I still use a Samsung Alias 2 flip phone.  Got it in 2009.  A phone lasting six years shouldn’t be that big a deal.  It’s a great phone because of its e-ink keyboard, its dual hinge, and its metal case.  It bounces without any damage.  And best of all, using it only costs me $29/month!

But lately, I have been having trouble opening it into keyboard mode.  Sometimes it will open, other times it won’t.  So today I took it apart.  I removed the cover to the hinge and found it packed with lint.  Cleaned that out, but that wasn’t enough to fix my problem. Found the cover to the locking mechanism.  Under that was a spring, a plate and a ball bearing.  The ball locks into one of two locations to prevent you from rotating both hinges at the same time.  I cleaned that out, put it all back together and now it is as good as new.  Well, it works.  I’d say it should last me another 6 years, but odds are Verizon will turn off their CDMA network before then.

One problem with still using a flip phone is when I post a selfie.  People accuse me of using a pic from years and years ago.  Oh well.