Smart Guy With Just A Phone

NOTE: This article was written by me for Whackk(http://whackk.com/wickked/2012/12/29/smart-guy-just-phone)

You know that one tiny little strand which holds your life together while bonding and structuring your entire universe? Chances are you're not thinking about what I am thinking, because screw love, I was talking about that smartphone you own and in a 33% probability, are reading this on.

This article is not to vent about how cell phones have become a vital part of our lives nor is it about how its proximity to certain parts for a prolonged period causes infertility.No sir! This is an exhumed narrative of how I met my phone after a week,and the 7 things I observed in those 7 days. Ain't it Quite smart of me right? If you noticed, this sentence had 7 words, CONSPIRACY, if you ask me!

Anyway, for the rest of this to make sense, here's what happened : I am an owner of a Blackberry Curve 9360 who's trackpad malfunctioned and took a week to repair. During this period, I was using a Nokia Supernova 7210 without the Internet facilities activated. In all honesty (probably not), I observed the following in the hopes for a Nobel. Alas, the rejection letter from Stockholm still hurts.

All that aside, here are my notes:

1. The most obvious-no distractions

Okay this is straight out of "Mother of a Teenager" by Frustrated Mom (surprisingly untraceable author, I wonder why). Guess all our parents weren't lying when they said that a mobile phone is pretty distracting. For the first few days, my eyes inadvertently kept searching for that blinking LED notification as I hopelessly awaited my phone's arrival. So, first thing first, NO DISTRACTIONS while you do anything. No more missing out on that awesome scene because you were replying to an important email, finally a half-hour study session runs one lap without interruption and such similar joys.

2. Rediscovering the joy of calls

With the rise in mobile internet, app-based smartphones and of course, a homo sapiens' busy little life, cell phones are used for all purposes except calling. It starts with that tiny pang of saving time as well as money by Whatsapping instead of calling and before you know it, your last dialed numbers differ by dates. My point remains - calls are super fun,and it's way more amazing to laugh together with your friend over the phone rather than sending a "=D"

3. Twitter de-addiction

Not everyone has this particular issue,but about 500 million worldwide do. The super addictive micro-blogging website has taken the world by a mighty roar, and has many on its hook (I still can't get #uberawesome to trend). Yet, Twitter is something that requires constant updates, mostly through a mobile device. So when I lost my phone and used a replacement without internet, this marijuana like website finally let me off the hook.

4. Bring the iPod and those books out from the closet

In their lure for more markets, mobile phone manufacturers have started bundling almost everything into a cell phone. The most disastrous things being the music player and e-book reader apps. Not that there's anything wrong, but they've rendered the iPods, MP3 players and the thing that hurt me the most, books redundant. Not that it was a complete overhaul yet when I heard Cat Stevens on my iPod while reading my musty old tome of Jeffery Archer's A Prisoner of Birth, the feeling was way better than reading it on my screen with some lousy sound I try to pass off as actual music.

5. Escaping that disease where you think your phone rings all the time

Ringxiety is the syndrome when you think your phone is ringing when it really isn't.Needless to say, all of us suffer from it and somehow this week rids you of it! No medication, completely free and no side-effects!

6. Conversations are REALLY interesting

Ever paused your important-than-thou (yes I make up words,I'm aware of that) text-chat and lifted your head to join the dinner table conversation? Yes, a world of information exists outside the internet too and almost everyone has something to say (not that it may be sensible, I mean HELLO RAKHI SAWANT!) Conversations around you are more interesting than anything else. So I spent this week eavesdropping on aunties complaining about their kids, nodding at uncles speculating the next day's Sensex trend and fighting with people over Imam's latest Big Boss outburst.

7. The Internet's back where it belonged

Lastly and in a not so cliché way,the least stupid observation - The Internet was originally meant to be an inter connected network of computers to access information and consolidate knowledge.With the emergence of mobile phones, WiFi capable MP3 players, Kindles etc the focus shifted. Deny it as much as you want to, but a website ALWAYS looks, functions and dazzles better on a computer screen rather than the miserly screen of your mobile.

A week later, I got my Curve 9360 back and I was back to my old ways, ignoring all these observations I noted. Yet, the only tiny hope it gave me that my teacher reduced my insult phrase from "mobile mein ghuse rehte ho" to "bas phone pe gappe lagate rehte ho". Yay for me!

Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

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