The other day I was at Walmart and walked by the electronics display. I made the mistake of stopping to look at the new iPhone X. It was all screen, no plastic frame. “I could use a new phone,” I mused. Of course, I was there for dog treats and toilet paper, not a phone.

The seed had been planted. I could not get it out of my mind. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the phone I have. “I am becoming a geek, wanting every new thing that comes along.” I could not think of a single reason to buy a new phone except that I wanted it. I had a severe case of new phone fever.

I browsed the Apple website. It only comes in black and silver. Apple finally figured out that the first thing people do is buy a cover for their new cell. And they had covers, silicone and leather covers in every shade of the rainbow. I felt my resistance melting.

I mentioned to honey that I would like to have a new phone.

“They will be coming out with a new model in a few months. You might as well wait till then.”

I couldn’t wait.

We were soon off to AT&T. The sales person was at the door to greet us. “What do you need today?” he asked. “I want a new iPhone X,” I confessed, as the dollar signs flashed in his eyes. I gave him my phone number and he looked up the story of my electronic life. Everything was in the computer except my passwords. He had exactly what I wanted in stock. His fingers fairly flew as he transferred my data from the iCloud to the new phone.

“A case — I want a case,” I said, “bright pink.” Bright pink was out of stock. He showed me some other cases, which I didn’t like. I suddenly remembered that pink Otterbox I had before my current phone. I hated it. I quickly changed my mind. “I will take the red one.” So red it was.

I already knew the retail prices from the Apple website, so I did not have a heart attack or go into sticker shock when I saw the bill. “Can I trade in my old one?” I asked. Yes, I could — except I had a passcode set up in “restrictions.” I had not the foggiest idea what it could be.

“We can’t take it as a trade unless you remember the code to unlock it. If you remember it later, you can come back and we will take it off your bill.” Naturally, I was not going to change my mind at this point, so I handed over my plastic card and the deed was soon done.

The new phone has a lot of features I will have to learn. There is no belly button at the bottom. You have to swipe instead. The main change, though, is that it recognizes your face and unlocks without a code or a fingerprint. Technology is getting almost scary.

The next day I hacked and hacked for hours on my old phone. I tried every password I could think of to unlock it. It was frustrating! Why did I set up a restriction passcode anyhow? As a last resort, I tried my phone number and the phone magically unlocked. I could not believe it.

I’m a happy hacker now and can play with my new red phone. Let’s see now, what is my new passcode? Oh, wait, I don’t need one. It recognizes my face.

Copyright 2018 Sheila Moss