New phone

As I mentioned in my post about going to Nottingham after Christmas, I received a phone from my grandfather. It was a phone he had owned for a couple of years, and now wanted to pass it on to me as he knew I did not have a phone.

The model is a Samsung S5230, released in May of 2009, and it is the first phone I have ever owned. To go over the basics, it has a touchscreen pad, can receive/send texts and calls, a camera, can access the Internet, can play and store music, and is capable of Bluetooth/USB connectivity. I am unlikely to use the Internet or play music on my phone, however, as I have perfectly good devices to do both of these already, but another camera is useful and the call/texting ability is extremely important (obviously, as that is the primary purpose of a phone).

When I looked at reviews of the phone on the Internet, most of the complaints were to do with difficulty navigating with the touchscreen (it is tricky at first, but I quickly mastered it), problems accessing the Internet (not really an issue for me at the moment), or poor music quality (not a concern at all). Some people even suggested buying an iPhone over the S5230, but as others pointed out, an iPhone is expensive, and it is not really fair to compare the two models. On the flip side, people complimenting the model actually stated the opposite to all the aforementioned concerns; as well as praising the long battery life (which I can agree with, as I have not run mine out yet) and clear calls. As my phone is a gift, I do not think I have much reason to complain anyway (not that I am), and am happy with all of its accessories.

A few years ago, I would most probably have cringed at being given a phone, as we were out of cell/mobile phone reception range at our house in Oregon; but when I received one the other week I was both surprised and pleased. It will be a very important device for the future, and if my grandfather had not given a phone each to my brother and I, we would have bought our own anyway; I am grateful to him.