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adrian_turtleA bunch of uncooperative things (the MBTA, my shoulders, my old blackberry, high school students) are conspiring to make me consider getting a new gadget. Until now, I have used a stupid phone* for voice calls. I also have an old blackberry, with no monthly service plan, which I use only for ebooks and audiobooks. Because it doesn't connect to anything without a cable, I can't use it for GPS or email or other apps.
I was getting ready to go out last week, and dithering about whether to bring an ounce of sunblock, or a little package of tissues, or my sunglasses, or 2 ounces of water. Because I couldn't afford the weight of carrying ALL of them. That's when it occurred to me that I really should not be carrying separate devices for ebooks and telephone. I have been managing without GPS for quite some time, because my GPS is a third device that is hardly ever worth the trouble for me to carry, but there are times when it would be a great help. And I generally regret not having Nextbus at least once a week. In winter, I regret it much more often.
I haven't done anything about getting a new thingee, because it's expensive--both the gadget and the monthly service. And because I'm using something that kinda sorta works. And because shopping for something new is confusing and difficult, especially when I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing with it. So here I am asking for suggestions.
It needs to be small enough to hook onto my belt, or otherwise carry without a purse or backpack.
It needs to be good for reading ebooks, lots of ebooks--this will probably be its main use.
It needs to have a screen without flickering or movement. (ie, I can turn off all animations.)
It needs to have a phone, and some text message capacity.
It needs to play audiobooks, though it doesn't need to play them while I'm using the phone.
It needs to be easy to use with Nextbus and GPS.
It needs the phone coverage to work consistently in Metrowest, including Belmont.
It would be very nice if I could keep my old Sprint phone number. I'm willing to buy out of the last 7 months of the contract, but I've had the phone number since the turn of the century and I'm oddly attached to it.
It would be very nice if I could use it for "oh shit, I forgot" internet connections when I'm out of the apartment for the day. (Where somebody sent you email with the time and place you were supposed to meet, but you forgot the details. Or where you're talking about a creepy song but can't remember enough of the lyrics to explain why it's so creepy.) Not extensive browsing, but just connecting for a few minutes to look something up.
It would be very nice if it was easy to use without straining my hands. Voice commands, or just easy to use keys or touchpads. I don't talk to my gadgets, but is that because they don't listen, or because I don't have the right headset to overcome background noise, or what?
It would be nice if data coverage worked consistently in Metrowest.
It would be nice if I could use it to display half a page at a time from a book like this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Official-SAT-Study-Guide/dp/0874478529/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340136699&sr=1-1&keywords=sat+preparation+2012 Thus far, I've been relying on students to carry the damn things, but they are not reliable. Or sometimes I carry practice problems around in internal memory, or on index cards, but those are different kinds of burdens.
Any suggestions would be very welcome.
*I don't mean to insult it, when it has given me years of good service and cost me remarkably little. It's just not a smart phone.
I was getting ready to go out last week, and dithering about whether to bring an ounce of sunblock, or a little package of tissues, or my sunglasses, or 2 ounces of water. Because I couldn't afford the weight of carrying ALL of them. That's when it occurred to me that I really should not be carrying separate devices for ebooks and telephone. I have been managing without GPS for quite some time, because my GPS is a third device that is hardly ever worth the trouble for me to carry, but there are times when it would be a great help. And I generally regret not having Nextbus at least once a week. In winter, I regret it much more often.
I haven't done anything about getting a new thingee, because it's expensive--both the gadget and the monthly service. And because I'm using something that kinda sorta works. And because shopping for something new is confusing and difficult, especially when I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing with it. So here I am asking for suggestions.
It needs to be small enough to hook onto my belt, or otherwise carry without a purse or backpack.
It needs to be good for reading ebooks, lots of ebooks--this will probably be its main use.
It needs to have a screen without flickering or movement. (ie, I can turn off all animations.)
It needs to have a phone, and some text message capacity.
It needs to play audiobooks, though it doesn't need to play them while I'm using the phone.
It needs to be easy to use with Nextbus and GPS.
It needs the phone coverage to work consistently in Metrowest, including Belmont.
It would be very nice if I could keep my old Sprint phone number. I'm willing to buy out of the last 7 months of the contract, but I've had the phone number since the turn of the century and I'm oddly attached to it.
It would be very nice if I could use it for "oh shit, I forgot" internet connections when I'm out of the apartment for the day. (Where somebody sent you email with the time and place you were supposed to meet, but you forgot the details. Or where you're talking about a creepy song but can't remember enough of the lyrics to explain why it's so creepy.) Not extensive browsing, but just connecting for a few minutes to look something up.
It would be very nice if it was easy to use without straining my hands. Voice commands, or just easy to use keys or touchpads. I don't talk to my gadgets, but is that because they don't listen, or because I don't have the right headset to overcome background noise, or what?
It would be nice if data coverage worked consistently in Metrowest.
It would be nice if I could use it to display half a page at a time from a book like this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Official-SAT-Study-Guide/dp/0874478529/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340136699&sr=1-1&keywords=sat+preparation+2012 Thus far, I've been relying on students to carry the damn things, but they are not reliable. Or sometimes I carry practice problems around in internal memory, or on index cards, but those are different kinds of burdens.
Any suggestions would be very welcome.
*I don't mean to insult it, when it has given me years of good service and cost me remarkably little. It's just not a smart phone.
