Making the best of the iPhone despite separation anxiety and commitment phobia
February 3, 2008
Since I wasn’t returning to Vietnam this weekend, I activated my iPhone. Yeah, it’s not exactly the most logical progression of actions, but that’s what happened. I was unexpectedly the lone holdout in the office by the end of the month because my fellow resister’s Verizon coverage pooped out and she was able to cancel her plan without penalty.
Activation Fee: $36
Monthly Fee: $60, plus tax
Only 450 minutes per month unless I’m talking to my coworkers.
Only 200 text messages!
An additional 1300 messages would cost $10/month. Weird options.
Only 5000 night and weekend minutes! (I actually don’t need that many.)
I might have the option to extend nights and weekends by 2 hours (7pm to 7am) for an additional $9/month. Worth it?
2-year commitment to AT&T and this asset-draining plan.
I freaked out, pretty much. I just didn’t want to let go of T-Mobile and my golden, affordable, plan. I’ve already had too much change recently!! R had to hold my hand over the phone, lead me out to the ledge and tell me to jump. Repeatedly. But I finally did it, and have been acclimating to the phone ever since. Several hours later, I’m still not done inputting all the phone numbers from my old phone because there’s no easy way to transfer the numbers that I know of, and I have to organize it precisely the way I want it. Typical.
I have, however, discovered that this phone will only fuel my email addiction. Especially as I’ve set up both my personal and work emails, and figured out the server settings to make it receive AND send messages.
I haven’t figured out if I like blogging from it because I’m actually not fond of the keyboard, much, but that might mean I just need to trim my nails even shorter, as though I were a professional pianist.
The cell phone bill is going to be >$100 next month. Argh!
But I can check weather reports, maps, and email wherever I am, almost. That’s … pretty spiffy. BoyDucky tells me that I’ll learn to love it. And that’s what I’m afraid of. I’m not an early adopter of technology because I don’t want to love things that have increasingly higher associated costs to adapt to. It’s not likely that the iPhone related costs will stop at the activation and monthly fees. I’m going to need an extra travel charger because I’m a neurotic phone charger loser (not a loser in the judgmental sense, a loser in the sense of losing things), a case to protect it, and who knows what else will become essential? It’s a slippery slope, my friends.
The Wall Street Journal online subscription is now a major possibility, and I’m already ogling the Kindle and thinking, hm …. I could read ALL KINDS OF THINGS on that. Mmmm.
