Remembrance of Phones Past
Back in December of last year, Jason Kottke wrote about how much he feels about his cell phones. You can see it here:
In 2001, I spoke to my father on this Kyocera smartphone from 8th Avenue, having run up the block from work just in time to see the first tower fall. I don’t have to go into all the emotional baggage which that implies.
Since the time began that we were never to be found without our mobile phones (or whichever portable devices, for that matter), I feel that somehow all of the memories of the current chapter of my life are being constantly averaged out and inextricably linked to the phone that I’m using.
The Kyocera smartphone was the same one I was using when the the towers fell. I remember my client calling me on it, worried that I would be glued to the television instead of helping him with his move. Terrorists or not, he was going to homeless in 14 days if we didn’t close on his deal and I wasn’t about to let that happen.
A couple of months before that, I used to visit the phone at Office Max every few days. It was the epitome of smartphones at the time and I really wanted it. When I finally earned enough to buy it, I went to the familiar office supply store. They were closing them out and the only one left was the same display I had been fondling for the last month. I used to joke that I was going to visit my phone. I had no idea how true that was going to be.
Now, the idea of buying a phone at Office Max seems silly. They only sell the lame phones. Even going to the cell phone store to buy one seems strange, since I have bought my last two phones at the Apple Store.
I’m surprised at how much my perceptions of what is normal have changed over just a few years. I have gone through so many phones over the last ten years, each one offering me more than I had dreamed of the year before. I can remember so many times in my life, just based on what phone I had. It’s funny how our lives can be defined by our gadgets.