My Technological Harvest Moon Has Risen

Our lives are marked by various recurring events; birthdays, anniversaries, haircuts, etc. But sometimes, it's the occasions that come with infrequent regularity that stir us the most; The harvest moon, an Olympics, elections for state representatives and the like. The ritual that has me writing today is a modern rite of passage, familiar to any smartphone owner, a new device. For most of us, a new device is a biennial occurrence determined by a contract period, payment plan, or one's desire/means. Today I find myself giddy as a schoolgirl as I am the bearer of a new Google Nexus 6 (Shamu as known within certain camps).

I have upgraded my Motorola Moto X (2014) to this new beast. While it has been just over a year since I acquired the Moto X, it has reached that magic time in its life cycle, around 1 year, where the gremlins have begun to appear (reduced battery life, worse cellular reception, and all around quirkiness) and I decided that rather than cursing it for the next year, I would jump to another device.

The question I ask myself at this, the dawn of a new era, is "Why am I so excited about this new device?". Is it really all that different that the one before it? Sure it's bigger, with more memory, faster processor, blah blah, but the old device (when it was working right) was perfectly ample. The answer I find is that I am attempting to use this device to make a lifestyle shift.

Perhaps I'm being a bit over dramatic, but I am seeking to use the large 6" display on this phone to supplant not only my old phone, but also to replace my 8" tablet. Device consolidation seems like a worthy venture, since when I travel I seem to be bogged down by a multitude of devices and the various accouterments that go with them. That's the upside, the downside is that I have also taken another step towards device reliance.

We'll see if this new phone has any profound effects on my life, but for now, I am reveling in the excitement and challenges of setting this baby up. Hopefully this is the greatest device I've ever owned, at least until the next Harvest Moon.