Four years is clearly too long to keep a mobile phone. I’d been on the Orange ‘Everyday 50′ tariff for at least 10 years. So long in fact, that the company stopped offering it to new customers a long time ago. At the time I switched, it suited me fine – I could easily use the 50 free minutes per day, but as time has gone on, it’s become less and less relevant to the way I live my life.
So, I’d planned to get the necessary files off my old Nokia 3230 and then switch to something more modern and more reliable. One of the first ‘smartphones’, it was never the most relaible, and the advancing years and failing Symbian software didn’t add to its cause. It died spectacularly, though, last week, and in doing so, took all my files and contacts with it. Thankfully the photos are on a memory card, so I have them, but new contacts and texts, they’re gone. Game over.
Looking for a new mobile deal is never fun. I knew what I wanted though, so it wasn’t too difficult and didn’t take too long. I barely use a mobile these days, so a cheap tariff was a must (which ruled out the £30 and upwards iPhone plan), and in the end I settled for Orange once again, switching to its ‘Orange 10’ plan. I now have 100 minutes a month at no cost along with 300 texts, all with a free Nokia 6303 Classic (left) and even my old number, which I didn’t really relish losing.
The phone’s great. It would have been £80 on a pay as you go deal and even then you’d have to put at least £10’s worth of credit on it every month. The Nokia’s very smart, and still does more than I need. MP3/AAC player, radio, 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, microSD card slot, internet, maps and TFT screen technology. Of course, it does all the usual texting and calling stuff, too.
It was definitely worth the switch. Not that I’d want one at the moment, but I’ll even get a new handset after 18 months. I’ve now signed a three-year contract, but that’s not a problem – as I said, my mobile use is few and far between these days. But, who knows, this shiny steel new handset could make mobile use fun again…
Tags: Journal, Technology