Getting smart or Tales of the Jazz Age

I need a new phone. Yes, yes, I know what you are thinking, but really, I NEED one, because my old Sony Ericsson is in bits and I cannot hear a thing when I am in a noisy public place. OK, it  does have many buttons - apparently it is something not very “in” right now (how was I supposed to know? Buttons are still perfectly cool in my world). It is time to go for a smartphone. 

I don’t know why, but somehow iPhone seems like a logical choice (because of the iTunes lark,  for the biggest part). So here I am, standing in front of an Apple store in Zürich feeling totally intimidated and unsure of myself. It seems like all those quirky looking people darting in and out of the store have a special aura: of knowing the difference between…hmmm….ah, just knowing the difference.

 Image: www.iphonemag.ch

I dive – literally – dive into the store (to avoid the danger of changing my mind and pressing buttons for another decade) and bump into a friendly young creature called Raphael-the-assistant. I explain. He sympathises. I look around and see a nice iPhone 3G: smooth design, acceptable price. Raphael-the-young-creature-the-assistant looks tense, he is obviously upset: I choose the wrong stuff (of course)! 

He explains to me that in a year this model will be FOUR years old (it's my turn to sympathise now: in his life calendar four years take lots of space ;-). Raphael takes me by the hand (figuratively speaking) and brings me to an iPhone 4G – masculine, angular and somewhat overpriced. I patiently (and as cheerful as possible while eyeing the exit) explain that I am coming from a world where buttons are still perfectly cool, that acquiring an iPhone 3 is a huge - I repeat - huge leap forward. He sympathises again and calls his colleague to join him in an effort of converting me into an iPhone 4 kind of person.  

Luckily the other assistant is nearly half my age as well, so the forces are equal. It is a matter of a principle  for me (plus the smooth design, the acceptable price…), and I am holding my grounds , and they surrender, hang their heads and lead me to the check out. Oh no, of course I do NOT need a case! (Why should I hide the “retro” beauty of my iPhone 3?)

Day passes in what seems to be useless fiddling with my new toy necessary equipment, but in 24 hours here I am, sitting in a café, sipping my cappuccino and “talking” simultaneously to my friends , scattered between Tadjikistan and Mexico, and in short pauses scanning through "Tales of the Jazz age" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, downloaded from iBooks, while keeping one eye on my train schedules - yet through another iPhone application. I am feeling very -VERY - modern and “smart”, so let Raphael laugh, and tell stories to his friends about a clueless girl with a rotary dial phone he met yesterday. 

Have a good weekend everybody.

Love,

AB