New Phone - an Android Even!

For my birthday, my awesome girlfriend bought me a new phone - a MyTouch Google Android phone! App development, here I come!

[caption id="attachment_917" align="alignleft" width="315" caption="Androids."] [/caption] Historically, I have not been a huge phone connoisseur. Before I had a phone, I remember my old roommate Jin and I outside of night classes surrounded by lots of people standing around talking on their phone rather than each other. We used to hold our hands up to our head like a hand set and say stupid things to each other - mimicking others' trivial conversations. The guy talking on his phone at the urinal always was a bit of a turn off for a cell phone as well. Finally, I broke down and bought one when my girlfriend at the time was going to drive across country by herself and wanted a phone in case she got into an accident. We got a couples plan. I bit the bullet. However, I was determined to get a brick of a phone. I didn't want texting, cameras, flippy doos, I didn't need to shave with it (razor joke.. *cough*). I just needed to make phone calls. The brick phone lasted quite a few tumbles down stairs and drops onto pavement. I think I even threw it at someone by accident one time. However, its fate was sealed when I was at Jon's pool, took a call, slipped the phone back in my pocket and jumped back in. I tried to get another brick, but T-Mobil didn't offer them anymore. So I ended up with a flippy doo phone complete with unnecessary buttons and a camera that took pictures that cost me a dollar to get off my phone. Finally, after a few tumbles, the phone only worked with the ear piece and even then, would randomly turn off on me during important teleconference calls.

In the mean time, the Iphone revolution ocurred and everyone was making cool apps, which appealed to me more than the gizmo itself. I caved and bought an ITouch last year for SXSW with the intention of making apps.However, at least at the time, that was not possible. Getting busy with other things "nerdcentric", I just never got around to starting any apps. I also toyed with the idea of getting and Iphone to replace three devices - camera, phone, and ITouch. However,  I didn't want the hassle of switching my mobile provider and I heard AT&T was a pain in the butt to deal with. I really didn't want a Blackberry and otherwise, TMobile seemed to be left out of the multi-function swiss army phone market. But then Google changed that... I was excited for when the G1 came out since, finally, cool phones I wanted was offered by my provider. I could develop apps in an emerging market (since the IPhone app market is soooo saturated). It also appealed to me to be able to make apps not under Apples' annoying TOS (yes, I thought of a $1 booby shake application). However, I  still never bit the bullet and got one. At the time, I had just bought my house and was short on funds. The idea of NEEDING to have a data plan was annoying since I had the minimal plan possible and that was still $60 after taxes and such. I still reminisce about the $10 per month land line of the olden days. Besides, G1's flippy doo keyboard scared me since I am notoriously dropping my phone. Delicate moving parts and I do not mix well.

In the last six months my current T-Mobil phone started shutting off randomly and only worked with the ear piece. It was really getting annoying, but it was tolerable on a sort of "well, there are starving children in Africa" level. I could have easily scored a free phone since my contract had expired a while ago, but subconsciously I was waiting for a new wave of Google phones to come out. With my birthday occurring yesterday, my girlfriend was being sneaky about my  gift. Neither of us have a lot of money right now. As such,  I wasn't expecting much. However, she was hellbent on getting me a phone. She even tried to go in and buy one on her own, but found out that I had to be present to sign and handle the account authorization. So, before our movie date last night, we had to run a quick errand in the Midway and she took me to the T-Mobil store. I half knew what was up. However, I didn't know we were going to the phone store. I kept joking as we walked "So you got me a gift card to AX Man?", "Ooo a lifetime tab at Big V's?", "New rims from the Pawn shop?" But as soon as I saw the T-mobil sign in the mini mall, I knew. AWESOME! We walked in both independently intending to get a Google Phone. However, I was a bit worried since I had not done much research. In the end the choice was easy  for lack of choice. I could either get the flippydoo Google phone that would break as soon as I dropped it or I could get a brick with a touch screen. Really, there wasn't much difference in the phones - same service, same android OS, same camera, etc etc. Literally, it was just the device that was different. However, that was good enough for me. Since my contract was up, I signed a new one and walked out of there with the $500 phone for $200 and a full replacement warranty for $6 extra bucks per month (I'm sure I will need it).

So, now I am happy as a clam. I have been tinkering here and there and am generally impressed. The phone aspect of the phone is a bit cumbersome, but I'm sure I'm just missing something. I'll probably write a review as I get more aquatinted with it, but all in all I am quite pleased. This very well could be the best b-day gift ever. Add that to a day of laying at the beach, watching Inglorious Basterds, and a romantic bon fire, the awesome party last weekend, and this might be best birthday ever. Word. Kiss kiss baby. Thanks again! Hopefully, you won't regret buying it for me for all those nights I will be up late making apps!