I have another new phone. This makes me cool.

A few days ago I stumbled upon an interesting video on YouTube. The clip was from way back in 2007(!) showing a robust Steve Jobs introducing the very first iPhone. What's so interesting about the video is how quickly we take technology for granted; what was considered astonishing just a few years ago is now humdrum. Listen to the oooohs and awwwws of the audience as Jobs simply scrolls through the menu screens with his finger, or when a song's album art pops up while playing an MP3. At the time, even the most advanced smartphones (usually a Blackberry) did little more than the standard cellphone outside of email. Internet browsing was clunky and far inferior to the experience one got on a desktop, and separate devices were still required for listening to music and obtaining GPS directions.

Want to experience even more techno nostalgia? Check out this video of a downright pudgy Jobs introducing the very first iPod! I remember the day the first iPod was introduced- a second year university student with no money, the prospect of owning an iPOD seemed downright hedonistic. 5 gigs of memory? Computer harddrives at the time weren't much longer, let alone people's entire music collections. Of course now, single-use devices are all but obsolete, and my fifth generation video iPOD could probably be had on Craigslist for the price of lunch.

I've written a lot lately about my adventures in cellphones, and despite being sick of the constant changes, I just acquired my fourth phone in less than a year. Over the past 12 months I've gone through two Blackberry's, an iPhone, and now an Android. Could a Windows 7 phone be far behind? I don't know, but I do know what was considered amazing by me a few months ago has already become passe. I frequently browse tech blogs like Gizmodo and Techland looking at what features I'm currently missing out on; of course none of them are particular vital to have, but the fact that I do not have them right now somehow pains me.

Introduced only 8 months ago, my phone is already dangling on the precipice of obsolescence. Compare that to other pieces of technology you may have around your home. It's probably not uncommon for a household to change their television once very ten years. Even laptops and personal computers probably have a lifespan closer to three or four. The average life-cycle for a phone could soon be a matter of months.

So has my life improved all that much since upgrading my phone for the umpteenth time? Probably. That extra second of time saved whenever I load my camera has enabled me to capture gems like the photo below- a shot my outdated iPhone would have probably missed.

(Yes, that is a photo of a buddy asking his wife for money so he can go out and play poker.)

Furthermore, the outdated OS on my old phones didn't give me proper access to Foursquare and various other GPS-based social networking aps that allow me discounts at various stores and restaurants when I 'check-in'.

But how my new phone has really improved my life was of course by re-upping my social standing. While we may not like to admit it, the real appeal of cellphones is that they're by far the most overt sign of social status and class. Living in an urban area, no one knows where you live or what type of car you drive (most people in the city don't even own a car, and probably don't live in a box much larger than a few hundred square feet). But everyone can see what kind of phone you use. Own a brand new Blackberry Torch? You must be some sort of fancy business man! A shiny iPhone 4? Hello there Mr. Graphic designer. (By the way, is there an easier way to start talking up a girl than to compare apps on your smartphone?) An Android? Well, you're clearly some sort of subversive hipster.

At a gathering last weekend, people gathered around my phone to watch the fancy features at play. For a few minutes I was the coolest kid in the room. And I will stay that way, until someone gets the soon to be released iPhone 5 of course.