I got my first Nexus4 in late November 2012. I managed to destroy it by dropping it on a subway grate in Long Island City, New York. I received my replacement (which was actually an upgrade to the 16gb version) on the 16th April 2013. I destroyed that phone on Friday 10th January 2014. Dropped it on a packed Newport bus. I loved that phone but it was clearly not meant to be.

Previously I had spent 16 out of a 18 month contract with an iPhone 3GS with a smashed (but in that case case working) screen. In fact all my experiences with touchscreen phones end the same way. The sound of Gorilla Glass smashing and tears before bedtime.

So I have made a somewhat radical decision. Partly influenced by the higher than I expected insurance excess I was asked to pay, partly by the fact that at some point I just have to accept I am too clumsy to carry around something so fragile and also quite a bit by the video below which has increasingly become my experience and behaviour.

I’ve purchased an unlocked, SIM free, Nokia 301. It looks like the classic ‘candy bar’ of years gone bye and has Symbian under the hood. It isn’t *quite* as old school as it looks and does have some basic Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp capability built in as well as an OK camera. Unlike the Nexus it also has an SD card slot and thus the ability to up the storage to 32gb.

I almost always have my 3G iPad Mini with me when I travel so I won’t lack connectivity when I most need it but I’m hoping that the 301 will offer me just enough online access to keep me sane while being a poor enough experience to prevent me from being one of the people in that video all the time.

Anyway it is an experiment and don’t be surprised if in a couple of months I am writing about my wonderful new Nexus 5 🙂