i bit the bullet the other day, and submitted to trading in my (perfectly functional, but hopelessly obsolete) semi-smart phone — an LG VX8575 — for a somewhat-less-obsolete, actually "smart" phone, an iPhone 4.

and, while i’m not immediately won over and become a born-again mac fanboi, i’m not totally repulsed, either. it’s far-and-away a better music player than ANY other device i have ever owned. it (naturally) has the ability to talk wirelessly, using a couple of different protocols, to our apple TV sound system, and it has an eight megapixel camera that does okay in sunlight, or strong room lighting, but (as far as i have been able to determine, so far) does LOUSY at low-light, long shutter speed stuff — which means that, once again, i will be taking my SLR to OCF again this year, in order to take decent, low-light pictures. it interfaces with my google calender — a good thing — and my google email (which i never use), and it wants me to sign up for all of these social media services with which i want to have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do, and i have already gone in and gutted it’s ability to mine whatever information i do give it. it has the ability, with the help of a convenient web site, to play ring tones made out of whatever tracks i like, and so, naturally, my phone now sports a complete set of frank zappa ringtones: The Torture Never Stops for moe, and I’m The Slime for everyone else. 😎

although i have already downloaded several “apps” (a “flickr app”, an instrument tuner, and a “retro pinball” game), i don’t intend to buy into the mass marketing hype, and probably won’t download more than i already have… although i might download angry birds… 😉