Many of the topics I write about here on PhoneDog are centralized on things like discussing specific phone sizes, brands, popularity and just general changes within the industry. But no matter how big, small, what brand or even what type of phone you're carrying, all of us have our own unique way that we tote our phones with us throughout our day-to-day lives. How do you carry yours?
The way I've carried my phone has changed since I had my first cell phone. My first cell phone was a clamshell, and by having the screen, buttons and unlock mechanism protected at all times as long as the shell was closed meant that I could be as careless as ever with it. I had no paranoia throwing it in my pocket, bag, backpack or whatever else I had handy to throw it around in. Yes, those were the good ol' days where "butt dialing" wasn't a thing yet. It was also nice knowing that the most likely way your phone was going to break was if you were too rough flinging it open - you almost never had to worry about the screen cracking beyond repair, or the glass back shattering once it rubbed up the wrong way against some car keys.
But those were simpler times. Now we have all types of devices that we see people carry around. By going from a clamshell to touchscreen, I had to be a bit more strategic in how I placed my phone, especially back when touchscreens were pressure sensitive instead of heat sensitive. Yes, those were some good times. If you didn't carry your phone in a hamster ball, you had about a 70% chance of calling somebody that you didn't know you were calling. The days of pressure sensitive touchscreens was one of the coolest and most frustrating times. They were like candles before the lightbulb was invented - still useful in many situations, but certainly not as efficient.
But nothing compares to how carefully I have to be now when it comes to putting my smartphone away. I have very specific spots that I put my smartphone, and I'm almost always concscious of where they are. Although I hardly have to worry about "butt dialing" anybody anymore, the design that comes with the newer heat-sensitive touchscreens come with its own set of problems. Namely, being extremely cautious so that the very being of your phone doesn't come into contact with anything. Instead of being able to carelessly toss your phone into a backpack or your pocket or wherever else you could throw phones like clamshells, you now have this powerful device that could do more than you ever thought they would be able to do and you have to treat it like a raw egg. If you don't, there is a very high probability that it's going to break. And when it comes to smartphones, when your screen breaks, that usually means your entire phone (and your spirit) is broken too.
I have different places that I put my phone throughout the day, depending on what I'm doing. If I'm working or doing anything at a computer, it's usually out on a desk next to me (strategically placed away from any and all liquids). When I'm out and about, I have a special inside pocket in my purse that I put my phone in in order not to risk it scraping against anything else that finds its way in there. Very rarely do I ever put my phone in my pocket anymore, mostly because my pockets can no longer handle the regalness of the size of a larger smartphone without a lot of struggle involved into getting it there. I have tampered with holsters once or twice, but I always end up forgetting its there and just slip it into my special purse pocket anyway.
It's interesting to look back and seeing how the way we carry our phones is affected by the changes made in devices. What used to be a careless act of tossing the phone wherever it was convenient has now become as tedious as having a child around sometimes.
Readers, how do you carry your phones around? Have you changed the way you tote your phone around since you had your first cell phone? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Images via Think Geek, WTFJeans
