Musing

I’d Be Lost Without It!

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for Friday Faithfuls
where the theme is “Getting
More Out Of Your Phone”.

Professor Jim Adams always gives us something to think about! This week at Friday Faithfuls, Jim has asked us to cogitate on his theme “Getting More Out of Your Phone” and to respond to either the photo above or the theme in any way that works for us.

This got me thinking about my first cell phone which was a basic Motorola flip-phone and all it did was make and receive calls. I don’t even think I was texting at that time or if the phone had texting capabilities. But it was all I needed to keep in touch with our sons who were living on their own and my husband at his job in Woodbridge, NJ.

I don’t remember when I got my first iPhone but it was a big step up from the Motorola and I’ve only been using iPhones and other Apple devices since then. While I know there’s a lot more I can do with my phone, I’m happy with what I can do and certainly don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. My phone is primarily a phone; I use my MacBook for everything else. I have an iPad on which our granddaughter can watch YouTube Kids or play games when she’s staying with us. I’m a septuagenarian and know for a fact I use my phone for a lot more things than friends my age. I don’t need to know how to create all the crazy memes and stuff my grandkids do; that never appealed to me anyway.

Taking photos and screenshots is easy and I use that feature for a lot of the images on my WordPress posts. There are a few games I like to play so they’re on my phone as well as apps for Amazon, Dunkin, etc. and FaceTime, Facebook, WhatsApp and more. I’m an extremely organized person when it comes to files and data so learning how to set up my contact list with corresponding photos and personalized ring tones was a real bonus for me and I update it regularly.

One of my most helpful and oft-used apps is the phone GPS. Bill and I lease our cars; we enjoy getting new cars every couple of years so leasing works well for us. When I had my Acura, the built-in GPS worked like a charm and was easy to use. The GPS in my Honda CRV isn’t very good and many times it seems to do what it wants to do. It never works the same way twice and it often resets the guidance volume on its own which is a total pain in the ass; I want to hear the directions and when the volume resets to level 2 or 3, I can’t hear the directions and I can’t change the settings once the engine has been turned on. It’s sensitive like that and annoying.

What’s worse, I’ve had the car GPS crap out on me a few times which is something you don’t want to happen when you’re trying to get to an appointment. Rather than trusting the car’s GPS, I now only use the GPS in my phone, which is Apple Maps. I don’t plug the phone in so I don’t get any maps or directions on the dashboard but that’s ok; I hear a friendly voice giving me step-by-step directions and that’s exactly what I expect from a GPS system. The app links perfectly with the contact list in my phone and never dies on me like the built-in GPS unit.

I love to drive and do all the driving when Bill and I are out; it’s relaxing not having to wonder where the hell we are when going someplace new. Mastering my phone’s GPS is the accomplishment I’m most proud of and, other than making calls or sending texts, it’s the most important function on my phone, especially during those times when I’m driving by myself. It’s very reassuring knowing I have a co-pilot guiding me safely where I need to go. And yes …. if the need should ever arise, I know which buttons to press to make an emergency call!

Now, if I can only remember how to turn on the damn flashlight!

NAR©2025

This is “Expressway (To Your Heart)” by Soul Survivor

Getting More Out of Your Phone

Thanks to Jim Adams for keeping us on the ball with another fascinating topic. Thanks to all of you for stopping by.

That’s all she wrote, kids. See you on the flip side. 😎

All rights reserved for Nancy’s Notes 🖊️🎶, The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, The Rhythm Section, et al., and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

44 thoughts on “I’d Be Lost Without It!”

  1. My first phone was a flip, too. Probably a Motorola as well but honestly, cannot remember. After getting lost in Butt-Fuck Nowhere with no cell, I insisted!

    I then had an iPhone for a bit and switched to Samsung, which I still have. I love it. I use it for everything. And Waze. Man oh man.

    I am on my way home (via train) but from Toronto to Muskoka we rented a car and I was the driver. Couldn’t have done it without Waze!

    And I am a Kid Kodak with it (much to anyone’s chagrin who walks with me…)

    The phone was put to good use on this trip between the emails and texting. Good golly Miss Molly!!

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    1. Waze was too talky for me …. I mean it’s good but I don’t need to hear about every little pothole and speed bump. Just get me where I need to go and avoid the traffic. That’s another thing l love about Apple Maps …. it will automatically take a detour if there’s traffic or construction. Maybe the other apps do that, too. It’s a life saver.

      Great to hear from you, cara amica! I’ve missed your comments. Safe travels! ♡

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      1. You can change the voice – some just give the next turn 😉
        I don’t do Apple products! Waze does that too 😉

        On the train ride home. Already 1.5 hours late!!

        I’m gonna try to catch up (a bit). There was no time (or energy) to play with WP during this trip!

        I am shattered!

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  4. I quite like my mobile, but not addicted to it like so many are to theirs today. Camera great, phone useful, games ok, making payments handy – adverts a pain in the you-know-where!

    I have a love/hate relationship with my SatNav thingamajig. I’m sure she sometimes deliberately sends me down lanes that are narrower my car just for a laugh!

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    1. Funny that, dear Keith. Our brother-in-law said something the other day that I never would have believed if his wife wasn’t there to back him up. He was asking Alexa for something or other and “she” started copping an attitude with him! I thought that was hilarious! Can you imaging your GPS suddenly talking back to you and calling you names for not following directions? 😂

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      1. That’s hilarious, Nancy. The other day I gave Siri my usual instruction to Turn off the power on my iPad by saying ‘Power Off’ I think I spoke too early because it/he answered me sternly and said, I will not reply to that! I can only guess at what it thought I said!

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  6. I use the GPS in my iPhone. The Garman Nuvi makes too many mistakes. My first cell phone was in a carrying bag that plugged into the lighter, now how old is that. Like you, then it was a flip phone for calls only. I sometimes leave my phone at home or in my truck so the little critter can’t find me. Momo uses her phone for everything. I hate cell phones.

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    1. They are very similar and I’ve used both. It’s just a matter of personal preference. I like the way Apple Maps is very clear with their instructions such as “go through this light and at the next light turn left”. There’s no question which light I’m supposed to turn at. Apple Maps is also very quick to provide a re-route if there’s a detour or I miss a turn.

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  8. I’m very similar to you in terms of my phone usage. I talk to it a lot, and I tell it to turn the flashlight on and off. I dictate my messages because it’s quicker. I don’t use it for GPS because the built-in GPS in my car does a good job of that. My phone 11 is getting old and probably should be replaced but it’s cheap to run and still working very well so why bother with an upgrade.

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    1. Absolutely, Sue! I’m happy with my phone and even though I’m probably due for an upgrade, I don’t want anything bigger than what I’m using now. I forgot about dictating messages! That’s a definite plus and I do it all the time now instead of typing. It’s much faster and easier! I also leave myself story ideas so I won’t forget by the time I get home which has been known to happen! 😂

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  9. i fought tooth and nail not to have a mobile phone…then I gave in and had the brick! I am now an android girl and could not live without it, diary, address book, banking, communications,GPS, blogging, yup depends! That said

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    2. I don’t write using my phone. I prefer to see a larger screen. The larger screen helps me judge how my own posts look and gives a better view of the images that others post. However, if my other devices are switched off, I’ll use my phone to view/answer the notifications.

      I use my phone a lot to take photographs, even though I have two excellent DSLRs with extended lenses. When out and about, the phone camera is more convenient.

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      1. Exactly! I see quite a few people commenting about using their phones for blogging. More power to them; I don’t know how they do it! I have arthritis in my neck so I keep my Mac elevated to eye level; with my phone, I’d be hunched over and quite sore after a short period of time. Each to his own, as they say!

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