March 11, 2010
Dear Everyone:
Last month the Company issued new guidelines
regarding the use of
wireless communication devices (i.e.,
BlackBerries
and smartphones) by employees.
I'm guessing somebody finally realized that there was an awful
lot of Company information floating around out there.
Our manager reviewed the guidelines and basically said, "No more
free ride." Turn in your
Blackberry by next Monday.
Personally, I've always found the Blackberry to be
something of a pain. I was
first issued one in 2002, when Global Records Consulting was formed.
I was also issued a
cell phone.
I asked for the smallest, lightest one they could get.
Then I let my personal cell phone go.
Having a Blackberry meant getting every email message twice:
Once on your computer and again
on the Blackberry. Although
lately, the Blackberry got it first.
You would see a little red light blinking on the Blackberry; then
a few minutes later, the email would show up in your Inbox.
Eventually, the Blackberry (email) and cell phone
were merged together into a "smart phone".
The ones we've been using have been around (literally) for years.
In fact, some of my co-workers, who use their Blackberries far
more than I do, have been having battery problems.
(I only used mine for email and very occasional phone calls.
Mostly it sat on my desk under the monitor during the day, or on
the kitchen counter, connected to the recharger at night.)
So I didn't much mind giving up the email part.
Not having a cell phone, however, is another matter.
In an emergency, like when the battery in my car abruptly died a
few years ago, having a cell phone is essential.
I could have purchased some cheap phone but I decided to think
about it first.
I've had another
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
for many years. It has lots
of useful functions, but I essentially used it for three things:
Address book, calendar and tracking out-of-pocket expenses.
Most phones include a "Contacts" function which would fulfill the
address book need. And lots
of phones include calendars now.
So if I could find one that would have a way to track expenses, I
could replace two items (Blackberry and PDA) with one.
One less thing to plug in every night.
Now it just so happens that three major phone
companies have contracts with the Company.
And all three offer employees a 20% discount on their products
and plans. So I logged in
through the portal and ordered a phone.
It costs $149.00 but there's a $100.00 rebate.
I had it delivered to my office so there would be someone around
to sign for it. And I
realized that I would need a plan.
The cheapest was $31.99 per month for 450 "anytime" minutes.
But then I realized that if I used the phone to look something up
on the Internet, that would be a data charge.
So I went with the 450 "anytime"
minutes plus unlimited data for $64.99, essentially double the monthly
charge.
By the way, I have been in the throes of
refinancing my
condo with the
Credit Union.
This week I received word that the financing had been funded.
I will save around $240.00 each month from the previous mortgage.
So the phone plan is effectively already paid for.
So now I've got this new phone and, oh my goodness!
The things it can do!
The Contacts and Calendar were fairly easy to figure out.
But I've already used it at work as a stop watch to time how long
something took to load on my computer.
And the Tip Calculator came in handy today at lunch.
It even has eBay. No
doubt “Jeannie” will like this feature when we're together on the
weekends. And the World
Clock is very handy if you need to know at a glance what time/day it is
in Perth.
I've even used it to make actual phone calls a few
times. Whatever will they
come up with next?
Love, as always,
Pete
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