I need to borrow a 9-year-old.

[madamesilverspurs]

Seriously.

With all the texting going on, it was time to upgrade from the itty bitty flip phone to one of the android types. Unfortunately, it didn’t come with instructions, and I was born long before they implanted the chips. I’m told that its operation is “intuitive”. It ain’t.

So I need to borrow a kid to show me how to work this thing, a kid who’s patient and won’t laugh at my technical ineptitude. Just don’t have ‘em call me, I haven’t yet perfected the art of answering the damned thing.

Too soon old, too late savvy. sigh………….


.

[TlalocW]

1. You're in good company

TlalocW

[burrowowl]

11. Great find!

[Renew Deal]

2. Focus on the features you need before advancing to others.

You need to make and receive calls. Call yourself and practice answering until you understand it. Then lock the phone, and figure out how to make a call (hint: unlock it). Generally everything you need to worry about is in the phone icon. The phone icon can probably get you to where you save contacts.

Just focus on these things and you'll be fine. You should put some sort of pun number on it too, but that's more advanced.

[Doreen]

3. You will not find ones who will not laugh at you but

you may find ones who will wait until you are not present to laugh their 9 year old asses off.

[NBachers]

4. Make sure you set up the messages- Lots of people don't set up the messages, so there's no way

to leave one.

[pnwmom]

5. I know. "Intuitive" is an evil word.

[littlebit]

6. I would loan you my 4 year old nephew

but he has his hand full teaching my parents how to use theirs.

[left-of-center2012]

7. When I bought my first 'smart phone' ...

I found all the answers to my questions by Googling them (on my laptop).
Seems I was not the first person to have the same problems.

[MasonDreams]

8. I feel your pain. It is embarrassing.

I keep Buddha's first noble truth in mind. And Eleanor Roosevelt's quote " Noone can make you feel inferior w/o your permission".
I still struggle with technology at work, and I am too embarrassed to tell you how long it has been.

[Duppers]

9. Options

Google YouTube for instructions for your particular phone.

"Play around with it," as I did mine years ago - you're not going to crash it or do any irreparable harm. I used to call my son (land line), who was in college at the time, and beg for advice. He'd get most annoyed and tell me to "play around with the thing, mom." So, I did. I'd scream and curse but eventually I learned, just as you will. Posting with my 4th smart phone now.

Good luck.

[True Dough]

12. This is good advice

There are bound to be tutorials on YouTube for how to operate the phone and to customize your settings.

[Liberty Belle]

10. Some cell phone stores have free classes or one-on-one instruction.

Verizon has usually been very helpful in answering my questions on my smart phone. Ask them to give you a basic lesson on how to make and receive calls, set up the message machine, retrieve messages, and store contacts in your phonebook, for starters.

Also learn how to download an ap. There are lots of them, from weather to traffic navigation, that are useful.

Once you've mastered those things, you can go back and ask how to send and receive texts, take photos and view them in your gallery, and email them to yourself or others.

[FSogol]

13. Around here (as a community service project) a group of teenage girls started a free tech support

for senior citizens. Go to your local library and see if a similar group exists. If not, contact your local scout troop and suggest it. Those kids (both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts) are always looking for service hours.

[OnDoutside]

14. Youtube is a great resource for step by step learning. Put in your phone model and "tutorial" in the

search box. There will usually be something there for you.

[Phentex]

15. I get it

I chose to get the same phone as my kids for this very reason. I still text my son from time to time with a how-do-i question. I think he gets a kick out of it.

Only trouble is sometimes I forget how to do it, especially if it isn't something I do all the time.