Photo by some random in my house.

Three years ago I left my mobile phone charger in a B&B on the Scilly Isles. A replacement charger was £12 so instead I bought a new phone from Asda for a fiver. It has been a constant source of amusement and mockery ever since. Why? Because it doesn’t have the internet and it can only hold a maximum of ten text messages. It also has a personality of its own and regularly switches itself off if I’ve been talking for more than five minutes. This does have its benefits but it can also cause unnecessary offence. It might have something to do with the four cracks on the screen.

The phone was purchased for its functional rather than aesthetical qualities. It had this amazing app that meant I could call people up. Joking aside, I wanted a crap phone because I didn’t want to become one of those wizards you see at bus stops swiping across their screen as they scroll through pages, creating the impression they’re casting magical spells. A crap phone meant instead of getting weighed down and distracted by emails and surfing I would do more productive things such as read, think or listen in on conversations: There are some great conversations on Nottingham bus journeys.

Yesterday I decided it was time for an upgrade. Orange, my provider, said I had to see out my contract which finishes in December. I explained very patiently that I was currently paying £7 a month and I would like to give them more money. It took a long, long time but eventually I was able to convince someone that this was a good move for their business.

I’ve been fending off this moment for yonks but finally succumbed for the following reasons: 1. I need a camera so that I can take photographs at events I’m reviewing. I’m sick of trawling through the web for accompanying images or having to rely on people to email stuff over which is always late and means I miss deadlines. 2. It has an inbuilt Dictaphone so next time I bump into someone of interest I can do an interview there and then. 3. The Space. How on earth can I possibly edit together a multimedia project and check content is working across platforms when I don’t even have the device the project is trying to target!

A big feature of The Space project is utilising QR codes. Which is not possible on a £5 phone from Asda…

Although I’m sure that having the option of an electronic diary will be useful, I think I’ll stick to the one pound page-a-day diaries because I love flicking through these every now and then and seeing what I was up to. I’m sure that once I get the phone tomorrow I’ll quickly be converted to all of the gadgetry and gimmicks but I’m hoping I’ll have the willpower to resist. Those listened-in conversations on buses are priceless….