Okay, so a few weeks ago I bought an iPhone. Now that's not as crazy as it may seem, as it happens. I used to have a Blackberry, but the darn thing would cack out on me all the time. People would often tell me they had tried to call but it went straight to voicemail. Or I'd try to dial out and get an ear-piercingly loud tone and "call failed" error message. The only fix seemed to be to take out the battery, wait 30 seconds, then put it back in (gee thanks, tech support line).
The last straw was when I was in the hospital with my mom while she was getting a chemotherapy treatment. I was desperately trying to reach my youngest sister (the nurse) so that she could hoof it down to the hospital (she was at the museum with her hubby and my kids) in time to meet with the doctor. Who was on his way. I called and left her a message to immediately call me back. While I was sitting there waiting for her call – actually holding my phone and looking at it, I got the following text message:
1 missed call.
From her number. She had called. I hadn't missed it or failed to hear the obnoxiously loud Pavarotti ring tone. The damn phone just didn't work.
And of course, she missed the doctor.
And as soon as I got back home to Alberta, I went to the Rogers Store and said "GIVE ME SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY WORKS!"
The saleswoman steered me to the Blackberries. Newer, fancier Blackberries that apparently didn't have the same "software issues" as the infamously bad Blackberry Pearl (Pearl users: you are not alone!) Of course I was seduced by the sleek black iPhone, but I knew better. It has a cripplingly high data plan rate. The hardware is, like, $300. No rebates.
Forgetaboutit.
So I looked at the Blackberries. I hemmed and hawed. I settled on one for a reasonable price. Then I told the salesperson that my pet peeve was always that my old Blackberries never synched properly with my MacBook. No matter what software patch I downloaded, I could never get my calendars in line and I always somehow ended up with 3 copies of each email on my phone. She was surprised that I wasn't buying the iPhone.
So I explained to her about the rate plan. Turns out I was wrong: it's only $30/mth – that's cheaper than I was paying for my Blackberry! Well then, the hardware must be astronomically expensive, I countered. No again. In fact, as a long-term customer (twelve years…that's right: TWELVE YEARS with Rogers) I could have the phone FOR THE SAME PRICE AS THE BLACKBERRY.
Hello? Say again?
So that's how I got my iPhone.
But that's not even the point of this post, believe it or not. The reason I was compelled to write is because of this little game I downloaded from the Apple App Store. It's a solitaire game called demon (this is how you play it) that is wickedly addictive. And pretty much unwinnable. In fact, in one estimation the player only wins once in every 1250 games played!
Here are my stats for demon:
Current Streak 85 losses
Longest Win Streak 0
Longest Loss Streak 85
Current Running Score -2796
Average Game Time 9:31
And the scariest stat of them all?
Total Time Played 13:29:52
THIRTEEN AND A HALF HOURS I've played this game for!!??!?
Jen: mostly before bed instead of reading, LOL, but also a good deal of time in the lobby of the dance studio 😉
Jamie: hahaha! You ARE just jealous 😉
Anonymous: 3 things about the iPhone: 1. the touch screen really only responds to skin, so if it’s -30 and you need to use it, you’ll have to take off your gloves (brrr…BTDT!) 2. the keyboard is a bit tricky to learn – it’s very sensitive. But easy once you get the hang of it. 3. it works VERY much like a Mac computer. Easy for me, ’cause I’ve used macs for years. Might be a steeper learning curve if you’ve never used a mac.
Ali: buy one! you won’t regret it!!!
I love Blackberries, and mine have never cacked out on me 😉
Can’t deal with iPhones myself. Tried, and sold it.
Ooooo I am soo tempted.
I really love my blackberry but am such a sucker for marketing and the iPhone is really purdy. But 13.5hrs!! Please tell me you are in line waiting or something…
thirteen and a half hours? I’d like to say I’m surprised. Love the phone. Am v jealous!
I covet an Iphone. are they hard to use? i’m a blackberry user and don’t love them. I’m somewhat intimidated by the sleekness and blackness of the Iphone, it almost seems like too much.
must. have. iphone.