I caved in and bought a smartphone

I nodded along while reading the report in News about older people being “forced” to buy smartphones (Issue 512, page 8). I wouldn’t call myself a Luddite. I saw the appeal of mobile phones as soon as they came on the market, and bought one in the late 1990s. I felt proud being the first among my friends to have one. But I was one of the last to upgrade (if you can call it such) to a smartphone. Having what amounted to a computer in my pocket never appealed to me.

Eventually though, I caved in and bought the Moto G5 (pictured). You report that in many towns if you don’t have the right change paying for parking can only be done via a phone. I was caught out like this too many times, so I reluctantly bought an Android phone. It makes parking easier, but I’m not convinced that overall I get my money’s worth (£20 a month). I shouldn’t moan too much though – I’m quite tech-savvy, so getting used to a smartphone was easy. But I do feel sorry for people who aren’t as confident, and feel like society is moving on without them. Jean Coogan