It is with trepidation that I take my first steps into the 21st Century of cell phone service.  My dh finally talked me into giving up my old purple flip phone in favor of a smart phone-more specifically, an iPhone.

Unfortunately, my old purple flip phone isn’t so grape anymore. It was shutting itself off without permission, the battery was drained by a 20 minute call and then there were the latest issues.   It got lost on its way to view a text message (which I didn’t know how to answer anyway so I’m not sure why I was trying to read them) and it refused to dial into my voice mail to retrieve voice messages (which I managed with some degree of competence after repeated training).

As you might have guessed, part of my fear is rooted in my nontechie nature.  My dh’s iPhone remains a mystery to me-even in how to turn it on or answer the phone.  Texting is a task for more adept fingers and apps are a foreign language.

The second, and probably most troubling reason I’ve been avoiding a smart phone like the plague, stems from the fact that I’m only 5′ tall and my hands are smaller than some children’s.  My flip phone fits quite nicely into my tiny hand.  My dh’s iPhone is awkward to hold and hurts my hand when, for example, my dd calls my dh’s phone and wants to chat with me for 10-20 minutes.

Since it was my birthday, my dh decided to try to drag me into the 21st Century by bribing me with a monogrammed purple iPhone cover and I reluctantly agreed.

Can this Technologically Challenged and HTML Illiterate soul learn to use an iPhone without destroying any brain cells?  I’ll be posting more on this and related stories of what will likely be a long, frustrating and hilarious journey to iPhone competency.

PS: If you’ve been through this before, I’d love for you to leave a note of encouragement.  Post your comments here.