Gadgetry

Today was a serious gadget day. I gave my bank account a few sleeping pills and went to buy a new cellphone!

It's not the latest or greatest - it doesn't do tricks or make coffee - but it's niiiiice! It's a Nokia 6111 (black - just like this one), a big step up from the one I've now passed on to my oh-so-chuffed son. While at it, we both switched to Virgin Mobile and my Vodacom number gets transferred sometime tomorrow. Not on a contract, so it's paid for and up to me to determine how much I spend per month on calls.

So of course today I've been playing with the thing, getting to know how it functions and Actually Reading The Manual. Some bits were glossed over - things I don't plan on using often. Others were trawled in-depth and settings changed. I now have one particular ringtone when someone special phones - which the old phone didn't do. I still have a bit of goodie-enabling to do once I'm all the way over to Virgin and the new SIM card - things like picture/video messaging (MMS) and some other network-specific stuff.

In the meantime the kid's figured out how his one works, has got his mom's and gramps's numbers stored, and sent his first SMS. I'm going to be happier knowing he's contactable and can contact me - our home line will still take a while to install. He can also keep in contact with all those chicks he's been hanging out with, though has been warned that buying airtime after this first free bit is going to be his responsibility. He's set up his screen, set up his ringtones, sorted his PIN.

The third Nokia in the family being played with today was dad's. Yes, Nokia owns us. He's got a model somewhere between our two, and at one stage we were all head-down, doing phone things.

Oh, mine came with a hands-free set, which is another thing I was aiming for today. What a pleasure to yak on the phone and wash dishes/walk/make pancakes at the same time! Though it does look strange talking to yourself, it makes the world of difference. No more cramped up wrist or neck from chatting at a funny angle.

So that's today's gadget update. The first of a few, done in small increments so we don't bankrupt ourselves just yet. Deep down, I'm a closet geek.