Don't you just hate it when you have to replace a really good phone?

I arrived at school this afternoon, sat down outside to do a little reading before my piano lesson (and to take a breather after walking from the Oltorf/Eastside bus stop), and pulled out my phone - a red LG Shine, the best phone I've ever had - to look at the time only to find that the display screen had "cracked," only allowing me to see the lower right hand corner of the display. The rest? Black. With a crack branching out over half the display screen.

Which means it is useless to me except for making calls (well, for the numbers I have memorized, since I can't see my address book) and receiving calls (since I can at least see the second half of the caller's name/number).

(My theory on this incident is that as I was about to sit down on the bus today, it lurched forward, causing my bag to swing and hit the partition between the lower seats and the higher seats; therefore, causing that hideous crack on my phone's dispaly.)

Yes, I realize it is just a phone. But it was a perfect phone. A beautiful phone (just look at it!) A simple phone with not too many features and not too little features, but just the right amount, and with a decent battery life.

I was not concerned about my phone's injury at the time, however. I simply thought, well, I have insurance for it, so I'll just go get the same phone. All was well.

But wait, not too fast there, optimism! It wasn't until I got home this evening and went to the AT&T website (you know, just in case there were any new phones out there I might be interested in) that I was informed that my LG Shine wasn't the only one resting in peace. That's right. The LG Shine is no longer available. I guess I should have seen that coming since I've had it for, I believe, over a year now. (Sidenote: Why does the iPhone get to be around forever, while other phones come with an expiration date?)

So now I must go through the horrible search of finding a new phone. One that is not only pretty, but will give me the same features my last one had (because I've gotten used to them), the same simplicity...and a similar look, if possible.

Well, the pickings are slim. But I think I found a few that have some possibilites


Option 1: Samsung a777

Looks pretty much the same as the LG Shine. It's definitely got that going for it. It has all the same features, maybe even a few extra ones that I don't really care about. Customer reviews are kind of disappointing (3.8 out of 5 stars, ovearll). Apparently it has a horrible battery life. This seems to be the biggest con, as many reviews noted that even after charging the phone all night, by mid-afternoon it already needed charging again. Hmmm... Also, I'm not sure about the Samies. I've only had one, and that was back in high school. I think it lasted me awhile, but I've always gotten LG ever since and love them (I've only had two phones in the last 4-ish years, and they were both LG.)


Option 2: LG CF360

Same look, just not fully red. Customer reviews (4.3 out of 5) were much better for this one - no problems with battery life. However, the phone details said nothing about picture sending capabilities. I'm sure it can send pictures, since it is a camera phone and everything. But it was the only phone I've looked at that didn't say directly say that it can send pictues. (I realize not being able to send pictures is not a good reason not to get a phone. I have never cared about having a camera phone or being able to send pictures...until I had a camera phone. And since my digital camera died around New Years - yes, electronic items hate me and tend to die often in my care - it's been nice to have a camera phone around.) I think if I had to choose between this one and the Sammie, I'd go with this one. I have more trust in LG, and it seems to be the better phone out of the two.


Option 3: LG Invision

Ok, I'm not a fan of bar phones. My first phone was a bar phone, and it was my least favorite phone. I think I'd worry too much about it accidentally calling someone while being knocked around in my bag. Though, apparently, like my crippled phone and the two above, it has a lock to prevent this (one customer noted that it locks after 15 seconds, so he or she has never had a problem with accidental dialing). Also, this one has the best customer reviews out of all three phones (4.5 out of 5, overall). I did not see one complaint about this phone. And apparently the battery life is excellent (one customer said it has lasted up to four days without having to be charged.) It also has all the features of my other phone, and a few more. While the bar phone style makes me hesitant, I really like the look of this phone, and more importantly, the features/battery life/etc.

However, I'm not being quick to make a decision. For starters, I won't know what the particular store I go to has in stock until I go. Second, I'm not sure how the whole phone insurance thing works, so I don't know if my choice of phones will be limited or not. So wish me luck on my Saturday phone search.

And on a final note, RIP red LG Shine. You were the best phone a girl could have. But at least you didn't have to experience death by liquid like your predecessors. (Two phones ago, I left my phone next to a cup of coffee while I left my room for a minute. When I came back, my niece had left a present in my cup of coffee: the phone. The phone before the Shine? Oh, you know, I just set it on the rim of the bath tub, while it was full of water because that's a smart place to set a phone...and my cat knocked it into the bathtub. See? Electronics and me don't mix well.)