I Phone Too

An early conversational device

This might be an ordinary day to you, but to my family, it's BIG. Apple announced a "new product" event in San Francisco on
Sept. 12. We all know what that means - the iPhone 5 is almost here.
We are a family of Gadget Geeks. We get it from my father, who in the 1950's thought erasable typing paper would go down as the invention of the century. We were the first in our block to get a TV set, an electric dishwasher, and yes a garbage disposer, which was so rare, a salesman came to our living room and ground up a perfectly good coke bottle onto a newspaper on the living room floor. There was nothing left but pale green powder, both on the floor and in our lungs. My dad couldn't get his checkbook out quickly enough. And we didn't even drink Coke.
I freely admit that I'm a poser. Before I had my first cell phone, I used to walk around the block with my hand cupped to my ear, faking a conversation. Before that, I used an old telephone receiver with the cord stuffed into my purse. For a time, I wore a Blue tooth headset, frequently calling Time and Temperature while shopping so I could "talk" to someone.
All cell phones and smart phones have lost their coolness. I'll skip the iPhone 5. Why bother? In 3 months, every school kid will have one.
Instead, I'll be using a device that even Apple doesn't sell. Watch for me in the grocery. I'll be  the one walking around talking with no device in my hand or on my head. I'll be laughing and chatting, sharing a conversation that requires no electronics. I will be, like many of my piers, talking to myself and having a perfectly lovely conversation.