iPhone4S anyone?

It's time to make a momentous decision. It's time to bite the bullet and kick my wallet in the stomach. It's time for a new phone.

We've had a good run, but it's time to say goodbye. And honestly, it's you.
Source

Now to be fair, I'm not one of those people who buys the latest phone whenever something new hits the market. The 2 year contract for my enV Touch expired 4 months ago now and it's really, really time to upgrade. Here are a few justifying reasons why I cannot continue this unhealthy relationship with my current phone:

1. Fickleness and Instability - It shuts itself off just for the hell of it. What's even more interesting is that when I turn it back on, all of my customizations have disappeared. I'm left with a picture of an ice cube as my wallpaper and it vibrates and clicks when I use the touch screen. I hate the vibrating touch screen...
2. Butt Dials - Every once in a while, I'll call my best friend over 15 times in a 5 minute time span. NBD. I also leave 10 minute voicemail messages of walking noises to people who I haven't talked to since high school. Also totally NBD. I mean, unless that sort of thing is annoying.
3. Butt Text Messages - Some people get really confused by messages that look like this:  ;OWDGKJBG983402345KWSGOUSDK23   DFKLB032NUI. I'd love to call that a secret code but really, it's just a message from the inner lining of my purse. Sigh.
4. Roaming - Every time I move in or out of a roaming area, my phone yells VERIZON WIRELESS at me. This is especially irritating when I'm sitting on a ski lift yelling "SHUT UP" at my chest zipper pocket because every damn pine tree screws up the coverage area. On the other hand, this might give me an excuse to blame my crazy on the evils of technology...
5. Alarms - Sometimes, they just turn off.  This is terribly problematic considering this phone acts as the alarm clock that gets me to class in the morning. It tries to make up for its transgressions by adding alarms at other random intervals. For example, my phone alarm went into air-raid-notification mode today at noon. I DID NOT SET A MID DAY ALARM SO STOP YELLING AT ME.

So here's the quandary: the iPhone 4S

OMG SO SHINY
Source

Am I a little sad that Apple has given us an iPhone 4S rather than an iPhone 5? Yes, yes I am. But do I still want it? OMG so much. If you'll remember back to this here cell phone post that I wrote earlier in the year, I've been going back and forth between an iPhone and an an Android device. I've never had a cell phone with internet on it before and I want one and I want it nooooooow (extra points for guessing the reference). That said, data plan prices encourage me to just stay in my tiny hovel of the technological dark ages and shun the interwebz.

Yes, I've already done quite a bit of research on the current smartphone market, but my decision making abilities are seriously hampered by my epic miserliness. I specifically waited to upgrade until the release of the new iPhone, but now it's actually time for me to spend money...

I'm just too weak to make this decision on my own.

Rethinking my Opinion of the iPhone

Attending a school in which it seems that everyone and their mother has an iPhone, I'll admit it. I want one. I want one really bad. I want to be able to check my email when I'm away from my computer. I want to be able to find out where I am when I get lost in the streets of Boston. I want to download apps and play DoodleJump. I want to gain a deeper appreciation for damnyouautocorrect.com. I'll admit, I'm jealous of everyone with the hottest phone on the market. It's just so...appealing.

WANT. WANT SO BAD.

In my lust for sleek and sexy technology, I've been unwilling to hear any negative words against the iPhone; it's so easy to complain about something that you already possess. However, I came across this article today:

Verizon Deal May Expose iPhone Flaws

Hmmm, strange. How can such a perfect piece of technology and wonder possibly have any flaws? According to this article, many of the issues that people currently blame on their AT&T service provider may actually be issues within the iPhone itself. Who else remembers when all iPhone alarm clocks spontaneously turned themselves off on New Year's Day this year? And what about all of those dropped calls, a less-than perfect auto-correct type system, a battery with a completely weaksauce charge life, and a touch keyboard system that makes emailing pretty much impossible? The gilded iPhone contains an element of iFail, no?

Oh hey there...

The article also discusses the popularity of Verizon's Android phones, saying that contrary to popular (or at least my) belief, they actually do pose competition to Apple's little money child. Should I want the Android more than the iPhone? It's another gorgeous hunk of plastic and metal with nearly all of the same features as its Apple counterpart. With a Verizon contract slated to come due this summer, I've been counting the days until I can purchase my very own iPhone without having to leave the comforts of Verizon. But now I'm questioning my very desires. Do I want an iPhone because it's the best product on the market or because everyone else has one and I like shiny things?

Now that the iPhone has faltered on its perch of awesomeness in my mind, I've got some serious thinking to do. How much do I need the supercool brand name, when a generic may work just as well if not better. Am I willing to be a lowly (but still pretty baller) Android in a society of iPhones? What am I talking about? My contract doesn't even expire until the summer. I should probably be a little more focused on making sure that my current phone makes it all the way to its trade in date before I start fantasizing about new technology.

A girl can dream, right?

I'm a crow. Get it? Because I like shiny things! Never mind.