Cell Phone Follies

I've been trying to find a decent cell phone with a good antenna, since I live in a marginal area. Just a phone. I don't travel, except between home & work. I just want to talk occasionally on my cell, not take pictures, email, text or anything else. I have a couple of good cameras & computers to do those tasks. So I want a cell phone that is just a GOOD phone.

I can't find one.

I tried a lot of different searches for cell phones, specifically for antenna ratings. Nothing comes up. I found a couple of sites that would help me search for features on particular cell phones, but they were geared to the wrong direction. Take a look at
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/finder.php

Phone Scoop might be wonderful for you, but I can't tell it that I don't want a feature. I can only say that I don't care if the feature is available. I do care - I don't want a crappy camera, a keyboard or a touch screen! I'd rather have the extra space used for a good battery & antenna. I can choose a specific type of antenna, but I'm no expert on antenna types. Is a stub antenna better than an extendable one or not? I would think it would depend more on the antenna design.

My cell phone search illustrates a problem I've seen growing with our society my entire life. Our economy is based on conspicuous consumption, a trend that has grown until finding a good product is becoming impossible. We can find cheap, trendy, feature-packed, but a solid, no-nonsense, quality product is becoming a thing of the past, especially in consumer electronics.

Google & my virtual world...

Gmail was the best email client I'd ever found & I've been using web based email clients since they came out. So I got an account & have used it ever since. Then they added other items. The personalized home page has long been a favorite. Google docs, not so much, but I've used them on occasion. I share a Google Calendar with the family.

I avoided any social networking sites for years. Then I found Goodreads.com, a place for folks that like to read. The wall of my resistance to social networking was breached & I found myself joining Facebook. Why? I'm not really sure. It's kind of a nice way to keep up with friends & family. I don't do a lot on there.

Now Google has packaged all their offerings together into something that's very Facebook like, but much more comprehensive: Google Buzz. I'm getting sucked in & can't help it.

I have limited time, interest & capacity. I like discussing books on GoodReads, but I've abandoned my LibraryThing account, even though I paid for a lifetime membership. The duplication of effort & time just isn't worth it. I can see the same thing happening between Facebook & Google Buzz.

Google has trained me over the years to use their web apps. They did one thing, did it well to start, then tweaked it until it was awesome. I got used to each app, used them & incorporated them into my daily routine. My Gmail login gives me instant access to them. Now they're rolled together into a better, single package. Is this a Facebook Killer? It just may be for me.