Whoops
Posted on June 20, 2016 Posted by John Scalzi 46 Comments
Someone’s phone met with a bad end today. Guess whose!
Spoiler: It was mine.
And now I am the owner of a band new phone, specifically the Samsung S7 Edge, which is a very nice phone although it will take me a bit to get used to it since I’ve been on Motorola phones (specifically the Droids) for the last five years or so. I’m now doing all the update-y things you need to do when you get a new phone. Whee!
How was your day?
Motorola still make phones?
I protect my cellphone by leaving it in my purse and forgetting I have it. It feels very neglected.
Oh, and my day was fine! Another day ordering books for the library system. Life is sweet.
Home repairs continue. The drywall guy is finishing up here, patching, retexturing, and priming walls after we did a total rewire on our 1906 house. It’ll be nice to be all done with that at last.
“For the man who has everything, buy him an old house he can fix up any way he likes, and he will remember you clearly for the rest of his life!”
My co-worker just got her second one of those in two days! (The first one went nuts, wouldn’t turn on, wouldn’t update and was generally broken.)
My day has been just fine, thanks!
I got to break the phone of a noted author!
Sorry about your phone! But the new one sounds fancy. :) It’s hot here in NJ so I took the kids to the pool for 2.5 hours and now it’s time for a meal of fish sticks and french fries (for me too, Lol.)
So that’s how tweeting and “crunch time” go together . . .
Sorry about your phone, hope the new one cooperates with you. I’m baffled by those things in all their incarnations, so I don’t own one at all, which makes me a hopeless Luddite (at least according to my offspring). On the bright side, that also means that I don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars replacing my old-fashioned land-line phone if one of the cats knocks it off the counter, so I’ve got that going for me.
My day featured another marathon of frustrations at work, thanks. Between an enforced accounting software implementation and the idiocies of certain individuals in certain high places, I am either heading for lifelong job security or else am about to get fired. And at this point, I’m not sure which of those alternatives is preferable.
I dropped my iPhone only once, in the garage, which has a concrete floor, but I was quick enough to get my sneaker-clad foot beneath it in time to prevent damage. Since then I clutch it, my iPad and Macbook like infants.
I finally replaced my busted up Droid Mini last week with another Droid Mini. All the new phones are so huge and since I have arthritis in my hands is makes a larger one more difficult to use. This one has a protective case and hopefully it’ll last a while.
have a droid Maxx and a droid Turbo. excellent battery life, but (due to Verizon) pretty much unpatched.
Currently lusting after a Nexus 6P (unlocked) from the google store.
That should solve the security patch problem (I hope…)
d
Well, yesterday was rainy and dull; today I get to hang out the bits of yesterday’s washing that hasn’t dried properly on the clothes line[1], as well as today’s stuff, plus I have to head off and do the grocery shopping. Another glamorous day in the life of a suburban housewife. (Oh, and I have to do my job search, or the government will get all upset and depressed and stop giving me money).
[1] I hung out the washing from yesterday on our indoor clothes rack.
I hate so-called ‘smart’ phones too, though expressing the anger that way can get expensive…
Oh, man.
Condolences and congratulations, both!
My day was fine: I actually did almost all the things on my to do list for once, so whoo!
I have a ‘stupid phone.’ When I need to do ‘computer-y’ things I use my laptop. Crude, primitive backwards dinosaur, yup.
Our cellphone contract will be up for renewal at the end of October. Hubby will probably upgrade to the latest Samsung, since he’s happy with the one he currently has. Depending on what they can offer me, I’m perfectly happy keeping this one–with my eyesight, I need a phone as big as I can get it, or the mobile apps don’t help me much WRT being able to see what I’m looking at. I’ve had an LG Vista since the last time we renewed, close to two years ago. I’ve been pretty happy with it, so unless they can offer me something significantly better I’m prepared to hang on to it.
Other than that, nada mucho going on around here. Hubby’s traveling (again), he should be home sometime Wed night. I’m having a sandwich for dinner, and halfway paying attention to Foxcatcher, the movie about the du Pont heir and the two wrestlers he mentored.
Note that the S7s, while great phones, have glass on the _back_ as well as the screen. If you’re as much of a klutz as I am, get a good case right off! I’ve been wavering because of that, and am probably going to get an S7 Active – same specs, tougher screen and body, and because of the protection bulkier than the S7 Edge. I need to actually try one in my hand, but not worrying about the screen or body would be a great relief.
Stayed home with 2 sick 4 year olds. One crashed (fell asleep) around noon and slept until 4. The other jittered around until 1:30 or so. The jittery one and I got up after 3. The day’s looking up because the first one finally ate something and is drinking water.
I replaced my ‘old’ but perfect condition 4S with an SE this past weekend (the youngsters in my office were giving me a hard time and I succumbed to pressure). In response to the sales person’s question re: insurance, I responded that I don’t need it because ‘I’ve never dropped a phone.’ I’ve since been gripped with dread, sure the karma gods are coming to punish me for my moment of hubris so I wrapped that baby in the best screen guard and case I could find. Looks like a brick but betcha I get 5 years out of it.
Good luck with the new phone.
My sister has the 6p and LOVES it. (I have the 5x and also love it)
Been dealing with a sick kid and need either lots more sleep or lots more coffee, but otherwise it’s a typical Monday.
Sorry to hear about the phone. After I killed off a tablet due to multiple drops in under two years, I got Otterbox cases for its replacement and for my phone once I upgraded that too.
Just got the S7 myself, changing over from a Windows based phone (long story). I’ve had it about a week and I really love it. I think you’re going to be very happy with your new phone.
@Gorgeous Gary – the Otterbox case is really cool. Great suggestion!
I’m mostly recovered from a few days of Evil Sinus Infection (the infection’s over and I can balance again, but I’m still recovering from the 3 days of lying in bed doped to the gills on Benadryl with no appetite.) But last night my wife said “Hey, squirting the medicine into Spot’s mouth instead of putting it in her catfood worked yesterday, I’ll try it again”, so this morning it was her turn to go to the doctor for the cat bite, which was quite deep and getting infected but seems to have missed the tendon. We now have antibiotics and more bandages, and Spot has medicine in her catfood, which she doesn’t like and makes it sticky and hard for an elderly cat to eat.
Both our phones are ok, though :-) (Hers was replaced free last month by the Genius Bar because the previous one’s battery had swollen and popped the case open in its attempt to escape, which meant we noticed it before it could catch fire.)
Broke 2 expensive smartphones with no insurance on them but had various cases/screenprotectors so I thought I was good….now I pay the extra $8 or whatever monthly, have no special case or protective film, and have had no issues/no drops for a long time…
Don’t forget to grab a Gear VR kit for your phone – around a hundred bucks allows you to put your toe into VR and have a look around :)
The $5 cardboard version of Google Cardboard was a gift from my siblings, and my S4 mini is a bit small for it, but it was enough to have fun playing with the VR stuff for a day or two. My first introduction to VR was about 40 years ago, those things in the mall (remember malls?) with the big clunky helmets that don’t fit me well enough to focus quite right, and I’d keep getting grabbed by pterodactyls and dropped and smashed into little colorful pieces; it’s slightly more useful now, and the resolution’s a lot better. I found that most of the Cardboard applications weren’t quite careful enough about returning to the original starting point, so I either need to use them standing up or in a swivel chair to be able to use any of them for very long.
It looks like you tried to use it as a ramp for a roller skate jump….
Alan MacDonald:
In fact the phone came with a free Gear VR headset; I just have to send in the info, which I will.
My day? Just shitty, thanks for asking. I found out that the neighbour who threatened me with a knife is likely to be there until November.
I have an Apple 5S and I’m waiting desperately for November. I stupidly bought the 16 gig when I upgraded almost 2 years ago. Considering switching to android, but have to run the numbers.
Can I hijack the thread to ask for recommendations of “What to look for and avoid in a real smartphone” articles, websites, etc? For the clueless?
My semi-dumb flip-phone is getting long in the tooth*. Don’t know what I want other than Apple – no, Verizon – yes, Resistance – yes, and something that cannot turn off the ringer banging around in my pocket.
And without a CD drive that is always popping open**.
* Where does that expression come from anyway?
** Oops, that from my laptop complaints list, not my phone complaints list***.
*** Though I am also considering a compatible tablet.
I’m like Dana – still have a dumb phone – an 11 year old flip phone. It works perfectly. Makes and receives phone calls, just like a phone should.
From all the reviews I know of, an excellent phone with a serious drawback – it’s a bit fragile. Get a good case for it as soon as possible.
Personally, I use a flip phone for my infrequent calls, and a windows phone (wifi only) as a PDA / camera.
My day yesterday was great and also difficult to concentrate on much of anything because of OUR CAVS!!!! Wore the only wine-and-gold I had to work – long-sleeved, and it was 95 degrees & 110% humidity outside – but it was worth the discomfort. Cleveland so needed this; it has brought people together (at least for the present) in a way that nothing else has or maybe even could. LeBron … what can be said? I am also a (really old) “kid from Akron” – actually worked at the hospital where & when he was born – and he has done so much for our community, making a real difference in people’s lives through his charity work etc. I’m happy and grateful to have seen the day when the “drought” ended, and proud that the celebration downtown on Sunday night was just filled with joy and didn’t get out of control. Expect the “glow” will wear off in a few days, but till then, basking in it. :-)
(@ John Hedtke – You are too funny! What a great quote re: old houses! :-)
I’ve had two phones the past year and both had screens like that, it doens’t bother me to have a phone that has a cracked screen anymore
I spent my day writing, that’s the only things I have done today( I haven’t even eaten, Thank God i remembered to shower) but I”m not complaining, it’s been an amazing day actually!! I love it!
@Captain Button –
I’m finding very good info on “gsmarena.com”. (Only thing I wish it would do would be to let me select phones by size – my wife’s pants pockets and hands are very small, and she doesn’t want a Phoneisaurus rex.)
Re: Long in the tooth.
In olden days of poor tooth hygiene, a lot of people would get gum disease. That would make the gums recede and expose more of the teeth, making them look longer. And the older you were, the more your gums would recede.
Hence, older people were “long in the tooth”.
@Bob Neinast –
As far as I know, this method is still used to guesstimate the age of horses.
I thought with horses you looked at how worn down the teeth were.
Thanks to Bob and John for their replies.
I look forward to your further comments about the S7 Edge. I loved my old S3 and replaced it with an S5. The S5 has been…frustrating, but I’m still thinking about the S7.
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I’ve been writing for decades about the ubiquitous NotePad with 3-D interface for the HoloWeb.
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Meta-Sonnet: LIGO #2
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by Jonathan Vos Post
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Einstein’s Theory
confirmed, again;
Ripples in Spacetime
detected, for the 2nd time
{Phys.Rev.Lett., AAS’s 228th Meeting, San Diego}
.
Signal at LIGO
from 2 colliding Black Holes
14.2 and 7.5 Solar Masses
1.4 Billion Years Ago
released Gravitational waves, 0.9 Solar Masses
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From General Relativity
this was predicted
researchers were conflicted
Europe will have VIRGO,
KAGRA in Japan, with Interferometry
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4:10 p.m.
Saturday 18 June 2016
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The Mrs. Has an S6 which I don’t like (their UI is dreadful) and I have a Droid Turbo 2 with an unbreakable screen (last HTC DNA broken three times by the littles). They have dropped this one twice and nary a scratch. It also has an unholy battery life that is nails.
Luddite here; I still have an ancient Verizon flip phone because of a 2 week battery life when I forget to charge it, and IMHO, a cell phone should send and receive phone calls, with pictures a distant second option. I eventually may be forced to get a smartphone, but as long as mine holds together, nope.
Last weekend was spent replacing the rotten wood columns holding up the porch roof with cinderblocks, rebar and cement; this weekend was coating the blocks with surface bonding cement. Just took out the props; nary a creak or groan. Starting to feel like my masonry haz l33t skillz!
Since I use my phone more as a web-surfing device, email sender/receiver, calendar, and GPS than I do as a phone I’ll be in the market for another smart phone when this one finally kicks the bucket. I’ve been running a Galaxy S4 since spring 2013 and so far it’s still doing okay AND still has a user-replaceable battery which the Galaxy since S6 doesn’t have. I’ll be curious as to what sort of battery life you’ll get from the S7. I’ll admit to being tempted…
I have an LG. Not sure the type. It’s a tracphone, because I still MOSTLY do my phoning from my landline… But USAA has discontinued depositing checks through UPS stores, and I needed the cellphone app to deposit checks without mailing them in. Also I lost my job, and having a phone and email on me constantly is… pretty useful during the job search.