Kids with phones ruined my cinema trip

How timely your ‘Question of the Fortnight’ (‘Have smartphones ruined our manners?’) was in Issue 456 because in that same week, Benedict Cumberbatch complained about theatre-goers filming him on their devices. I know where Mr Cumberbatch is coming from.

My own personal gripe is people checking their phones in the cinema. I recently took my granddaughter to see (the brilliant) Inside Out. She’s too young for a smartphone, but it would seem that other parents are less responsible because the cinema was full of kids doing what kids do on smartphones. I even saw one take a selfie with their friend – during the film!

Where Mr Cumberbatch saw red lights, I could see the glow of phone screens, along with constant giggling. I think cinemas should frisk people as they go in, confiscating phones for collection later. But then I suppose that would infringe their ‘rights’, and we can’t have that.

If a software or firmware upgrade causes problems, then its developer is legally responsible for fixing the problem. In Paul’s case, this means Garmin, which has accepted responsibility. But the bigger question is how long is a ‘lifetime’ when it refers to a device? We’ve asked Garmin to tell us how long it considers a lifetime to be.

The problem is that the NUVI 1490 is now quite old, having been launched in 2009. Manufacturers often reduce or stop support for older models when newer devices are released to the market. You can still use the product, but if things go wrong, you’re on your own.

However, Garmin has given Paul a new upgraded sat-nav, which is working well. But that leaves the ‘lifetime’ question. If Garmin comes back to us, we’ll let you know.

A