As if there were any other choice. "I don't need a cell phone," is a notion likely to be met with skeptical stares implying insanity. And who wants an old-fashioned "cell phone" anyway? A slider, razor, flip phone, Blackberry, Palm? No - those aren't for me. I want an intelligent, high-tech, trendy, all-mighty digital device. I need a SMARTPHONE.After returning to America last week, I was plagued with indecision about which phone to buy. A naturally indecisive person, the "bundle" of decisions about which carrier, contract, device, data plan, etc. to use to connect with friends, family and the omnipresent cloud has overwhelmed me to no end. As a wannabe techy and purported "mindful media" user, the choice was doubly complicated. Making a blunder on this technical frontier would be an embarrassing mishap for a savvy young urbanite like me (read yuppie).
As I pondered the delicate matter, I consulted a variety of resources. A plethora of smartphone comparisons and consumer buying guides are available online. It's gotta be the holy grail of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to get one's blog on the top page of Google's search results for "iPhone vs. Android." Handy flash applications, such as this mobile phone configurator, aim to simplify the decision-making process. Through a series of questions about a user's priorities, this survey recommends a phone based on reviews. This is software to help us decide about hardware, media to help us decide about media.
Burdened by the excitement and innumerable factors to consider, I put off getting my phone for well over a week. I sought advice. My partner suggested I get a refurbished phone. This appealed to the environmentalist in me - I would be "upcycling," reusing a product that another user had discarded. A potential employer told me she was leaning toward Android because of its tethering feature. My sister told me she was unhappy with the speed of her iPhone 3G. In the spirit of mindful media, I decided to take this as an opportunity to learn about the wireless telecommunications industry in America and did my own research (although I wish I had done much more.) I narrowed the choice down to a decision between a refurbished iPhone and one of two Droids with a dual-core processor that makes it more like a new computer than a simple phone.
In the end, I bought a Motorola Atrix through AT&T, the latest and greatest in Droid phones. The decision was based less on a comprehensive understanding of the technology involved, more an identity statement driven by emotion and intuition. (I would argue that most consumer decisions are made using this framework, a type of decision-making cultivated by advertising, marketing and PR.)
So what does buying and android say about me? Here's my perception:
1) Android = anti-Apple (which is the new Microsoft...omg, I would never even consider the Windows phone) I felt the need to offset my loyalty to Apple. As a consumer, I feel I increase my influence by varying the brands I buy.
2) Android is open source. If you learn a little about programming, you can do a lot more with this phone.
3) The device is powerful. The high speed processor and the 4G standard put the Motorola Atrix on the cutting edge of wireless technology (for now.) I want a device that is going to maximize my power in the information age.
4) The phone is sleek, and it looks like an iPhone. The iPhone caused the smartphone paradigm shift, and I maintain some sort of allegiance to the original elegant design. Apple is great at that.
5) I'm a geek. Spending so much time and money on my cell phone makes me seem smarter.
I think point 3 is particularly important. Technology is about power.
Despite the self-deprecating tone of this post, I'm happy with my choice. I have a new toy! And I hope to cultivate the knowledge and wisdom to use it well.
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