Requiem for a Nexus 4
My beloved Nexus 4; the first smart phone I ever owned. Was
it a dream to hope that it would be my last? How I loved your blue case
(bought by my husband for less than $10 on Amazon). How neatly you fit
into my (small) palm. Your interface so pleasing to my eye. The
many apps that I kept on you; how comforting. I wanted to hold you in my pocket
(or in my purse) for an eternity. But it was not to be.
When we got
together, I was just entering the "smart" world. I may have
been mocked by those who were jealous of my pink flip one, but I loved her.
However, the world told me I must move on and so I did with you.
Suddenly I was able to text and access my mail. Then there was
Facebook and Instagram. I became addicted to you as I found that I could
accurately map my daily walks (for the most part; there were those days when
the app went "wonky" and all of a sudden it said that I walked a mile
in 7 minutes which will NEVER be a reality for me.) I could listen to
local radio and get music AND news too while walking in the pre-dawn light.
I endless snapped
photos until your photo app started acting wonky. No worries...there were
other apps out there and I kept snapping away. And posting to Instagram
and Facebook. You let me share so many precious moments with the world.
(Along with plenty of not so precious ones too.)
I'd known your
days were coming to a close. You'd had your hiccups before, but they were
getting worse. I didn't want to admit it. You didn't hold a charge
for long. I'd keep you plugged in and charging as much as possible.
When I went out for walks and used the walk app and radio app, by the
time I got home you'd be depleted and when I'd save my walk, you'd shut down,
even though you had enough charge left. You'd optimize and crash.
You'd update at inappropriate times. Or you wouldn't update at all.
You frustrated me, yet loved you and didn't want to let you go. (Or
spend insane amounts of money on getting a replacement. I'm old; I
believe that items should last more than a year or two. I still believe
in repair and not replace. I don't have disposable income and even if I
did, I can't imagine replacing a phone or other item every year or even every
other year. What happened to quality and pride of workmanship?)
Then there was the
bulge. I thought it was the case. I couldn't fathom that there
might be something seriously wrong with you. Surely the blue case had
warped or broken. After all, it was only plastic and you were so much
more.
But no, it was
you. After crashing at noon on Sunday when I was trying to call home to
confirm the number of bagels I should pick up, you got stuck in an endless loop
of reboot. Circles circling; first slowly and then faster, but never
getting anywhere.
My trusty
technician (aka my husband) pulled you out of your case and saw the bulge.
It was clear that your time had come. There would be no waiting for
the new Nexus to come out in a week or so. (Not that I would be willing
to pay the price that is being asked.) You had to be replaced.
So now on my desk
sits a Samsung in a pretty pink case. When it comes to cell phones, it
was pretty cheap. It's not the most up to date, but then again neither
were you. Its interface isn't what yours was. I have to get used to
a larger size and not being able to have the many apps that you could handle in
your prime, and this new pink "thing" cannot.
I have a new smart
phone, but will it ever truly be a replacement for you my beloved blue cased
Nexus 4? We had just a little over 3 years together. But they were
three memorable years. The calls, the texts, the photos and the social media;
you captured them all and brought them to me. That is when you weren't
crashing, but I'd prefer not to think of the end of your life, but when you
were in your prime. Those selfie videos of me ice skating and not falling
on my behind. (Thankfully that one time was NOT captured.) The
vacation photos will remind me of all the fun times we had. The first text I
received from my son (and all the emojis that followed). Those memories
cannot be replaced by a Samsung On5 with a pink case.
Farewell Nexus 4!
May you rest in peace (pieces?) in a drawer somewhere with all of your
data carefully removed. (Thanks honey!) I will certainly stubble
upon you now and then when looking for something else that I have thoughtlessly
shoved in a drawer. And when I look at you, I will remember all of the
good times we had and forget all the frustrations you gave. Farewell
Nexus 4, farewell.
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