My Smartphone is So-o-o Stupid!

Do not get me wrong, I love technology as much as the next guy.  I am even known for my ability to embrace change.  I went from land-line to mobile phone, from calls only to texting.  I was looking forward to not being tied to my computer for internet or to my car for GPS.   So one those smartphones seemed like a logical and time-saving step.  So why am I having so many issues?

Issue #1 – It makes answering a call a nightmare!  I can’t just flip the phone open or click a button, I have to swipe!  Not just swipe or poke, but do in in a certain way or nothing happens!  Swiping should only be for credit cards – right?  Even when I swipe, if I start too low, the idiotic gadget starts trying to access the worldwide web instead of answering the call.  I have had so many people hang up before I can even get the phone to answer a simple incoming call!

Issue #2 – It will not tell me if someone has left me a voice mail!  There is no little recording icon anywhere on my screen to suggest I should check my voicemail.  So I just have to routinely call my voicemail after I realize the person in issue #1 has gone to voicemail after only 3 rings!  Seems like a big mistake on the part of the phone designers to me.

Issue #3 – It will not let me save contacts with multiple phone numbers to my SIM card.  SIM only allows one number and no email.  Must save to phone if I want to designate type of phones and put in emails.  What if I want to upgrade (or downgrade) phones later?  I have to reenter data into new phone that is not on SIM card.  Sounds like an unwise design to me…

Issue #4 – Text spellchecker assumes I am a bigger idiot than my phone.  Whenever I start to type words, it assumes I want to type a 5-7 letter word when I only planned on 4 letters.  Now I have to backspace over unnecessary letters so I can type the word I want.  Argh!  Got to admit though the word choice option pop-up would be nice, if it would let me choose from the list rather than pre-selecting for me.

Issue #5 – I do not like waiting for a keyboard that my tiny fingers might can use to prevent picking a wrong key when typing a text.  Yes, I can turn the phone sideways so a bigger keyboard comes up, but more often than not it takes more than a minute for the ignorant phone to realize it has changed position. Instead of waiting, I’m typing sideways until it wakes up.  I try to keep typing so spellchecker does not give me more of issue #4.  On the bright side, maybe I am inventing finger yoga?

Issue #6 – I waste data bytes often without being on the internet!  I set-up and save the WI-FI with WEP/WPA codes for the places I am most often at so I get free time on them.  So how come I’m using up so many bytes?  Could I be accidentally hitting the Google search when I’m trying to swipe as in issue #1?  Am I inept or is it this the way designers actually set-up the phone?

Issue #7 – I use my phone for work, not play.  Most of the pre-loaded apps are useless to me.  Due to power constraints (see issue below), I am afraid to use the ones that may actually be useful as it may prevent me from getting a call later in the day. 

Biggest Issue – The dumb thing eats up power!  A charge lasts less than 24 hours.  I have to plug it in every night!  How energy efficient is that?  If I am traveling and it decides that the battery is not powered enough then no emergency better come up.

BTW:  My old not-so-smart-phone would hold a charge for a week or more depending on my actual usage. 

Tell me, is your phone smarter or does it just increase your frustration with modern communication?