The Upstate Life

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Shine On

I've been using the same cell phone for over two and a half years now. My contract with Verizon has been up since May of 2006 but I postponed renewing with them until I was ready to upgrade to a phone that I actually liked. Unfortunately, that didn't stop their marketing department from hounding me everyday, trying unsuccessfully to renew my contract. They finally got the hint after I ignored their calls for three weeks straight. My current device, the Audiovox CDM9900, has taken a beating over the years but still works just as great as it did when I got it in the fall of '05. It was actually one of the last cellular phones manufactured by Toshiba for Verizon (Audiovox just stamps its name on it) which is probably why I've never had any problems with it since Japanese electronics tend to be of a higher caliber. The internal screen is still one of the brightest and clearest when compared to the phones out in the market today. Anyway, the battery pack cover has worn down to the point that I have to keep it attached to the phone via a piece of Scotch tape. It's also incredibly scratched up and has more nicks on it than the back bumper of my Toyota after parallel parking on any street in DC. Then, last Friday, Verizon released the LG VX8700. It's like the popular Shine model in Europe but uses a clamshell design that's very similar to its predecessor, the VX8600. It's exclusively available on Verizon's website right now but their retail stores won't be selling them until early May. With a two year contract, it comes out to $179, but thanks to my New Every Two, I was able to knock another $100 off the price with the grand total coming out to $83.99 (including tax). I ordered it yesterday afternoon and it already arrived at my apartment this morning according to FedEx (free delivery!). Yes, this is nerdery at its finest, but I seriously can't wait to go home and play with my new toy. Now if you excuse me, I have to eat my last tuna and matzo sandwich of the year.

Posted by Brett at 2:08 PM |