Free Smartphone Workshops at Verizon

A common refrain among smartphone users young and old—alright, mostly old—is that if these devices get any more dizzyingly complicated, we’re going to require graduate-level training just to be able to turn them on.

Verizon took the hint.

In response to this widespread befuddlement, a handful of the provider’s area locations, including , are offering free 90 minute workshops to get users up to speed on the growing catalogue of functions their handheld devices can perform.

According to Verizon representative Christine Guerrini, each session is
effectively a hands-on tutorials focused on the attendees' personal devices. The workshops include one-on-one attention from trained professionals, tips and tricks to maximize phones for every-day use, and an outline of the smartphone’s capabilities.

"With all the new things carriers are starting to add to phones, it can get extremely confusing," admitted Guerrini.

She said that’s why Verizon starts with the fundamentals. Though there are three different levels of Android workshop, the initial session—Android Basics—is focused on just that.

"It’s for people who aren’t as tech savvy. It addresses your basic concerns—how do you turn on your phone, how do you charge your phone, how do you get the best battery life out of it? Those issues."

Verizon is also offering two advanced courses—Android Advanced and Android Advanced 2—for more smartphone-familiar users,  plus a handful of tutorial sessions for the other special devices it carries, such as the Apple iPad 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

The next session at Verizon’s Plymouth Meeting location is ‘Android Advanced’ on Feb. 14 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.. See here for a complete listing of workshops.