Thursday, July 05, 2012

Ever heard of a crack in the heart?


I’d been wanting a new mobile phone for over 2 years - a ‘Smartphone’ what they call, to replace my Nokia N72 which was literally ageing in my hands. Which one, depended on various factors like the utility, the brand, the price, the looks, the features and all that. Each salesman outsold the other on their favourite or recommended brand / model that only did me more confused.

The main purpose - apart from making/receiving calls of course, was to be able to access my mails, review creatives and give my feedback and such else, on the move. After several rounds of web search, much deliberation – between iPhone, Blackberry, Samsung SIII/SII…

I settled on a Samsung Galaxy Note (though the price pinched my heart and burnt a hole in my pocket – it was time I had one or so I consoled myself!), because I thought it was like a small tab-cum-big mobile so I didn’t have to carry 2 devices but enjoy the benefits of both!

I was excited like a little girl holding on to cotton candy or a bunch of balloons. Exploring the magic of touch, the speed of internet, angry birds and all those fun android games and apps, mobile TV, driving directions with voice, clarity of photos shot, da da da…and hours whizzed by like seconds. That was less than a month ago.

Yesterday, I wish it was just a nightmare…something dreadful happened! I was working at my desk. The headphone was plugged to my Note. Some visitor walked in. I got up to join him. Just remembered I’d left my phone behind. Got hold of the phone. Felt a bit of a tug on the other side. Headphone cord was stuck somewhere. Before I could do anything else, the Note was out of its Flip Cover and face down on the Desk. The N72 had seen worse falls, from greater heights, so I casually picked it up and tried to tap it to life. And what do I see?

My head went numb. I was just gaping at the Note for what seemed like eternity. Took me a while to get to my senses. A quarter of the screen was lit with a cacophony of colours, the rest of the screen was blank. My heart was in my mouth. I switched off the Note, removed the battery, turned it around, put it back in and tried to revive it back to life (save the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation!). The same irregular quarter of screen with a magenta-blue mix of colours / pixels. I thought I would faint. I wanted to cry but I couldn’t. The world around me seemed to be spinning.

Then I noticed the crack (2 actually on the LCD screen, oh no, not the screen, maybe it was the touch panel. I felt the crack in my heart. 

15 comments:

Rama Ananth said...

I am sorry it happened, however you have written it so well, even my heart too felt the crack.
I remember breaking a beautiful lamp, long time back, although i picked up all the broken pieces, still it could not be set right: I still feel bad whenever i think about it.
Such accidents happen.

Kavi said...

Congratulations ! I had the 72 too. :)

But progress is to be applauded. And congratulated !! :)

Kavi said...

Sorry to hear of the crack. Trust you can do something to do some retrieval of some sorts...

Smita said...

Sheeesh!!! Shown it to a mobile doctor? May be it can be saved with not much expense?

A colleague of mine had bought I think the same phone (for 32 k?) and it was stolen from hi pocket within a month!!! Though it was a big loss & I felt so bad for him but he took it in his stride. He says 'ab to gaya na'

Sigh!

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Very sad to read this.This is the risk we are taking when we buy expensive electronic gadgets. I hope the company will set it right free of cost since it is under the warranty period. I also hope you have not parted with your old phone under the exchange scheme since you need a phone now.
Joseph

Rachna said...

Oh, that is the worst problem with these large cellphones. I got my hubby an HTC Desire. It is comparatively pretty sturdy.

Aleta said...

Technology is such a wonderful thing, but the cost of such advancement is what happens when something happens to it. Things aren't made the same as they were in the past.

When you wrote about your excitement about getting the phone, I thought, "I feel old. I can remember when we had rotary phones in our homes." I can remember when there was no call waiting. When we left the home, we didn't carry cellular devices.

Was it a better time? Sorry, I went off on a tangent.

I hope you are able to recover the information from your phone and somehow the company works with you to get a new phone!

Bikram said...

OUCH.. now that is not goood .. did you insure it .. have you got it fixed.

did you show it to someone Oh my i am sorry to hear that .. I need to change my fone in a couple of months so am planning which one to buy ...

Bikram's

walk2write said...

The smarter they (phones) are, the harder they fall. The darn things are so expensive, they should be armor-plated. Does insurance cover such a thing?

Rama Ananth said...

Hey where did my comment go?
I came here as soon as you wrote this blog.

Destiny's child said...

Oh no! And what have you done about it? I remember the 72 very well. I believe it was faithful for a long, long time...

R. Ramesh said...

that was bad buddy..can feel how u feel..many a times i think a simple inexpensive set is far more sturdier and strong than the expensive ones..my poor cheap mobile has been thrown down, beaten and slapped, but the darling stays on with me...it is in luv with me..hahaha..hey i should have married my handset..if try to slap my wife, she will give me double..hahah

Insignia said...

Thats the problem; some of them sturdy, some not. The replacement of the screen will cost a bomb!

RGB said...

Thanks for all your comments and concern. The phone has been fixed, albeit the damage has left a gaping hole in my pocket. "No more shopping for a year" I told myself! Was that a bit too harsh? How about 6 months, nay 3...nah 2...hah, what the heck! The damage is done. What was to be, will be. And so I console myself ;P

Reflections said...

Thank goodness u got it fixed, I cd just imagine ur shock and pain.
I have an iphone & it has seen many falls but has survived everytime because of the awkward, terrible looking cover my H insisted on putting for it;-).