In order to get a contract mobile phone in the UK you must have a UK debit card. Actually, to do just about anything you need a UK debit card. In order to get said debit card you have to all sorts of other things that I won’t bother you with. Ultimately the process of getting what you need to get a phone contract, and subsequently a “real” phone (i.e. iPhone) takes about two weeks, so in the mean time we needed some form of communication.
Enter the mobile phone you had in 1999:
It’s sweet (David actually really likes it, meanwhile I lust over everyone elses' iphones). All it does is make calls and texts. It doesn’t even have a camera – but it does have a torch (flashlight)! Writing out a text takes about 10 minutes. Google maps? In your dreams!
I like to refer to it as “the drug dealer phone” because it is completely untraceable. It cost £10 for the phone itself and another £10 for a pay-as-you-go SIM. Who knew that phones that cost about $16 even existed?
This experience has left me wondering what people did before smartphones. Particularly in London where there is no grid system. Anytime I go somewhere I write out directions on a piece of paper and pray. I guess this is sort of like how people got around in medieval times? Except of course I can duck into a Starbucks and look up directions on my iPad if I get really desperate.
No comments:
Post a Comment