I am constantly amazed at how quickly technology is changing my life.

My roommate purchased a new cell phone early last week.  I hadn't purchased a new cell phone since fall of 2005 and after seeing his I decided it was time to get with the times.

My old phone worked just fine.  It dialed numbers and had a camera phone and did text messaging.  Even though it was only 2 1/2 years old it was already old school.  It was big and bulky compared to a lot of the new phones I'd seen my friends use.  I felt it was time to make the leap into 2008 with my phone.

I visted the Sprint store at Oracle and Roger (I am not endorsing Sprint by the way, I am just a customer) to see what kinds of phones I could get.  Holy crap!  There are dozens to choose from.  Internet, e-mail, music players, dozens of colors, crazy names like "Blade" and "Razor", phones where you could make your own ringers.  It was almost overwhelming.  I quickly realized the two year old phone I had in my hand was roughly equivelent to having one of those old school 'brick' phones.  You know the ones that were out in the early 1990's - that had about a thirty minute battery life, weighed about five pounds (or maybe more), and cost about thirty cents a minute to use.  Zack Morris on "Saved By The Bell" looked so cool using one back in the day.  Now they are laughable!

The staff there was quite helpful.  I ended up choosing a phone called "Rumor" that has a slide out keyboard to text with (like a typewriter on my phone) in pearl white.  It's been total fun.  I can send pictures from my computer to it, make my own stupid ringtones (there is nothing more annoying than hearing me say "Ken Carr... you have a text message" when I get a text message - according to my friends), it's an MP3 player (although I mostly listen to the radio so that probably won't even get used), and then there's the Bluetooth thingy.  I drive a little six speed stick shift sportscar and I bought the wireless gadget that goes in my ear with the microphone and can answer the phone by tapping the button on my ear.  I don't have to hold the phone while I'm driving... it stays in my pocket!

At the rate cell phone technology is going (and technology in general) there will be a day when I have a phone that can read my mind.  I'll think, "Hmm, I should call my dad" and it dials him up automatically.

I just wish there was a phone that would tell telemarketers where to stick it if they tried calling me.  I can always dream!