsung's early life was active with calls, text messages, pix messages, and games. Two years later, when the college-bound boy upgraded to a larger, more modern LG enV, the Samsung took an early retirement and lived quietly in a secluded area of the home. After a period of rest and relaxation, the now mature Samsung was pressed back into service as the phone of the senior-most family member, who never asked more of the phone that it could offer. He didn't expect it to take great pictures or connect to the internet; he wasn't interested in tweeting or snapping, so the now-outdated flip phone suited him well. For its part, the Samsung eventually got used to being tucked into the pocket of the old schoolteacher's bag rather than being shoved into the pocket of an active teenager. It got used to the silence. It accepted the fact that it would be turned off much of the time. And when the owner needed to make an occasional phone call or receive an even-more-occasional text message, the trusty Samsung could be counted on to respond cheerfully and reliably. Alas, it was in the aforementioned schoolbag that the Samsung met its end. No one noticed the loose cap on the lemonade bottle in the teacher's lunch bag, and it was hours before the Samsung was discovered in a pool of sticky liquid. All efforts were made to save the life of this faithful device, but the damage was too great. Text messages of condolence may be sent to the owner via the Samsung's successor, a snazzy new LG  VX8360. (Just don't expect a reply, as the heartbroken owner has neither the will nor the know-how to text back.)

NEW TXT MSG

My husband and I are not exactly on the cutting edge when it comes to technology.  When the kids were growing up, they claimed we were the only family in town without an answering machine.   We still tape and watch television shows on videocassettes.  And we wouldn’t yet have a flat-screen TV if our kids hadn’t gotten us one for Christmas last year.  So although it kind of surprises even me, I love cell phone technology.  My phone is not a smart phone, I can't play Scrabble on it, and it doesn't even have a QWERTY keyboard, but it does keep me connected to my kids in a way that was unimaginable a generation ago.  When I moved away from home in the early 1980s, my parents used to call once a week, usually on Sunday afternoon when the long-distance rates were lower, and my dad kept a little timer going on his end.  When the white sand was about to trickle out, my dad would clear his throat and say, “Well, we love you, Babe,” and I knew that meant the time was up. When you try to condense a week’s worth of living into a five-minute phone call, you end up hitting a few highlights and leaving a lot unsaid.  Although those weekly phone calls reminded me I was missed and loved, they didn't really do too much more than that.  One thing I love about cell phones is that I can call my kids or they can call me anytime and we can talk for as long as we need or want to.  But what I love just as much or even more is seeing the little text message icon flashing on the front of my screen when I check my phone between classes or when I get up in the morning.  Text messages contain the little things they are thinking and feeling and noticing, things that aren’t important or big enough to call about.  But those are the very things I love hearing, the things that keep us connected day by day.  I know cell phone technology wasn’t created just for parents like me, but it sure came along at just the right time!