My mobile history

As a kid I hated using telephones. I don’t really know why and I’m sure there are some social anxiety issues at the root. Even today, I’d much rather email or text than call someone. My ideal phone conversation goes something like “I’ll be there in a few minutes and we can talk then.”

That being said, I’ve been fascinated by mobile phones and mobile computing since I was a teenager. My first exposure to a portable phone was at my first job in the late 80’s as a “roadie” for a local Detroit event musical outfit, The Jerry Fenby Band. I would ride along with the Jerry in his van and help haul the gear into the country club or event center and setup the equipment. Jerry had a phone installed in the van, and he’d use it to call his wife, the band’s singer, on the way to the gig. It seemed like a ridiculous luxury and I’m sure it costs $5 per call.

In college I worked at Sears in the computer, word processing and phone department. We sold mobile phones and phone contracts on commission. The paperwork was a nightmare, and most people who applied were denied credit. I learned a lot about phones during this period, but I didn’t own one myself. I attended college before mobile phones were common, which is a significant demarcation between the pre and post connected generations.

I started using mobile phones when my work places started buying them for me. I’ve rarely paid a monthly carrier bill that I wasn’t able to expense. That is definitely a luxury and a big reason why I was an early adopter of smartphones.

At the time of this posting, I’m using the HTC One M8. I’m also using an Android Wear Watch, the LG G Watch, which is a useful companion device. And I have an iPad 3, so I’m familiar with iOS.

UPDATE 9/30/16: My daily driver is now the Samsung Galaxy S7 on Verizon.
UPDATE 10/8/18: My new phone is a Samsung Galaxy S8 on AT&T
UPDATE 10/2/20: Upgraded to the just released Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G on AT&T.
Update 5/12/22: Upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G on AT&T
Updated 7/20/23: Upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S23+ on AT&T

Here is a partial list of the mobile phones I’ve used, with a focus on smartphones from the last 10 years.

Motorola Teletac Microtac Alpha Deluxe

Motorola Deluxe Alpha