Life changing...

[birdguy 3,943]

There's a new AT&T commercial that I saw last night on television.  You bring in your old phone and they give you a brand new one.  The young man in the commercial says, "That is life changing!"

That is indeed life changing.  Ever since cell phones and iPhones have become an integral part of a person's anatomy giving up an old worn out one for a new one is like any other organ transplant, like a heart transplant or a kidney transplant.  That is life changing.

Noel

[188AHC 2,138]

They don't just give you one. It is a trade in and you will receive a certain reduction in the price of the new phone based on the value of the old one.. Then you pay the difference on your monthly bill normally in 36 payments.

 

[TuFun 434]

I don't own a cell, don't need one, don't care for one... now that's live changing... for some!   

[Fielder 3,663]

We have one of those candlestick phones like you see in the old 1930's gangster movies. You plug it into an adapter and then it fits any phone line, hard wired jack in the wall or USB to a router. By the way its a real vintage phone, unaltered, not a modern made look alike. The only thing the adapter does is change clicky numbers to tone dialing (it counts the clicks of the rotor makes when you dial it your finger and changes it to a tone). Of course we only use this phone when we're in the mood. Sometimes you need another adapter to increase the voltage (if the ringer in the phone doesn't sound off or is week). There's a little hammer inside the phone that bangs on a real bell and it takes a certain voltage. All phones use ringers like that back then. The phone works exactly as it used to 100 years ago.

[Paul Deluca 164]

Western Electric was one of  the companies making that phone. I love it.!!!!!!

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

Sounds like a classic car dealership trade in offer on your clunker for a new one, even worse when you lease a car and the value of your car becomes lower then your buyout, that is the moment you sold you soul to the company store.

 

[stans 702]

10 hours ago, birdguy said:

There's a new AT&T commercial that I saw last night on television.  You bring in your old phone and they give you a brand new one.  The young man in the commercial says, "That is life changing!"

That is indeed life changing.  Ever since cell phones and iPhones have become an integral part of a person's anatomy giving up an old worn out one for a new one is like any other organ transplant, like a heart transplant or a kidney transplant.  That is life changing.

Noel

Yep, but life was so much simpler before the age of smart phones, cell phones, and the personal computer.  But, what do I know?  I'm from the age where you regularly changed spark plugs, the points and condenser inside the distributor, and adjusted the carburetor on an engine.

[W2DR 1,860]

10 hours ago, birdguy said:

Ever since cell phones and iPhones have become an integral part of a person's anatomy

What's the difference between a "cell phone" and an "iPhone"? Android users want to know............. 

[martin-w 3,235]

11 hours ago, birdguy said:

There's a new AT&T commercial that I saw last night on television.  You bring in your old phone and they give you a brand new one.  The young man in the commercial says, "That is life changing!"

That is indeed life changing.  Ever since cell phones and iPhones have become an integral part of a person's anatomy giving up an old worn out one for a new one is like any other organ transplant, like a heart transplant or a kidney transplant.  That is life changing.

Noel

 

Is that for a contract phone? If so its no different to how its been done in the UK for years. When you reach the end of your contract you get offered a new phone. The monthly cost is for the service and the phone, once you paid off the phone you can drop to a lower monthly cost or upgrade.

Or is this different? 

[charliearon 3,023]

15 minutes ago, martin-w said:

 

Is that for a contract phone? If so its no different to how its been done in the UK for years. When you reach the end of your contract you get offered a new phone. The monthly cost is for the service and the phone, once you paid off the phone you can drop to a lower monthly cost or upgrade.

Or is this different? 

Not so different!  T-Mobile does that.  For their $60 a month service, they give you a "free" Samsung phone.  I just ordered the same phone from Target with the Consumer Cellular $20 a month service. Service provider is AT&T.  Phone was $99.00.

The only reason I'm getting a new phone and service is because my T-Mobile 2G phone will no longer work when they upgrade to 5G service in July! 📱

[birdguy 3,943]

2 hours ago, Matthew Kane said:

even worse when you lease a car and the value of your car becomes lower then your buyout,

Not the case these days Matthew.

The lease on my 2013 Prius (top of the line Limited model) was up last month.  The residual on it was 14,000 dollars.  I checked Kelly Blue Book and they valued it at 26,000 dollars.  Carvana offered 29,000 dollars trade in.  The sticker price when I leased it was 33,000 dollars.

Anyway I borrowed 14,000 dollars and paid off the lease.  So now I own a 26,000 dollar car I paid 14,000 dollars for. 

Noel

[birdguy 3,943]

2 hours ago, stans said:

I'm from the age where you regularly changed spark plugs, the points and condenser inside the distributor, and adjusted the carburetor on an engine.

Me too Stans.  During my senior year in high school I worked part time at a garage.  We installed carburetor kits, gapped the plugs changed the condenser and points, and then used a timing light to set the timing on the engine.

Remember when you were letting the oil drain from the crankcase you got the grease gun and lubricated the ball joints?  

Noel

[birdguy 3,943]

2 hours ago, W2DR said:

What's the difference between a "cell phone" and an "iPhone"? Android users want to know............. 

Well Doug my wife has a flip phone...a cell phone.  I have an iPhone.  My phone has a GPS map.  I can call up Siri and get a weather report or asked who starred in some old movie like Casablanca and even help me find my car in a parking lot.  Her flip (cell) phone can't do any of that.

But my iPhone sits on my desk 24/7.  I never take it anywhere with me.  And I don't answer it when I am busy with something else like watching a program on television.  If it's important the person will call me back later or I can see who called and if I want to return the call I do it on my time.

But if I were going to travel and be away for a weeks or so I would carry it with me.

Noel

 

[martin-w 3,235]

2 hours ago, birdguy said:

I never take it anywhere with me

 

I certainly do. I have a mega super hyper turbo phone... namely a Samsung S21 Ultra. Approved by the Feline Galactic Council. 

I would take it with you if I were you.

If you break down in your car you can call the services. If you sustain an injury you can call for help. If there's an incident with a crazed Rosewell nut job you can call the police. If you get lost you have maps and a GPS. If you forgot to feed the cats you can ring your wife and tell her to do it. If your wife is out and just the cats are at home and you left the gas on you can call a neighbour. If you see the opportunity for an award winning photo you can snap it. And yes... if the Roswell flying saucer comes back and tries to abduct you, you can call the media to witness the fact that a sexy blonde alien is taking you away to do naughty things.

In short, the ability to communicate no matter where we are is something that is not only useful but can save your life or the lives of others. Don't underestimate this  ability technology has given us.

[birdguy 3,943]

1 hour ago, martin-w said:

If you break down in your car you can call the services. If you sustain an injury you can call for help. If there's an incident with a crazed Roswell nut job you can call the police. If you get lost you have maps and a GPS. 

I can already do all that with the button on the roof that connects me with the Toyota operator.  She even has my GPS location.  And if I'm in a serious accident over a certain amount of Gs and I don't call the operator and she gets no response from me she calls the police and emergency services and gives them the GPS location.

I already have a GPS and maps on the touchscreen.

As for a crazed British tourist driving on the wrong side of the street it's a good bet someone else has already called it in.

I live on a corner and in the 27 years we have been here there have been two accidents.  Each time I heard the crash and looked out the window and saw the collision.  I immediately got my phone from my desk and called 911.  In each case I was told the accident had already been reported.

There are so many phones out there there's no need for me to carry one.  Besides, I got along without a phone in my pocket for over 80 years and survived.  I don't figure I need that annoyance in the remaining time I have left.

Noel