A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch
I’ve gone to the dark side. I didn’t think it would ever happen, but I’m using an android phone. OMG! It’s worse than I thought. I even called it a phone instead of a pocket computer.
I’ve carried a pocket PC since I bought my first IPAQ in 2002. I just loved being able to carry my files, e-mail and to-do list with me everywhere. It was so easy to sync with Outlook on my other computers.
In April 2010, I finally retired my IPAQ2495 and bought a HTC Touch Pro 2. I think the people at the Sprint store thought I was a little crazy. I was comparing the HTC to my IPAQ. They just couldn’t understand that I wasn’t buying a phone. I was buying a new pocket PC that happened to also be a telephone.
After a couple of months, I enjoyed using the Touch Pro 2 so much that I even used it to write this column for the newsletter. It was a tough machine. I estimate that I dropped it at least twenty or thirty times (including a few on concrete). I might have been in the minority, but I liked Windows Mobile 6. It was a reliable operating system that synced easily with Outlook. I like Outlook. It’s one of the few programs that I’ve actually purchased.
My TP2 finally gave up the ghost. Naturally, I looked at replacing it with a Windows 7 cell phone. Sprint had exactly two choices. I didn’t much like either one. I considered changing carriers, but I’ve got a pretty good reason for sticking with Sprint.
My grandson recently got an iPhone. I activated his old phone, a Samsung Epic 4G. My theory is that I can save my upgrade discount for a future Windows phone. I’m not unfamiliar with the Android operating system. I’ve used it on my tablet for a year or so. My only problem with having Android in my pocket is that there isn’t a native synchronization with Outlook on my computer.
I finally slipped a little further into the dark void. I almost gave up and went completely dark. I gave some serious thought to abandoning Outlook and using Android PIM programs. Then I could even stop telling people that the only software that I’ve spent money for is Outlook.
In the end, I actually purchased some software. I got frustrated having to jump through several hoops to synchronize the darn thing with my computers. Once again, I can just click one icon and have all of my data synced.
I wonder what my mobile future will be like. Windows is going to have to get a manufacturer to make one heck of a phone to get me back. Then they’ve got to get Sprint on board to sell it. Then they have to get me to buy it. That’s a pretty tall order. They might have to get Bill Gates to come out of retirement and take over the company again.
My IPAQ is still somewhere in the junk box. I sure miss it.
Thanks for reading.