I have had an opportunity to use my phone a bit more, now, and my general impression of the new iPhone XS is that it is a really great phone! I have taken some photos with it and edited them before sending them off to people to look at. It has an awesome camera. It has clear reception, good signal, good sending power, and a good facial identification security feature. I might trust it yet, but that is going to take a bit more time. I talked to my friend Emily for close to an hour on my phone this morning and it performed magnificently compared to my old phone. So far, so good. I like it. I really like it.
I also, as part of the bundle deal, got a Mophie Powerstation (extra external battery) with which to charge my iPhone if I get in a jam with a low battery and no electrical outlet in sight. I am going to use that to charge up my phone when my battery gets low enough so that I get them both working in tip-top shape in case I really need them in a jam. I think I got this setup just in time, too, as I am going to the Butte Bouldering Bash next weekend and may not have access to power when I need it. The Mophie Powerstation just finished charging from my Macbook Pro and is supposed to provide my iPhone with 24 hours’ worth of charge. We will find out just how much charge that is when it comes time to use it! I am going to make sure to establish the maximum battery life memory in both devices so that they are both the best that they can possibly be for the longest that they can possibly last! After all the money spent on these kinds of things, you do not want to mess up and cut the battery life in half by doing something stupid!
I have had good previous experiences with both iPhone and Mophie products, so I am not worried at all about their functionality. Most of it is just keeping up with the times. Technology moves so fast now that what was new yesterday is old tomorrow! Verizon has definitely offered me the best plans and service, as far as that goes, and I have my military discount to cover some of the costs, too, which really helps a lot over time. All in all, I will save around 50 cents per month by trading up in memory and down in screen size with the new phone, tweaking my plan a bit (had to do that due to the new plan schemes, anyway), and going wih the bundle deal that included the Mophie external battery. I also got a rubberized Army-green Speck case and a set of glass screen protectors. I have had good experiences with the Speck cases as well, and the screen protectors are a no-brainer. Not a bad deal, as deals go. I am just glad I have a phone that works. I think all of it is terribly overpriced, but there is not much I can do about that. Being disgruntled does nothing for my struggles for a positive outlook, so I am not going to bother with it. I have the means to have a cell phone, the accessories to protect and charge it, and a plan to run it, so I consider myself blessed. Many people do not have the means for such things.
Speaking of not having the means for things, the city of Billings, Montana is doing something dangerous and ridiculous. They are taking down the emergency sirens in the city and are going to notify the citizens of Billings of emergencies via cell phone. Now what are you going to do if you do not have a cell phone or a television or a radio? Or what if you have your cell phone on “Do Not Disturb” or silent? Or what if you do not hear it? I think the idea is ludicrous. Did I mention dangerous??? Let me say it again. It is dangerous not to have a public emergency notification system in a city of 120,000 people! Maybe you have never been homeless, but I have. I have lived out of my truck with nothing but a part-time job and slept in parks and everything else. I did not have a cell phone. I did not have a television. I did not have a radio that worked. I did not have a single person around me that had a cell phone who would bump my elbow and say, “Hey, by the way, there’s a tornado headed straight for you. I just got the notification on my cell phone.” Does anyone else see a problem with this, or is it just me?
CLIMBING 4 THE REST OF US 