MY CREAKY PHONE
I bought a new phone not long ago. My old one had got too old to do what it should, and refused to take photos or cooperate in other ways so I checked my bank balance, took a deep breath and ordered a new one online. It arrived in a pristine white box and I was very pleased with it. It glowed a burnished rose-gold, wasn’t too big to fit in my pocket and not so heavy that I needed the support of a weight-lifter’s belt; it did exactly what it should do and I was very pleased.
There was just one problem: every time I turned it on it creaked. I was concerned; should a high-tech, carefully designed mini computer do that? Before I went to the trouble and palaver of sending it back to Apple I thought I’d check first with my own computer expert – our son.
I told him the sorry tale and he looked at me with sympathy and some bewilderment.
“It creaks?”
“Yes, when I press the start button it makes this noise.” I showed him. “It sounds bad – do you think it’s faulty? If I send it back I’m sure they’ll send me another.”
He did not hold his head in his hands but the look on his face told me that’s what he felt like doing.
“It’s meant to make that noise,” he explained slowly and carefully. “It’s a haptic.”
“A haptic,” I repeated as if saying it again would make me understand what it meant.
“It’s a noise that’s been added so that not only will you see what you’re doing, you can feel it too.”
I try to keep up to date but it seems that as soon as I get to grips with one thing, something newer is brought out and now I find that I need to understand new words.
It’s a comfort to know that books are not like that; they do not need updating or recharging or the buying of a newer model. Books are free from a library and all that is required is the ability to turn a page.
And the hydrangea? That’s just a prettier picture than my phone.
