Mobile phones are not designed for me. I have a regular habit of putting them in the washing machine, dropping them on stone floors and squeezing them into pockets alongside keys, which are not great for delicate screens. The current phone has done well to last for so long. But there comes a point on no return.

One too many bounces off an unforgiving surface.

Now only parts of the phone work. As Monty Python would say – It is an ex parrot. It can still make calls but has a habit of switching off after a few seconds. Not great when you are trying to wait in a call queue.

“Well Dad you will just have to buy a replacement.”

I will add it to the ‘need to replace when money becomes available’ list. May well be not at the top.

“But Dad it’s an essential item. Think of the calls you will miss.”

I don’t get that many calls these days. We have a normal phone. I know it’s hard to believe but I can remember a time before mobiles. It was great fun. I remember setting off for a meeting and driving 4 hours to Northumberland. Only to find that the meeting had been cancelled just after I had left. No way to contact me. So I had a chip butty in Morpeth and then set off back. Best work day ever. No work, chips and listening to music. Now they would have just contacted me within minutes on my mobile

“Dad what on Earth is a chip butty.”

Hawklad you have never lived. It’s a sandwich filled with chips (fries). It’s the food of champions.

“Ok. But your phone is an essential item.”

It’s not.

“It is Dad. Think of work.”

They can use the house phone and send emails to the laptop.

“How will you know if I’ve missed the school bus.”

Well you won’t be on the school bus for quite a while. Actually you probably won’t be at school for a quite a while.

“What about taking photos.”

I can just use the camera. The camera hardly gets used these days.

“What about the music you listen to.”

I can go back to my old MP3 player.

“Think of the times you use the calendar on your phone.”

Ok Hawklad I smell a rat. Why are you so keen on a new phone. Is it to do with games….

“Well funny you should bring that up DAD. It’s more than a game. We need a phone to play Pokemon Go. Even the Doctor said that this app was good for me. So it’s like an essential medical prescription…”

******And with that I am on the lookout for a replacement phone. I will compromise. Definitely a previously enjoyed one. But definitely it’s jumped to the head of the buying list – that’s Doctors orders******

107 thoughts on “Mobile blues”

  6. Hahaha Oh my god! He is just like me 😄😄 that is hilarious!! I like his style of convincing 😄 brilliant

    This kid is smart – you are not going to have to worry with him. He’s got it down lol

    I broke my phone maybe a month or so ago… I had a case on it … but it was old… I dropped it and the screen just shattered 😮 I did not want to bloody up my fingers lol

    I looked at the new phones but too expensive – I am  apple only – I hate android … can not stand the iOS … my kids try to convince me to switch because there is some app that will turn a android into an iPhone – but I still do not like it – it is not the same 😝

    The prices on iPhones are just stupid! I can’t afford that!!

    Then I remembered I had insurance on my phone 😮

    So I used the insurance and the sent me another phone… they didn’t have the one I had anymore … iPhone 6 Plus … so they sent me a iPhone 6s Plus

    Whatever – but bonus!! Fricken insurance rocks!!

    I had to send back the broken one… the screen was shattered – my vibrate had not worked for years lol 😄… it was dying anyway

    So now I have a awesome phone that actually works – I have vibrate back and it’s awesome

    This time I made sure to by a case that is waterproof, and drop proof – it has a rope for my wrist lol… it is encased 😄

    I was so thankful cause fricken iPhones are sooo expensive – it’s ridiculous! What the hell and they don’t even add any exciting features like they did when Steve Jobs was still there! Big deal they make camera better – they should do that anyway… but where is the wow factor for that money they want!! Dammit stupid iOS! I wish android could have that iOS and not the one they do.

    And Oh my god! You still have a landline? 😮😮😮 I have not had a landline since umm 🤔 2012? Lol

    It’s like a rotary phone now lol

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      1. I don’t have good luck with refurbished ones. But they are cheaper. If I had luck with them I would do that lol – they always go bad on me almost instantly. I do not have the Midas touch with that

        YES!! apple DOES suck you in!!! Like a fly to fly paper!

        Yeah but other phones still kinda cheaper than Apple aren’t they?

         Apple did not have a good day today on the stock market lol that was a nice little plunge

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      3. Hahaha well it’s not … nvm maybe it is that I drop them lol 😄✌️ … the phones … but I have also bought refurbished computers before and literally twice 2 different ones stopped working after 2 or 3 days – I did not drop those! Lol

        So I just stay away if says refurbished. Just easier – I don’t want the hassle

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  8. This is so funny! There are still those individual tools like camera, laptop, MP3 players… When I went to Sylt, I was horrified to realize that I forgot my phone at home. People would get crazy if I don’t reply because they think something happened. But thank God, my mom had her (very) old phone with her (you can talk and send text messages) and I had decided short noticed to take my laptop along. So, I could at least email and my mom could inform everyone. I thought back of the time without a smartphone and I really enjoyed not having the choice to look at it. As you said, we survived our younger years without it. But yes, the problem is that everybody is so used to that I am having it along… that was the only problem that people are not concerned about when I am not answering.

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      15. Yes, it can be so beautiful in October again. We used to spend a week in Austria (Salzburg, but not the city) as long as the kids were little. We ALWAYS had gorgeous weather. We could sit outside having coffee although on a higher altitude.

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  11. One of the first mobile phones I had was provided by work. I still remember the look on my manager’s face when I had to tell him the dog had chewed the phone to pieces.

    Good luck with finding a replacement for yourselves.

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  13. Dunno about there but I’ve had great success buying older phones (usually whatever just died) through Amazon.

    I was working in telephony when cell phones were conceptualized. I recall a manager saying, “A call could find you while you’re skiing on the alps!” I was the only person who thought that sounded horrible and invasive!!

    I’ve often said, “I want a phone that can do everything except take phone calls!” And I don’t have a landline. I despise talking on the phone…. txt or email me!!!

    Good luck with your hunt. And maybe get an otter case to protect the next one??

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      1. LOL!!
        Right after I got my first smartphone I had to call for roadside assistance. I was able to make the call but had to google how to answer an incoming call. I was till doing touch/tap instead of swiping

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  16. There must be some phone calls that are very important and certain emojis you need to use and can’t! Pokemon go is also ‘essential’ so your son is absolutely correct. Oh, and chip butties are the absolute best. I love mine with brown sauce 😋 x

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  27. I think you’re raising an accomplished politician over there! Funny but true – kids can manipulate us, play us like a well-tuned instrument – geez he knows what buttons to push. So, what kind of phone did you settle on? LOL

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      1. I am forever stuck on Androids because that’s what I started out with, but Apple is good too, I guess. No doubt Hawklad will be searching for the perfect Pokeymon Go navigator. Best of luck. (Oh, and don’t forget to insure it against bumps, lumps, and fallings).

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      3. No they are not. I have not bought a new phone in five years. I keep recycling my kids’ cast offs. I know I could upgrade to a new one but my thinking is, “why? this one still works just fine”. LOL

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