Isn't this a beautiful little thing? I saw Gavin Richardson using one like it at the Congress on Evangelism...I had heard tell of them before, but never seen one up close. I have one now. It is way cool, if a 52 year old district superintendent can use that phrase and not be hooted off the stage. I am very excited about this thing---I can email, calendar, get on line (it's quick) and, oh, by the way, use it as a cell phone. I got it this afternoon...
However...yesterday I heard a really fine sermon by Brian Roots, our pastor at North Star UMC ...which was a new church start seven years ago, and meets at Shoal Creek Elementary School. He said that "the only way to get off the endless treadmill of stress and dissatisfaction in our consumer culture is to personally declare, 'Enough is enough.' " He invited the congregation to do three things over the next month: eat in and not out (it slows you down, and invites a deepening relationship with those with whom you eat); Unplug---computer, tv, games, music and turn on to conversation; drop the shopping (for necessities, not entertainment.) And yet, I went out and bought this nifty little thing. Where is the line between buying into the consumerism that is sold to us constantly, and finding ways to make your life easier and less stressfilled? Somehow I guess I am hoping that the Cingular 8525 will make my life easier: the coverage area is better with Cingular in the rural areas of my district; I can check email (which is a MAJOR part of my job---responding to requests, etc) anywhere there is coverage; I can blog anywhere I have it and a connection; and if I want, I can find a more effective way to calendar. But is that really worth the bucks I paid for it, when I could have purchased a much less expensive one today when I changed from Sprint to Cingular? It does give one pause...I don't have an easy answer to this one...and I haven't figured out how to get my email direct to the phone/computer/calendar/thing.
6 comments:
Good for you. I really enjoy my Pocket PC. Does everything I need. The head phones and MP3s on the treadmill are good, too. If you use Outlook, there is a nifty little feature called "Outlook Live." When I sync the phone/calendar to my computer Outlook Live puts the info (Calendar, emails, notes, and contacts) into the outlook on all my computers (Home, office,and Secretary's), also can be accessed on the web. My wife can get my schedule easily. Enjoy your new gagette.
Grace and Peace,
A Gaget Geek
Thanks. We do use Outlook so I will try to get up to speed on this today. SKCJ
I am truly impressed that you a DS can use that thing. I envied it too. But alas the budget will not allow. Go forth and enjoy.
Also thanks for sharing what Brian Roots had to preach.
A year after retirement I decided to get back to basics. I actually turned in the cell phone. It's amazing how many people I didn't need to talk to.
i definitely have phone envy now. two of my friends have THAT phone. AND I'm still using a Cricket phone. AHHHHH!!
You should have waited for an Apple iPhone.... Be careful with Cingular in those rural areas. If you roam (not using Cingluar towers) more than 50% of the time they will cancel your contract like they did to me.
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