Victoria GricksAt the beginning of the year, I had to get a new cell phone. I know what you’re thinking – that isn’t a big deal because it happens to everyone. Well, you are mistaken, because it was a big deal. I had loved my Palm more than anything in the world, and I was devastated when the touch screen stopped working.

For a while, I kept it, because everything else about it still functioned: the keys, the service, everything. But, come on. Try using a phone whose main feature is broken. Oh wait, you can’t.

That’s not to say I didn’t attempt to fix it. Trust me, I did. Every so often, I would undertake the oh-so-wonderful task of reprogramming the touch screen, but that was an epic fail. For a normal phone, you press the middle of these little target things a few times, and that’s it. For mine, the targets never went away! They kept going and going, and I would have to restart my phone just to make them stop.

Eventually, I accepted the fact that my phone would never live again. It took some time, but I knew that my Palm couldn’t go on any longer. And after that, I realized that I would have to get a new one.

I thought I would be able to get the same phone again, but Verizon had other plans in mind. They decided to make all Smartphones require a data package. Do you think I wanted to pay $30 a month for that? Absolutely not. I would much rather buy clothes.

So, I had to downgrade to something that is only capable of texting and calling. Before, I felt all cool with my Treo. I mean, it was one of those phones that make you feel older and awesome. But now, with the LG Dare, all of those feelings are gone.

I have good reason to feel this way, though. Sure, it was perfect for a little while, but not anymore – the thing is slow, turns off when I’m texting, and freezes all the time. What’s up with that?

So, is it possible for my phone company to produce quality technology? I sure hope so, and I bet other people do, too. If not, I’m going to have to be like the rest of the world and say, “Goodbye, Verizon; hello, AT&T.”