Showing posts with label s3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label s3. Show all posts

Monday, March 11, 2013

Eulogy for Sammy

Samsung Galaxy S3

Sammy wasn’t just any smart phone, he was my constant companion.

I sought out the best care I could find for Sammy and he tried valiantly to return to his former greatness, even after many technicians said his days were numbered.   When I shared news of Sammy’s ultimate demise with Digicel, his parents, they too were devastated.  After all, he was irreplaceable.

During Sammy’s four short months in my hands, he had a tremendous impact on my life; most significantly, Sammy’s 8 megapixel camera helped me document and share the growth of my beautiful baby boy.  The high-resolution images and video displayed brilliantly on the 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display.  The images also helped distant relatives feel connected while tugging my heartstrings every time I showed the albums to friends and well-wishers.

Of course, Sammy’s impact was equally profound at work.  The S Calendar, Contacts and Voice Recorder apps were constantly accessed.  It seemed that Evernote never had a chance to close when it was right there at my fingertips thanks to Sammy, and when combined with S Note, I never felt helpless without at pen.

With Sammy gone, I must wait until I get to my desk to check my email or chat on Google Talk.  He was gone before we had a chance to experiment with AllShare Play; I am sure my iPad is happy about not having the competition.

Co-workers and associates will tell you that Sammy made me look good!  With apps like TeamViewer, Dropbox and Skype I could turn any location on the planet with an internet connection into an office.  And I could find any location on earth with Google Maps.

Speaking of travel, Sammy’s Bluetooth integration with my SUV, allowed me to drive hands free; so cool.

I never had a dull moment with Sammy.  I listened to music on my phone, on my micro 32 GB micro SD card and streamed over the internet.  I listened to FM radio, recorded interviews and even shared clips with clients on the fly.  I read all my favourite magazines and websites on Flipboard, caught up on all the latest news with a slew of apps from BBC, CNN and USA Today.  I got lost in my favourite games including Temple Run.  I am going to miss watching (and sometimes uploading) my favourite videos to YouTube.

Amazon is going to miss Sammy too.  Amazon and Sammy served up the Amazon App, Audible and my personal favourite, Kindle.

Sammy was very sociable.  He was friends with Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn.   He made new friends with phone calls.  And, he would share his internet connect with anyone near by, by converting his 4G signal into a WiFi Hot Spot.

We did so much together.  Sammy and I would browse all day through local news sites that didn’t have native apps.  Sammy and my son had fun together too.  He had his own screen full of kid-friendly learning and gaming apps.

Sure, S Voice is no Siri and sure Sammy couldn’t go half a day without being tethered to a power source, but that is only because he worked so hard and did so much.  He did what he did with style; he was sleek and thin.

His Bible app comforted me in my darkest hours and every hour I needed to reach for the scripture.  Sammy wasn’t just any smart phone, he was my constant companion.  Yes.  Sammy will be missed.  But his data lives on.  Thank you Lord, for back ups.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Time Travel

Samsung Galaxy S3
So, my Sammy aka Samsung Galaxy S3, has been critically ill since just before Christmas.  He's been in and out of the hospital (read: repair shop), and in the interim, I have been using a variety of basic and feature phones.

I can attest, I don't need a smartphone.  I don't need internal plumbing either, but it certainly makes life much easier.

I feel like I have stepped back in time.  Without Sammy, I have to go to my desk to check my email, Twitter and Facebook because I don't have mobile access.  I am unable to take interesting pictures, because I gave up my camera.  I can't edit pictures I capture as I capture them and share them everywhere, or even anywhere. I am unable to record FM radio, edit and share clips with friends on the fly.  I don't have my entire music library with me, nor all my Kindle books, so waiting in line is no longer entertaining, its torturous.

I can't sit on the bus and browser the internet, post items to Pinterest.  I can't write meeting notes on the screen and email them to my team. I can't turn my phone into a WiFi hotspot and give internet to my iPad or laptop.  I can't. I can't.  I can't!  Argh!

My smartphone was certainly not for profiling.  I really used it and all its features for my productivity and entertainment.  Everything I did on my phone, I can do elsewhere.  It is just not as efficient and requires many more devices.

I am giving myself one more week.  One last week.  If Samsung is not able to fix Sammy by next Friday, it will be time to toss in the towel and make the financial sacrifice to replace Sammy.

Take this journey with me and tell me how does your smartphone impact your life.