Cell phones.  The bane of my life.  Like printers I have yet to have one that works the way I think it should for longer than a year.  Very frustrating. 

In the last month my cell phone has been acting as if it's possessed.  I lock the keyboard, put it in my purse, just as I've been doing since I bought it. I pull it out when I get home and at random intervals it is in the process of doing odd things.  I believe I've noted these before. 

-- Sent an empty text message to someone I work with
-- played one of the default tunes at random
-- tried to add new Contacts several times
-- opened the Contact folder several times to a random person. 

So far it hasn't done a random dial, but the year is still young.  I can not reproduce any of this no matter what buttons I push while the keyboard is locked. 

Again this morning I pull my phone out of my purse and the keyboard is locked, but the contacts are open.  I decided I have had it - time to head to the Verizon store.

I looked.  And looked. I don't like anything. Yes, I looked a them all and nothing appeals to me. I went around the store about 4 times thinking maybe I missed something.  Nothing says "buy me and I'll make you happy for the next year at least!" 

You all know I love new toys - it's very disheartening to go shopping and not find anything I like.  It's as bad as trying to buy clothes!

So I talked to the guy at the store.  My contract isn't up until May and maybe something new and shiny will come along in the meantime.  The guy at the store tried reproducing the random crap - also without results.  Then he suggested buying a case... 

Well, it might work.  Far less hassle than changing out the phone.  We shall see.

Posted by: Teresa in Ho-Hum at 10:07 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
Post contains 336 words, total size 2 kb.

1 My Bride's phone is very long in the tooth...I'm not thrilled about the upcoming trip to Verizonlandia. All I want is a full qwerty texting. I don't want web access or data plans or nuttin' else.

blech.

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at September 23, 2010 06:48 AM (OXWdU)

2 Mr Bingley if this case thing works then I can recommend the phone I have or even its previous version if you can find it (the LG ENV2 or ENV3). 

It is a phone first, a texter second and I don't have a data package on it.  Other than this pesky random crap it decided to pull lately, it really has been okay.  

Posted by: Teresa at September 23, 2010 08:19 AM (TeQXy)

3 Hope the case works!

I have a very old LG, just for voice.  It's been dropped more times than I can count and though scarred, works just fine.  Thank goodness.

Our Verizon contract is up, but neither of us needs a new phone, so I'm not rocking the boat...

Posted by: pam at September 23, 2010 08:31 AM (i3Kno)

4 I feel for you, T. Oh, to be a geek and understand things. See, I know I would walk into a store and think, "Ohhhhh, that one looks really cool," and  I'd buy it (or ogle it) regardless of  what it does or does not d -- just 'cause it's purdy. I was never one to see the big picture (or ask the important questions, for that matter). Sigh.

BTW, when I see you in November, please, I beg you, can you figure out for me how to disable the touch screen on the Treo while I'm on the phone? It's so friggin' ann-OY-ing.

Posted by: Erica at September 23, 2010 09:20 AM (P3Z8e)

5 There was supposed to be an "o" after the "d" here: "d -- "

Posted by: Erica at September 23, 2010 09:21 AM (P3Z8e)

6 Two words. iPhone. Well, okay that's one. Eye Phone. There. I loves mine so much I would have it's babies. But not really. You know what I mean though.

Posted by: Laura at September 23, 2010 12:24 PM (ua7hq)

7 Laura - when it comes to Verizon I will be so there!  Until then I refuse to use AT&T due to past very bad experience with them. (I know every carrier has these issues - but mine was with AT&T and Verizon has yet to stick it to me so I'm sticking with them until they do)

Posted by: Teresa at September 23, 2010 12:38 PM (TeQXy)

8 Re: cell phones, I have two rules:
1. Avoid AT&T like the plague on humanity it appears to be, and
2. Use one that makes decent phone calls w/o issues.
Everything else is secondary.

Re: AT&T, even their in-store service is horrible. I needed a charger for my old phone; found it easily enough, and stood in line behind a little old cat lady and two others who apparently spoke Sanskrit, for 15 minutes.

When I got to the counter, the lady asked for my number. "??" I replied; she pointed out the "take-a-number" device -- on a stand, 30 feet away on one side of the store, NOT near the entrance -- which neither I nor the people behind me had seen.  I asked if she'd not seen me standing there for the last 15 minutes; didn't matter because, she said, "Other people have numbers and they get waited on first."

I left my items on the counter & walked out. 10 minutes later I had a charger from Radio Shack and was in my car, leaving. (Sorry for the rant; it's been one of those days.)

Posted by: Rev. Paul at September 23, 2010 03:24 PM (0DZhf)

9 My husband has ATT and an iphone. I won't do ATT. WILL.NOT. I have another provider and it will stay that way. He loves his iPhone, I don't like it. I don't like the touch screen. When I txt off his phone, my fingers touch other letters. I hate that. So I want a touch screen phone, but a pull out keyboard, which is what I'll get when this phone is near death... ... which is soon as it's a blackberry and I don't love it. I'd never buy another. Great camera. Love the keys. But because its an exposed keyboard, the slightest moisture sends it off the deep end. Don't run with your blackberry... unless it's in a case. Don't put it in your pocket. Add to it that sometimes... it just does funky stuff.

Posted by: Bou at September 24, 2010 11:18 PM (wEvt/)

10 My birthday was back in April. I just yesterday got a "new message" from my nieces and nephew sing HB to me. I have no explanation for this, but it happens more times than you'd think with Verizon. My brushed-chrome-pink razor phone is practically a dinosaur by now. I killed ALL text messaging which is why I no long post pics on my blog. But it rings about 4 times a month, so it's all good.

Posted by: Joan of Argghh! at September 25, 2010 06:53 AM (mKTqP)

11 The hinge on my cell broke - just did, no force or anything. The boy is now on a rowing team so he needs a cell to contact us when he needs picking up (he has been after us for his own phone for the last few years) but our contract is not up until early January so he and I will both have to limp along the next few months.

Posted by: patti at September 25, 2010 01:52 PM (BMAwY)

12 I'll probably jinx myself now. Mine has been fine... except when it decides to "freeze" and I have to take out the battery and re-boot it. My son, who also has the same phone, says I should just routinely do that once a day. I refuse. I'm lucky if I remember to do it every few days ... and then usually when it beats me to it by freezing. Sometimes I think the more technically sophisticated they get, the more stuff they have to go wrong. 

Posted by: sue at September 27, 2010 09:22 AM (0K+AI)

13 Sue - the more gadgetry on a phone, the more it will do things like freeze.   When I used my treo and my blackberry I popped the batteries on those babies every day.  Then I was not worried about it freezing at the wrong time - LOL. 

Posted by: Teresa at September 27, 2010 11:39 PM (TeQXy)

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