LETTER My first handphone was the Motorola MicroTAC, which I bought in 1993 for a whopping RM3,600.
It could only make and receive phone calls and voice messages. It was a big deal then as handphones were newly introduced here.
A few years later, many affordable models were sold, and my wife and children studying in secondary school each had a handphone.
When short messaging service (SMS) was introduced later, I found it a hassle to type the text as the same keys were used for several letters.
Today, I would type and send a text over WhatsApp instead of making phone calls. I do not answer calls from unknown numbers and have no time for scammers.
Twenty years ago, I paid a four-figure sum to secure a nice phone number. Later, I had to block those who regularly sent me messages offering nice numbers for sale. I also blocked numbers from those who liked to send pictures daily with nothing more than "Good Morning" or "Have a good day".
As important news can be shared, it is unnecessary to forward contents found online, especially videos, as they take up storage space in the phone.
Since the Covid-19 outbreak, my services as a freelance writer, trainer and consultant have been severely impacted, and the end of the pandemic is nowhere in sight.
The limited engagements during the Movement Control Order (MCO), Conditional MCO and Recovery MCO were enough to get me by this year, but the future looks bleak.
If there are too few engagements next year, I plan to disengage and start a new chapter in life.
If so, I may stop using the handphone altogether. My handphone is switched off for about 12 hours daily as I prefer not to be disturbed at night.
Since 2013, I have been using only one smartphone. It was a gift valued at RM2,200 from one of my corporate clients. It is still working well, but requires frequent charging, and I never bothered using a power bank.
Should I stop using it next year? I will not be acquiring another smartphone as I will rely on my laptop as a window to the world.
While many people are enslaved by their smartphones, I can live well without one.
Y.S. CHAN
Petaling Jaya
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times