How smart is a smart phone?

I was always one of those people that claimed that they didn’t “need” a smart phone. I just make phone calls and send text messages, why would I need something with email, games, maps, a camera, and facebook? Well, my tune has changed a bit since I’ve now invested in my first smart phone. You see, it’s amazing how many random questions that you need answered in a day. For example, just recently I had to Google to see when Saturday mail delivery ends (no date set yet) and how to say welcome in Tahitian (maeva!). All this would not be possible without my fabulous phone.

I’ve also found that your phone can be quite handy as you travel, which is good for me because it helps me pretend to be spontaneous. I say pretend, because I no longer have to go in a panic when I make a left instead of a right, I just follow my little Google map, I just slightly have to sweat. I’ve mapped out traffic patterns, found a brewery, and my personal favorite- I know the 5 day weather forecast for wherever I go (my friends call me the meteorologist). 

The only danger in this incredibly smart phone is that you can really hide behind it. If you want to avoid conversation while you stand in line, you check your facebook. If you want something to entertain you while you wait for your friend to get back from the bathroom, you check your email. The phone continues to get dangerous as you get bombarded by alarms you’ve set on your calendar, and emails that need to be answered on that damn teeny tiny keyboard, and my phone even makes frightening thunder sounds when it rains…suddenly your little sidekick seems to be causing you to be more overwhelmed than helped. This is ironic because when you don’t have your phone you in fact feel helpless. That, and you wonder to yourself how the hell there is somewhere on the planet that still doesn’t have cell service. 

I guess my opinion on this handy little invention is that it is really quite fabulous, however it shouldn’t replace human interaction. So check the weather one last time, and put that thing away. Can you hear me now?