This was several months in the making but I finally got a new phone. My old phone was not in very good condition anymore after I dropped many times, a couple of them quite badly. I did some research early last year to help me figure out what phone to get and I decided I wanted the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. It's an expensive phone but since I was due for recontracting with Globe, I could get an S7 Edge at a huge discount. I had been calling Globe regularly since August or September of last year to check if the S7 Edge was available for recontracting but for many months, it wasn't. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I called and they said it was finally available. My guess is that it is because the Samsung S8 is about to be released so they can let go of older S7 Edge stocks since less people will want them given that something newer is going to be available.
I am now using data on my phone on a regular basis. I also finally decided to install apps. For the last few years, my old smartphone was used only as an old-school mobile phone i.e. phone calls and texts. Many people had been wondering why I don't have any apps, and it was mainly because of privacy and security concerns. (Yes, I know, this is such a strange concern for me to have given that I write about my life on a regular basis on this blog LOL but at least here, I get to pick what information to share instead of giving apps free access to whatever information is on my phone.) For instance, a lot of apps pick up where you are located and can thus predict where you live and where your work. Many also require that you share the information of all your contacts and grant them access to all your pictures. As such, I wanted to steer clear of app usage before. What changed my mind is the realization that everyone else is using apps and their information has already been shared (and most likely, mine as well). I figured nothing is really, truly private anymore so I might as well get the benefits of being able to use apps.
In the short time I've had my new phone, I have downloaded and used a handful of apps already. Probably the most useful to me so far has been Waze, which allowed me to drive to some unfamiliar places in Manila and San Juan. I have also ordered from Foodpanda a few times (I love that you can pay for your order with a credit card while submitting your order, removing the need for a cash payment upon delivery). I now need to start researching what other apps will help make my life significantly easier.
I am now using data on my phone on a regular basis. I also finally decided to install apps. For the last few years, my old smartphone was used only as an old-school mobile phone i.e. phone calls and texts. Many people had been wondering why I don't have any apps, and it was mainly because of privacy and security concerns. (Yes, I know, this is such a strange concern for me to have given that I write about my life on a regular basis on this blog LOL but at least here, I get to pick what information to share instead of giving apps free access to whatever information is on my phone.) For instance, a lot of apps pick up where you are located and can thus predict where you live and where your work. Many also require that you share the information of all your contacts and grant them access to all your pictures. As such, I wanted to steer clear of app usage before. What changed my mind is the realization that everyone else is using apps and their information has already been shared (and most likely, mine as well). I figured nothing is really, truly private anymore so I might as well get the benefits of being able to use apps.
In the short time I've had my new phone, I have downloaded and used a handful of apps already. Probably the most useful to me so far has been Waze, which allowed me to drive to some unfamiliar places in Manila and San Juan. I have also ordered from Foodpanda a few times (I love that you can pay for your order with a credit card while submitting your order, removing the need for a cash payment upon delivery). I now need to start researching what other apps will help make my life significantly easier.
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