Apps and Androids.

So, we use simple pay-as-you-go mobiles to make calls and send texts. It's enough.

Or is it?

A couple of months ago Neil started to ask questions such as what's an app, what's Android about, should we have one of these new phones everyone is getting. What would we use it for. All we do is make calls and send texts but we couldn't help but feel that technology was leaving us behind, to the extent that we don't know whether we would use one because we don't understand what they do.

Then Neil went with one of his sons when he collected his new i-phone.

'Show me what it does' said Neil.

'Well, if you do this it does this, and then you can do this for it to do this, and when you need to see this just do this'.

And all that went straight over his head.

And the thought of having one of these new fangled phones went out of his mind.

Then we moved house and didn't have an internet connection, and there was an anticipated time frame of 3-4 weeks before the phone line would be connected.

'One of those phones would give us internet access while we were waiting for the broadband to be installed', said Neil, 'maybe we should pop along to the phone shop and have a chat with someone'.

And so we did.

We worked out that we were both topping up our mobiles with about £20-25 per month - which just so happened to work out as the perfect amount for a contract internet phone. Mmmmmm - being the cynic that I am - that seemed a little coincidental - but I decided to go with the flow. The young chap then proceeded to explain what we could do with the phones and lost me after about 2 minutes.

'Let me ask the questions I want the answers to and you tell me whether it can do it' I said.

Can I get my email? - Yes!
Can I make phone call ?- Yes!
Can I send and receive texts? - Yes!
Can I read the blogs I follow? - Yes!
Can I access Facebook? - Yes!
Can I browse Google for info? - Yes!

OK, I'm interested.

And so, half an hour later we both walked out of the shop with our Galaxy S Android phones.

For the next 2 hours we sat in almost complete silence while we read the manual and pressed a variety of buttons trying to set the phones up to get email, ring when it should, and get the hang of dragging our finger across the screen to answer a call. It took a while.

Then, of course, we wanted, nay.....needed to visit the Android store to download an app, just so that we could say we had.

So we sat and tried very hard to think of something we would want to know so desperately that we had to be able to get it at anytime. But inspiration and need were both lacking in huge volumes.

Then finally we realised there was something that would be so useful to have at our finger tips, no matter what time of day or night. Something that would change our lives and justify the longevity of having these new, shiny, all singing all dancing internet phones beyond the installation of our broadband service.

And so, filled with excitement, we both set about downloading the ' Weatherbug' app. Now we would always know whether it was to be a sunny day or not. Our lives has just been significantly improved!

Oh, it is to be hoped there are more exciting apps to be found over the coming months!