Litterally, food for thought. I'm sitting downstairs eating dinner which happens to be chicken tortilla soup, and thinking about things. I have recently realized that I am really into gadgets. This goes back quite a ways for me. I used to LOVE Swiss Army Knives. Whenever we would go into a sporting goods store it was my favorite section/enclosed box. In high school I was the first to own a pocket PC. For those of you that don't know what that was, it was a smart phone without the phone. Some people called them Palm Pilots. The iPhone has been my most recent desire, but I have settled for the iPod Touch. I chose the iTouch, because it comes without the $70+/month contract.
But there is something new on the horizon. Or should I say something new on the Verizon? The rub with switching to the iPhone is leaving Verizon and signing up with AT&T. It would end up costing my wife and I probably around $50/month more than we pay now. That is a lot of dough!
This phone runs Android, which is Google's operating system. I use Google's suite of products, so this is very appealing to me. Most importantly, it has an app for Google Voice, which means a GV account could run seamlessly on a mobile phone with all the features, and the same great cost.
Here's where thinking has to start happening. There is still a cost difference. First of all it would be $200 to purchase which is reasonable, but there is more. Secondly there will be a $30/month charge for a data plan. This comes with a 2 year contract, so the total EXTRA price for the phone would be around $900.
Where I come from $900 is a good chunk of change for no more functionality than I currently have other than mobile Internet. (aka data plan) For example, that $30/month could go to support a missionary, buy food for a food bank, or feed a hungry child.
I have a lot in this world, and live a very comfortable life. Most people that read this blog (both of them) are also comfortable and not hungry. I do not say this to condemn spending, I am just journaling some realizations I have come to. I'm also not saying I will not some day buy a data plan for a mobile phone. What I will say, is that I need to do a better job of looking at what I spend, determine if it is a need or a want and also determine if by passing on that want I can meet a need of someone less fortunate.
