“A part of me was gone yesterday.”
That’s how GeekWire reporter Taylor Soper felt this week when his Samsung Galaxy S7 — not the recalled Galaxy Note 7, to be clear — inexplicably stopped working, leaving him without a smartphone and illustrating just how much we all depend on this critical device.
First, Taylor needed to cover an event but realized he didn’t have access to a maps app. He relies on his phone as a clock, so he had no idea what time it was. He wasn’t able to record or take pictures at the event.
He couldn’t check on the news without access to the Twitter app. He wasn’t able to listen to Spotify in his car so had to rediscover the terrestrial radio. And afterward, he wasn’t able to message a buddy to pick him up.
Yes, these are first-world problems, but nonetheless, Taylor was effectively paralyzed. Because it was unexpected, it wasn’t like the planned vacation this summer when he knew he would be out of cell coverage and was able to mentally prepare for it, outside the context of the workday.
How would you cope if someone suddenly cut off your access to your phone? Has it happened to you before?
For the record, Taylor has survived with the assistance of a loaner device from his wireless carrier. For his next device, he’s now thinking about leaving Samsung behind and going with either an Apple iPhone 7 or a new Google Pixel.
Listen to this podcast above, or download the MP3 here, and weigh in with your own experiences and comments below.
