Smartphone? Maybe Not Yet

I was beginning to have serious problems keeping track of my calendar. I can easily update my Google Calendar at work and at home in front of my computer, but since I don't have a smart phone, I couldn't access the information in the calendar away from my desk. My paper calendar book was rapidly becoming a mess from updating venues and dates, erasing events I wasn't actually going to, and other minor issues. So I began to think I needed a smartphone.

Yesterday when I got home I started researching, seriously, smartphones. And found that Eric and I are grandfathered into a calling plan that keeps our cell phone service fairly cheap yet very nice. Any change to that plan would immediately add $20 to our bill. Add in a data plan for a smartphone for another $30, and we'd be adding $50 to our bill every month. Which, frankly, seems ridiculous to me.

There are other options, but I have a very very good phone that I've had for a very long time and love very much, my trusty LG VX8300. If LG still made this phone, I would buy nothing but it for my phone for the rest of my life. And last night it proved its worth yet again.

Using the same cable and program (BitPim) I used to import ringtones, I was able to import my Google Calendar into my phone. Yup. A later version of BitPim than I had before can be set up to import Google Calendar. I'm only two years late to the game, but I only recently have gotten enough of a life to need a calendar. Better, I was also able to import my working schedule into Eric's phone, so he can keep track of where I'll be!

Disadvantages: I have to manually update the phone when I make changes to the calendars. Advantages: It doesn't cost us a penny more and keeps me almost entirely up-to-date, and it's something I already carry with me everywhere (so I won't keep leaving it behind like I did my paper calendar book).

Sadly, I know my VX8300 can't last forever. But until it dies, I've got all the tech I need in it. Once again, thank you LG, for a fantastic product.