
I am so thankful for my constant companion…my cell phone. When I eat out by myself I am never really alone. I can contact my friends on several different apps or play different games with my friends or by myself.
When I see something beautiful or interesting I use my phone’s camera to photograph pretty, clear pictures. The built in camera is light and easy to stash in my purse.
When I am on the road I use my GPS to check my destination’s distance and the ETA. Or I check for slow downs in traffic, like accidents or high water or storms. But there are even more uses for this wonderful gift from the internet powers that be.
Imagine my surprise when I found out about the smart phone!! Well, I got one and my best friend and sons, coached me enough to get off to a good start! All of these wonderful features squeezed into one little, all knowing phone that I could carry around with me, everywhere I went!
I admit it. I love these amazing gadgets and truly appreciate their multiple uses. I did not have access to the internet for personal use until after I was in my 50’s. So forgive me my deep, heart felt joy and thrill of learning new information that some of you younger folks already knew practically at birth! Perhaps I can rekindle the thrill for those already jaded with the treasure trove in that little handheld miracle!
The features mentioned below are only a minuscule view of what is available. The sheer volume of information, contacts, ways to access friends, points of view, photos, beauty, maps for navigation, entertainment, and unlimited knowledge at your finger tips is mind boggling for some of us oldsters.
Some of the following suggestions involve using a downloadable app, some are built into the phone already. One does have to be careful about who they download an app from nowadays. Just be sure it is from the app store for your phone and secure by whatever privacy protection you use.
1. Ever forget where you parked your car in a field or parking building? Use your smart phone to photograph the row sign or the level or floor number and section you are in.
2. Don’t have paper or pen to write prices on an item you are interested in purchasing to compare at another store? Take a photo of the price tag with the name of the store. Or better still look the item up on other stores and see what their prices are.
3. If you are not sure what brand or size to buy when your partner asks you to get something. Take a picture and send it to them to verify the object!!
4. If your car is in for service and the customer service agent tells you something you aren’t so sure you believe or understand is wrong with your car, look it up!! Learn what you can. Take your time and understand the problem before making a decision. Or use that phone and call a friend who understands cars to ask questions.
5. Are you trying to understand the directions your desktop computer is showing you on a site but they involve a lot of details? Photograph the screen with your cell phone and refer to it while you are following the instructions!
6. Do you ever mistrust the person on the special “chat” window about a service, bonus or something free and you have no way to copy the conversation or remember who you were talking to? Photograph the conversation from the start with your handy dandy cell phone! You will have proof the conversation took place, when it took place and what guarantees were made and who made them!
7. If you have “fallen and can’t get up” or have an intruder, if you have “Old Faithful” with you, you can just say, “Okay, Google, (Or whoever you system is with) Call 911″or whomever.
Lassie would have been just “little Timmy’s sweet dog” instead of his life risking rescuer if Timmy had had a cell phone! Lassie did have to run innumerable miles, in the mud and through dangerous situations to get help for Timmy and then get them there in time before the cave fell in or Timmy bled to death or whatever.
8. If you are a writer, poet, musician, or have thoughts you want to save but paper and pen are not available at the moment, use your phone’s voice record app for something you don’t want to forget. Don’t have time to write your dreams down? Record them orally and write them when you have time.
9. Ever have your electricity go out? Need a flashlight in a theater or dark field at an event? Use your phone’s flashlight app. I keep my cell phone with me all the time, the screen light itself can give a decent light or can be set as a strobe light for help.
10. Is there something to be read or being said in a language you don’t understand? You can use the translation app. Copy and paste or photograph the words, or speak the words into the microphone and it will interpret for you.
11. Is something not working right and you don’t want to pay someone to fix it? Look up “How to…” on YouTube. I have fixed my disposal, the toilet, and learned how to do various fix it jobs around my home.
12. Then we all know about weather apps complete with warnings for dangerous weather, calendars for scheduled trips to the doctor or lunch with a friend to help us remember when to do what with whom.
I will refrain from any more exuberance since the day is wearing on.
If you have some cool uses, please share them here. I am so thankful for my cell phone.
love that blog
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Thank you!! Delighted that you love it!!
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Thank you, mkamodell. Glad you liked the cell phone blog. I feel like it is the gateway to all knowledge in the universe sometimes. LOL
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yes. its crazy. i remember when there were no cell phones
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Heck I remember when I wanted to look up something I had to go pull out an outdated encyclopedia!! lol. Boy do I feel old.
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lol
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I share your exuberance Joyful!! It’s really mind-boggling what those little things can do! We are with T-mobile so get free international data and used my smartphone as our GPS when we were driving around Europe. It took us down some interesting roads but I just keep telling Hubs, “Trust the Google!” I almost feel like my step-grandmother… She has long since passed, but she was a girl when the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk and she lived to see us land on the moon. It’s kind of like that with us and technology right? ๐
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You said it!! I am so amazed just to think about the future. “What will they think of next?!” It’s an amazing world we are living in!”
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I share the same thoughts, smartphones are inevitable part of our life.
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True and so empowering when you can access information about almost anything! Amazing!!
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Thank you for your comment, Greeningasia.. So we might as well learn about them and use them to our advantage. I am amazed that in my life time I went from the black and white tv and rotary phone to a HD TV, desk top, Kindle with Wifi and Cellphone! I love it!!
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smartphones dese days are so awesome but at the same time they are making people lazy .. But i love smartphone a lot ๐
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Well, actually Aps on cell phones are now helping people monitor their exercising and quality of sleep. And if you play Pokemon Go, people are getting exercise more by walking around trying to find whatever it is they need to take over a gym or gem, (I don’t know much about it, can you tell? LOL)
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Thank you tech buddy. Glad you liked this post. As an almost 65 year old, I am loving learning about technology that’s not too complicated!
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I feel your excitement! I didnโt even dream of something like a cell phone when I was a teen and now I canโt live without it!
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Twice I forgot my phone when I left the house. I felt totally cut off! I don’t even remember my best friend’s telephone number! What would I do if I were in an accident! They are a life line. If Timmy had had a cell phone, Lassie wouldn’t have had to run back and forth getting the kid help! Timmy could have just called for help! LOL. They have revolutionized our lives!
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Everything you said here is so true! Like you, I didn’t a smart phone until recently. I learned about computers and the internet at work in the 90s. I love my BirdNet and Merlin apps that help you identify birds in your backyard.
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I am glad to know I am not the only one who learned about them late in life. I had a friend who helped me become acquainted with my phone. I love the Birdnet and the app to help you identify leaves from trees. But there is so much more! Thank you for commenting! Delighted that you enjoyed it.
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Isn’t it astonishing to see such a massive transformation, like from a time without electricity to having only electronic stuffs about : D
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Yes it is so exciting at the possibilities available to us now! I grew up with encyclopedias that became outdated the next year! If I wanted to know something all I had were those and my parents. I love learning from YouTube and looking up anything I want to know. Thank you for commenting!!
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My phone says Thankyou ๐
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You are very welcome! I don’t know what I would do without it!
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