Android Shmandroid, Who Cares?

It's a cell phone for crying out loud. Do you get it? A cell phone. You know, you make and receive phone calls on it. It's a telephone that you carry around in your pocket. Who gives a rip whether it's equipped with a web browser, a file editor or an ice cream dispenser; it's a telephone. People who care about the operating system or applet X on a cell phone are either under the age of 18 or don't have anything better to do with their time.

I don't really care that my cell phone uses some version of Microsoft Windows or Linux or Mac or OS2. I just don't care. As long as I can make and receive phone calls, I just don't care.

I apologize to all my faithful readers who want me to rail against the oppressive Microsoft and its crashy Windows operating system and champion our collective free software fight but when it comes to the operating system on my cell phone; I just don't care.

I remember a day when telephones, cell phones included, didn't have (or need) an operating system. We survived somehow without one. We survived without browsing the Internet on our telephones and we're still here alive and kicking to tell you about it. We also didn't need to 'text' anyone--especially while driving.
Do you want to know why we didn't need to text someone that, "we're bored?" We didn't need to. We had a telephone that dialed their number so that we could say in a loud, clear voice, "OMG, I'm sooooooo bored."

Yes, that's right, we actually spoke. With our voices. To each other. In some cases, we actually met face to face (f2f) with each other and some of us actually enjoyed it. I know that sounds crazy but we did it.

And social networking, that was hanging out together at the mall, clubs, scouts, school, or in (gasp) special interest groups.

Oh, far be it from me to suppress your non-creative, non-blinking idle chit-chat on Twitter, Facebook and the like but, and this is way off the hook (a term from old telephones that you picked up off the "hook"--oh never mind...), when we had an emotion, we didn't have to create a three-stroke winky face to show it, the other person could actually see and hear our emotion by looking at or listening to it.

Sorry, I digress.

So, why should I care that my cell phone has which operating system or any operating system at all? I don't. It could be Android, Shmandroid, KlaatuNix, CharlesMansonNix or even BalloonBoyNix for all I care. I just want to make and receive phone calls--reliably.

So wot do u think? R u bored w/ cell OS talk 2? Holla back n tell me. TTYL. ;-)

[sarbogast]

You're so right! And why do we even need cell phones? Back in the time we had landlines and that was it, and if we wanted to talk to each other, we just met! Right! Face to face. And we lived just fine. And I'm not even talking about the Internet... Psssh! Come on! What is it useful for? Information? You've got to be kidding me! What are newspapers for? Your blog! Who cares?

[khess]

Funny and commendably sarcastic. Good work.

[ChaseNetwork]

I thought this might have been a news article concerning the capabilities of that new x10 thing from Sony. Guess not, just an opinionated article. Oh well. I just turned 17 a couple days ago and will be a high school graduate within the next five or so months. One thing I am known for is being something of a 'grammar Nazi' (an individual who typically corrects spelling and grammatical errors quite frequently). I'm also known for being something of a computer wizard that discriminates everyone who pulls out their cell phones under their desks and text maybe twenty people every thirty seconds. I don't text at all. I use the modern cellphones for things like their web-browser. I am fundamentally hunting for a cell phone that can interact with the internet quickly and efficiently. Laptops these days are now considered clunky, and internet options on-the-go are quite limited still, however cell phones, such as the iPhone, have introduced the ability to connect to networks that will communicate with the internet, sometimes better than a laptop. I love the internet. I use it to read things like tech news articles (you insinuated that you didn't like blogging; that's what this is), to find newer software, educational texts, and so on. If I remember right, the iPhone requires a program language called J2ME to do any programming of apps or what-not for it. I'm not much into that language. I want to be able to make programs that I can use on the go.

My mother once owned my iPhone, but dumped it on to me when the 3G came out, and bought that. I absolutely loathed this. Everyone in my family, and friends (2 people), can attest that I don't like Apple worth a (pardon my language). Sure, with these 'clones' I may not have much customer support and what-not, but it's not a learning experience otherwise! 1GB ram; 16GB hard drive; cell phone: this speaks of a rather high-paced OS, and it seems like it can be converted to have extra disk space (need to research that).

I'm looking not for a cell phone, but the new age of personal computers, where people aren't having to mess with these clunky computers, and instead have palm size devices that are just as flexible as a high-end computer with dual boot OS. I want to be able to browse the net from the limbs of a tree without having to shift the clunky masses of laptops and netbooks to keep them from falling (and consequently breaking quite easily, tried it once).

You could label me as an outdoor introvert.

P.S. - My mother is 48 or so and has purchased almost every single app for the iPhone 3G.

[sillyboy]

this article is just stupid.

[pradeepputhran]

A better, faster operating system, we definitely need on the phone, and the android operating system is a step in the right direction, i would definitely like to own a tablet pc which could do what my laptop could do, faster, and better, even if you detest all the statements you made, but you still are here, and want to be part of it, ...pradeep

[Crash~Override]

LOL this post made my day (well the rest of my night technically)...

totally true what you said there! Very well written too...and the last line was truly a brilliant ending

[khess]

Thanks Crash, it was meant to be snarky and funny. Glad you enjoyed it.

[Crash~Override]

@ sarbogast: i totally agree with you buddy

Replied via Blackberry Bold 9000

[cmh0114]

lol, at first I thought you were serious.
But, joking or not, you do bring up a few good points, like kids texting unnecessarily. (I'm 17, by the way.) Texting is very convenient in some situations, such as when you can't actually speak but still want to communicate. In a loud area such as a concert, maybe, or while someone is giving a speech about something that neither concerns nor interests you. But texting someone when the room is quiet and the person you want to talk to is literally two feet away? That's just plain sad.

[theseekerguy]

If i didn't have the internet on my phone i wouldn't know rush is coming to town soon as they probably would not phone me to tell me so.
Also'i can text or email my mom for free when we can't afford massive landline phone bills.
And...when i was a kid a million years ago, i read everthing all the time.see the price of a book lately?(and are ya gonna be buried with it? For all his billions even bill gates can't do that or yell because its mine!

[theseekerguy]

Ahh then henhouse...
An android just shortened,edited and censored my previous post.
And here i am talking to you guys who i'll never meet while seriously hot women(in line at mc'd's or wherever) are wondering where we all are.
Oh yeah.we're compaining about dehumanizing technology by using it :)