Mack-line was quietly pleased late last week even as the swish Samsung Telecom World Mode phone owned less than a year was officially declared dead.
Actually, the phone was declared beyond economic repair, but what they meant was dead.
The big question was what to do about phones.
Would I get a replacement now, continue to use my Okta Touch or wait for Telecom's new mobile network due in June.
The Touch still works well, mainly because it has not had a lot of use, but getting email is not easy and my fingers sometimes mistype text messages.
The decision was made for me with the news that People Networks would deploy Bebo Open Mobile internet, messaging and content across Telecom New Zealand's new mobile network by June.
Launched in July 2005, Bebo has steadily risen to become one of the world's most popular social networking sites.
Users can create profiles on the site free, stay connected with friends, watch videos, and listen to music.
In early 2008 Bebo had more than 34 million registered users and 7 billion monthly page views.
Bebo's founders have extensive experience in online social networking, having been involved in the founding and building of such companies as Birthday Alarm, Ringo, and Friendster.
Bebo is officially the largest social networking site in the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand, and is the third-largest social networking site in the United States behind only MySpace and Facebook.
In 2006, Bebo received the Webby Award Peoples Vote for the best social networking site on the web.
Bebo was acquired by AOL on March 13, 2008.
Bebo Open Mobile was launched in January of this year.
In February, Bebo reported that January mobile page views grew by 44% and text messaging traffic grew by 13% month on month following the launch of Bebo Open Mobile.
Bebo Open Mobile is being used to connect with everyone and everything they care about and holds a "special place in the hearts and minds of its users", according to Bebo global head of mobile.
While that statement takes a bit of swallowing, there is no doubt about it that Bebo is popular with New Zealanders.
Telecom retail chief executive Alan Gourdie takes a more pragmatic approach by believing the partnership is further proof that the launch of the company's new mobile network by June of this year will deliver services and content that changes the mobile market in New Zealand.
"Customers constantly tell us they want the ability to connect anywhere, anytime, anyway - this partnership is the ultimate expression of that and a real signal of the exciting things we'll be launching on our new mobile network."
Given that Mack-Line is nearly addicted to new devices and applications and the column is not purely about online activities, here are some of the things Telecom mobile users can expect:Bebo open mobile network: A customised version of the Bebo internet platform with exclusive Telecom navigation and branding with some advertisements around content.
Bebo open mobile messaging: Messaging will provide both SMS and MMS messaging to Telecom customers.
Users will receive Bebo SMS alerts and updates on their mobile phones through a short code and gain the exclusive ability to upload photos to their Bebo profile via the short code.
Telecom customers can update their Bebo profiles, add photos to their gallery, give virtual gifts and interact with friends through the short code.
Bebo open mobile development: Telecom becomes the first operator in New Zealand to receive a licence for developing mobile applications with an exclusive provision for Bebo-branded services preloaded on its phones.
Bebo open mobile content: Telecom is the launch partner for this programme and customers will be able to access a customised version of Bebo from their Telecom mobile, including specific promotions and exclusive content.
One of the interesting facts tucked into the bottom of a press release from Telecom was that Bebo has more than 23 million unique visitors worldwide and on the days that they use Bebo, they spend an average of 23 minutes on the site.
That suggests that some people register and never use it and that the ones that actually use Bebo, use it extensively.
Mack-Line is not a Bebo user . . . yet.
But the time has come to learn the intricacies of the site before my new phone purchase in June.
