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Tech Talk: My Resistance to a Smartphone

When I whip my phone out of my pocket, people who know me well are usually surprised.

It’s not an iPhone.

It’s not an Android.

It’s not smart, actually.

It’s pretty much a regular phone, the kind your junior high niece is stuck with until she can pay her own data plan.

And you know what? I’m happy with it.

I know what would happen if I found myself suddenly willing to pay for a data plan and with my hot little hands on the phone of my dreams.

Not only would I suddenly have my eyes on a screen more than they already are, I would probably have to figure out some major organization and decision-making (i.e., what goes on the phone vs. what’s on the iPad vs. what I’ll use where vs. when do I need to take my iPad and on and on and on in an endless cycle).

There’s also a certain expectation when you have a smartphone. Suddenly, you’re available. All. The. Time.

I’m guilty of some of that already. I work from home, and I have an iPad that can hook me into wi-fi at any family member’s or good friend’s home. Silly me, I can check email practically all the time already. Do I really want to have one more tether, one more tie to something that really shouldn’t have such an authority over me?

Then there’s the bottom line: tossing my phone to the kids to amuse themselves would cause something like a WWF-level smackdown. My kids are as technology-geeked as I am, and while my oldest is bigger than the other two, they have some weapons of their own.

And, to be honest, I’m not sure I want to share.

That said, I have considered the awesomeness of the picture quality and my lack of a good camera since the death of my old one, the fact that I could finally figure out Ignio, and the general geeky-coolness of it.

But, for now, it’s a “dumb”phone for me.

Do you have a smartphone? What do you love–or hate–about it?

 

This article originally appeared on CatholicMom.com’s Tech Talk feature. It is reprinted with permission.


If Sarah Reinhard isn’t off hiding somewhere with a good book, chances are she’s chasing a toddler or a dog (or sleeping, because every mom can use a nap!).  She enjoys the idiosyncrasies of life in an old farmhouse in central Ohio with her husband and children.  She has been blogging at SnoringScholar.com since 2006 and contributes regularly at CatholicMom.com and Faith & Family Live.  She can be heard weekly on Catholic Moments and Catholic Foodie and periodically on the Faith & Family Live and Uncommon Sense podcasts.
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