but we have to accept that it would cost about the same to print and package the manual as the phone itself.

Ok, I'm exaggerating. But the cost of these devices have either razor thin margins or are subsidized. Either way, there is ZERO left over for manual, and most people NEVER look at them.

We are unique. What an oxymoron. We/Unique. Ok, we are rare.

So anyway, the new generation (who are the target market, our age group is an afterthought) hardly ever unwraps the manuals. They turn the device on, and start using it, and embark on an adventure of hit or miss discovery (kinda like the original Windows users and programmers).

The smart one try things, fail (or are annoyed), and ask their smarter friends. The smarter friends run the electronic tutorial and google when they get confused. That would be the boy. He's the global resource for his peer group.

The dumb ones just stop trying. I am in that category, my phone is very little more than a phone. Very few apps, they came with it for the most part. I am a phone luddite because I hate the small screen. Both visually and for interaction.

To see it (small fonts on small screen) would require me to put glasses on. If I don't, I have to seriously concentrate and eye strain to see it well enough. Long numbers in text messages are tough.

And I HATE glasses.

Thank you, you evil bastard POB. I had an old dotted line boss. He could not read without glasses. He would not read ANYTHING I gave him. My total work product (high stress, he was a firer for fun) was recommendation for a VERY LARGE CORP CHANGING PURCHASE.

I spent months on that project. And wrote months work of research analysis and opinion. BEFORE THE INTERNET! I had to travel serious distance, interview experts and vendors, get the heads of publishing companies buy-in on the plan, write it all up, and tell them to spend a year's budget of money in 1 software package.

And all the competing software vendors would be happy to call him and tell them what an idiot I was and should be thrown off the project, like the last guy that I was replacing when he failed and then got fired. Oh, he was a lot of help during the transition.

I was 22 years old. New father. New house payment. He owned my ass for a while. I was lent out across the corp as a troubleshooter.

So anyway, the final day of HERE IS THE RESULTS, he glances at the cover page, squinted, and said:

Which is the cheaper? Get that.

I had spent months on the train from Philly to NYC every day. I had to get up at 3AM to be ready for the train I needed. I did not get back home until around 10PM. For months. YOU FUCKING BASTARD. ooooohmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I needed something to read during those train rides. The packages we were considering had back end SQL databases I would be doing coding to. So I spent 5 hours on trains every day reading various SQL database manuals and associated setup/optimization guides. Oh, and OS stuff as well, Unix and VAX VMS.

Those were the days when you called up Oracle, said you were interested, and they drop shipped 100 pounds of manuals to you. DB2, Ingres, Informix, SQL/Server (the real one), etc. as well. Same thing with the various Unix vendors. Those days are over.

I used a rolling cart to carry my manuals around.

See, I got back on topic, isn't it amazing how it comes around when you thought I was totally gone.

I hate glasses more than the evil POB.

Big screen in front of me here. I like that.

And attempting to use it with MY fingers doesn't work, at least not to the level required by most apps. It is an exercise in frustration. I put out cigarettes with my fingers. Poof, game over, not enough sensitivity to use a small touch screen area.