My old phone – which I got many years of use from – is finally dying and I had to buy a new one. There are costs and benefits, as usual. A crisper screen, more storage space, fresher battery. But also the hassle of reinstalling and reconfiguring and relearning.

Interestingly, even though all the components grow smaller, phones themselves grow larger. I couldn’t find an Android phone as small as my last one but still with decent battery life and not totally crappy reviews.

Also interestingly, my new phone is super-shiny to the point of ridiculousness. It smudges as soon as I touch it. And it seems so slippery that it would probably be unwise to try and use it wearing gloves. All of which will be cured by a case – but it does make me wonder what the point is. The shiny surface doesn’t even look good for more than those first seconds after unpacking the phone.