On Ranch Dressing, Cellular Devices and The Privilege of Choice Rendering Me Incapable of Making a Decision

Have you ever run into the grocery store just to buy one simple item that you just desperately need? Let’s say that item is salad dressing. In fact, let’s say that item is ranch salad dressing. You just really need that ranch salad dressing or tonight’s dinner will be ruined. So you run into the grocery store, bypass grabbing a cart or basket, and skid to a halt in front of the aisle housing that ranch salad dressing you so desperately need. You enter the aisle and find yourself face-to-bottle with roughly 2,000 varieties of salad dressing. Of those 2,000 varieties of salad dressing, roughly 570 belong to the ranch family. You have peppercorn ranch and fat free ranch and low fat ranch and light ranch and lite ranch and buttermilk ranch. You have ranch salad dressings made by Kraft and Wish-Bone and Briannas and Paul Newman. Suddenly your task of grabbing some salad dressing is not so simple

Which dressing do you choose?

I wish I could help you with that problem, but I simply cannot. I cannot even help myself. As it turns out, I am standing in a proverbial salad dressing aisle staring slack-jawed at the 2,000 varieties of dressing, and I have no idea which to choose. The privilege of choice is proving to be just too daunting. If only I were merely trying to decide what to pour over my salad for dinner. Instead, I am facing a much more difficult choice.

I am trying to buy a new phone.

I’ve had my little blue flip phone from U.S. Cellular for what seems like ages. So much has changed on the cellular landscape since I picked up the little guy for free all those long years ago. And while he’s been mostly good to me, it’s high time I get a cellular device (as opposed to a simple phone) that can keep up with the big dogs. I just need to decide what that cellular device is.

After much research, I have at least decided it’s time to drop U.S. Cellular as my provider. I have had nothing but excellent service from them, but they just do not have the kind of phones I’m looking for. Sorry, U.S. Cellular, but it’s time I end this call.

Having made that decision, the whole cellular world is now my oyster. And yet, that just makes my decision that much more difficult.

My gut instinct is (was?) to get an iPhone. I have an iPod Touch and I love everything about it. If it could be my phone as well as my best friend, I’d be thrilled. And what is the iPhone if not an iPod Touch that makes calls? The choice seems simple really. I should just get an iPhone.

The major issue with that is AT&T. I have many friends who own iPhones and they all grumble about the horrible service they receive on AT&T. If I am going to pay for cellular service, I want to make sure I’m able to actually use it. I’m not convinced that will be the case with AT&T. Pair that with the negative press the latest version of the iPhone has been getting, and my gut instinct really starts to sour.

All the while, I have been hearing amazing things about the HTC Evo, the new 4G phone offered through Sprint. Many say that it is the true leader in the race for cellular dominance, and that its design and performance far outreach those of the iPhone. I’ve held it in my hand, and it’s a nifty little gadget. From where I stand, it looks like it could be the phone for me. And to top it off, it won’t leave me tethered to AT&T the way that the iPhone would.

Another enticing option is the Droid Incredible by HTC. This phone is offered through Verizon, and I have hard mostly great things about both the phone and the service. I have also held this guy in my hand, and it seems on par with the HTC Evo. The big difference is that the Evo is a 4G phone and the Incredible is a 3G phone. Luckily, I have no real idea what that even means.

So what should I do? Should I go with my gut and get an iPhone? Or should I go with an HTC? And if I do get an HTC, should I go with the Evo on Sprint or the Incredible on Verizon? You tell me.

I can’t say I’ll go with the majority on this one, but it can’t help to hear from the peanut gallery. Otherwise, I’m liable to stay undecided until the next wave of cellular devices flood the market and my decision becomes even more torturous.

And I’m hoping to order a phone by next week so please make it snappy.