Playing With My Phone

I never played with my old mobile phone. Aside from texting on occasion I pretty much used it for what it was, just a phone. I can’t say the same thing about my new smart phone. I’ve been playing with it off and on all weekend.

The difference is the whole apps thing. Truly, as the Apple iPhone commercials often point out, there is an app for that no matter what that actually is. So far I’ve added apps for measurement conversions, real estate, and writing. I’ve added one that turns the phones camera strobe into an LED flashlight and one that uses the phones GPS function to tell me where I can buy the cheapest gas relative to my current location.

I’ve added silly stuff too like the app that lets me use Samuel Jackson quotes from the movie Pulp Fiction for ringtones and another that identifies the constellations in the sky overhead. I’ve also added apps and then quickly deleted them like an app of useless facts. I decided that I already have enough of those.

The shear number of these apps is almost overwhelming and so far the ones I’ve downloaded have all been free. Many of these free apps contain a line or two of advertising at the bottom of the screen which seems to explain why they are free to the user. Build a great app and the advertisers will pay to hitch a ride.

I never knew a phone could be so much fun.

As far as the whole Apple versus Google phone thing I have to say that I really don’t have iPhone envy anymore. While Apple’s smart phone is much more elegant than the Droid, the fun factor seems to be about the same.