My dear sweet husband is not a fan of change. When he finds something he likes, he sticks to it (case in point: for the past 20+ years, he’s had a tuna fish sandwich for lunch with three slices of Cracker Barrel extra-sharp cheddar and Cain’s mayonnaise. No substitutions).
Technology is no exception. So when he decided to upgrade his cell phone to a BlackBerry last year, he insisted not on the latest and greatest model, but the model he used 4 years ago. True story: the fine folks at Verizon had to dig one out of their archives.
Have you ever seen the Jitterbug commercials? The Jitterbug is a phone marketed to Seniors who don’t like change or new technology. It’s for people who want their cell phones to have big buttons, enhanced volume, and not much else.
When I tried to convince Aaron to consider a BlackBerry that was manufactured in the past two years, his argument sounded suspiciously like the Jitterbug marketing strategy, and so I started calling his not-so-new BlackBerry the “JitterBerry”(or the GrandpaBerry).
But even as he marveled at "young'uns'" BlackBerrys and the advances in technology over the past few years, he remained staunchly committed to his JitterBerry.
In fact, he even brought it to Iraq in hopes that he could use it in place of the standard-issued BlackBerry from State.
No such luck. The State Dept IT does not support JitterBerry technology.
So a few weeks ago, Aaron graduated from GrandpaBerry to BlackBerry!!!
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"Why did they have to add all these fancy buttons?? I just want to call my grandkids!" |
The change wasn’t easy. There was a lot of complaining about the new wheel and all the extra “fancy” features (I wonder if the Jitterbug people are looking for a new spokesman?). But alas! After two short weeks, Aaron became accustomed to modern technology and decided it wasn’t so bad afterall! In fact, he’s pledged to upgrade his GrandpaBerry when we get home. This is a good thing, because the Verizon folks warned us that they no longer make batteries or parts for the ol' JitterBerry, so we’d be out of luck if it broke.
Although everything turned out fine, I suspect we’ll be in this same situation five years from now when it’s time for Aaron to upgrade his phone again…
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