I finally did it: I bought a smartphone. I know what you’re thinking … “welcome to the 21st Century, Nebraska Jedi!” Well, as much as I love science fiction and spiffy gizmos, I’ve always been an old-fashioned kind of gal, and didn’t see any reason to spend money on a phone that had a bazillion functions besides calling someone. We still have a land line at home, and I just wanted to be able to make a phone call occasionally when I was out and about and had a legitimately urgent need to contact someone! I’ve been perfectly satisfied with my little “flip” cell phone for several years, using it primarily for work texting and to have on hand for those few vacations I’ve taken that required leaving the kitties under the watchful eye of a cat sitter – I always want my pets’ caretaker to be able to reach me in the event of an emergency, or even just to reassure me that all is well with the fur family (even though, of course, they miss me!) Nevertheless, the old flip phone was starting to have a few problems, and I was starting to think that a few of those fancy “apps” might be worth having, and I was also starting to think that it would be nice to have a more portable, high quality camera – a nice bonus feature of many a smartphone in today’s marketplace – to take pictures of my cats, of course, and all the other animals I meet throughout my workdays!
Anyway, I thought about this purchase for a long time: I compared brands and features, compared prices, considered many options, consulted friends, and then thought about it for a few more months. Finally, I decided to take the plunge and ordered the Motorola Moto G Android phone. One of the deciding factors? The operating system for this phone is called “Kit Kat.” Seriously! Yes, I’m the woman who makes a major electronics purchase based in part on an item’s inherent or implied felinity. The cat factor, if you will. It is said that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but if the cover features a cat, then that particular book is obviously better than all those other books without cats on them, right? LOL! Okay, I know that’s not true (at least not all the time) but I think you can see where I’m coming from.
I’ve only had the phone for a few days, but I must admit that I’m really enjoying all the features. The camera takes excellent cat photos, as well as video. A whole new world of adorable little animal icons (should I call them eMEOWjis?!) is now available to me for use in text messaging. I can “stream” all my favorite music and listen to it in my office at work. I can translate things I read or say about cats either into or from other languages, though sadly there is as yet no translator app to help me figure out what my cats are trying to tell me in their most meowvelous language. I’ve downloaded a couple of really good apps with terrific, authoritative information on veterinary care; first aid for pets; traveling with pets; and illustrated guides about foods, plants, medications, etc. that can be harmful or even deadly to cats, dogs, and other pets. (You should take a look at these two apps yourself, I highly recommend them: the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center app, and the American Red Cross Pet First Aid app. The latter even has fun, short quizzes so you can test your knowledge!) And by golly, yes … I can even make a telephone call.
Cheshire Cat phone case? Yes, please!
As you can see from the photo, I’ll be replacing the standard black cover of my phone with a new, super-cute cover featuring the sweetly smiling, wide-eyed Cheshire Cat from Wonderland. Because my nickname at work is “Cheshire.” And I’m the Cat Woman.
Whiskers on Kittens 