Well, it had to happen at some point: I finally got a smart phone.

A little bit of history:

• I purchased my first cell phone – a real brick – in about 1998. The account, with AT&T, is still used (for Romy’s phone).
• In 2000, I was working with a start up, and everyone had cell phones that you didn’t have to pretend wasn’t check-on luggage. The phone of choice was Motorola’s StarTAC – the original flip phone.
• That same year, I purchased my StarTAC; I think it was $149.99 for the phone, ordered online. I went with Sprint; I can’t recall why except for Verizon access sucked in the office in which I was working. I’m guessing others had Sprint and were OK with same.
• Today, I picked up my replacement to the StarTAC – an iPhone 4s. Yikes!

Why get a smart phone now?

Ah, I’m a geek, but – while I do have gadget lust, I don’t need to be the first kid on the block with the new toy.

Don’t get me wrong – when the iPhone first came out in 2007, I lusted after same and said it would change the (cellphone) world.

And I was correct.

And each iteration of the iPhone – and the succeeding parade of Android phones – made me lust all the more. I confess!

At the same time, a better phone was just not something I needed – sure, it would have been useful to have the computer in my palm, but not necessary. I’m pragmatic.

Yes, I’m an idiot (to most geeks).

But I always said: When my built-with-the-steam-locomotives phone died, I’d get a top-of-the-line smart phone. As I did with the StarTAC (at the time, best in class).

The StarTAC – after 11 years – began to die.

Time to replace.

Replacement: iPhone 4s

iPhone vs. Android

OK, I wanted to get a smart phone as a replacement to my (dumb) phone, not just another flip phone etc.

Comes down to iPhone vs. Android.

It was a struggle – especially since, as I’ve outlined above, I’m not smart-phone savvy. Sure, played with phones from friends/co-workers and so on, but basically a novice.

Let’s leave price aside: The $149.99 phone I purchased 11 years ago has cost me about $13 a year. Not the kind of return carriers are looking for. I’ve known more than a few folks who paid for the iPhone, iPhone2 etc. Nice return for carriers (had to break contract or suck up cost of old phone).

OK, price aside: I want something that just works. Before today, it was a phone that worked as a phone (and better than my land line).

Overall, the iPhone just “works.”

Why Sprint?

Ah, this is the biggest “OMG I messed up” choice.

The iPhone is new on Sprint (the iPhone 4s is the first iPhone on Sprint; Verizon had the iPhone 4 and AT&T had all other iPhones exclusively). Agreed. So good and bad have happened in past (AT&T in San Francisco a nightmare, for example); the future may hold additional surprises.

At the same time, I’ve been with Sprint for 11+ years and have, overall, been satisfied. There was a period when I could get a signal everywhere except in my home office (yeah, that’s a problem…), but that’s cleared up.

I was able to – sometimes analog – call from weird corners of the US with Sprint; I’m hoping this keeps up (I’m sure I’ll be eating some of these words in the near future).

But the hardware and software is in place; we’ll just have to take from day to day, ja?