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Smart phones?

I use a Samsung flip phone. I can make calls, receive calls, and text (very slowly). That's all I care to do on my phone. Why the flip phone? Because I like my phone to extend from my ear to my mouth. Seriously.
Now, I work at home, so I have access to the internet at my fingertips all day. Probably makes a difference.

Noelle
 
I been working in telecommunications for over 10 years & I dont have a cell. They even offered me a high end ones on there dime, thanks but no thanks.
 
I have to have a cell phone, as I no longer have a land line ... my house is so old that no phone would work in it.

I think I would be lost without it ... LOL
 
I can't really help you that much since I still prefer my blackberry to any of the other smartphones. The other ones just seem to have too much junk installed on them that I would never use.
 
I don't have a smart phone and dread the day when that's all that will be available.
I carry a Casio Boulder and have for years. If I drop it and kick it across the floor, it doesn't matter, and when it gets dirty I just wash it off in the sink.

My son went through the teenage years wanting the latest cool phone, and he went through about six. They just wore out or otherwise malfunctioned. He finally got tired of it and got one like mine.

My wife has one with internet and all. I don't remember which model it is, but it has many bells. It's her fourth or fifth one in 3 years. For one reason or another they just quit working. The touch screen goes out, or buttons on the keyboard stop working.
They're just too fragile for me, especially for what they cost.
The several hundred dollar price tag is how they keep most people under contract. If you're lucky enough to keep one working well for the two years, you're sure to be needing a new one just in time to have to renew the contract to be able to afford the new phone.

The data plans with the big companies are equally as big a turn off for me. My wife has unlimited data with her phone, but she was grandfathered in, they no longer offer that option. The price they charge for 5 or 10GB a month is simply ridiculous.
It's great if that's what you like I guess, but I see it as them seriously ripping you off just because you have no other option if you want the service.

I'll avoid having to use a smart phone as long as possible myself.
 
ApexPredatorBoids said:
I wouldn't call my love of smartphones an addiction, I look at it as actively embracing the advancements in available technology. I have 2 of them at the moment, and I definitely use as many of their features as possible; from wifi hotspot capabilities, gps navigation, capturing video, to surfing forums. Hell, the hard drive in my laptop died a few days ago, so right now I'm posting from my iPhone until I get a replacement. If only I could get into Fauna chat with my phone.

If you've never actually had a smartphone, I say 'give it a shot'. Whether or not you currently think you have a need for one, you may be surprised to find yourself going out of your way to find excuses to do things with it. If you don't like it, you'd be surprised just how much the latest smartphones are selling for, used.
Click to expand...

kinda sounds like an addiction of sorts to me:D
 
Lucille said:
Steve, I understand where you are coming from but I love my cell phone. I rarely use it, (I'm hearing impaired so talking on the phone is stressful) but now that the kids are grown and gone, if I'm in my car and have car problems I can call them and the auto club. I used to be able to change a tire, I don't think I could do that any more. The cell phone gives me some confidence that if I need to find help I can do it.
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And those are very legitimate reasons to have one. I'm sure if I broke down in the middle of nowhere I'd be kicking myself for leaving mine on the nightstand. Of course only 4 or 5 people know my number so I don't have to worry about getting many calls because they know its probably useless to try since I won't have my phone with me anyway. They leave a message, like they did in the old days or if you want to go back to the real old days they try back later.

It just baffles me how we as a species survived for as long as we did without this technology. I had a parent tell me that they got a phone for their 8 year old so that if they ever had to get a hold of her during the school day they could. First of all, how did here parents contact her when she was young? They called the school. Second, what is going through your mind if you think it is OK for a student to have a cell phone during class?

I have just noticed a general decline in common courtesy when cell phones are involved. People don't hesitate to interrupt conversation to take a call. People are texting at all sorts of inappropriate, not to mention dangerous, times.

I do agree that in a lot of ways cell phones have made our lives easier and more convenient. I just don't see a whole lot of ways they have made our lives better. You have to understand that I DO NOT equate easier and more convenient with better.
 
Hah! We have a cell phone that we carry for emergencies, and it is NEVER turned on. Quite honestly, even if you offered me $10,000 CASH to tell you me cell phone number RIGHT NOW, I couldn't collect. I just don't know it. :shrug01: I would have to turn it on to wait to see the number flash on the display.
 
Finally got a smart phone today. Not a real fancy one, but I can tell there's a LOT to learn.
The youngster at the cell phone store totally took care of me, helped switch companies so I could keep my phone number. I think she could tell how new to it all I am :)
 
Welcome to a whole new world. I use my smart phone as my computer and home phone.

Unfortunately, I am/was a smart phone junkie. However, I just decided to forgo my upgrade and keep the one I have. I guess since I'm getting back into reptiles I needed to give something up. I do keep several phones on hand, just in case one breaks.
 
Dad gave me his old iphone about 2 years ago, I will text but that's about it, I think I've gone online with it 3 times? I don't see how browsing internet on such a tiny screen is any fun.
:eek:
 
I guess I just don't see the need to be "connected" like most people. I'm available to take phone calls ONLY when I am in the house. Not when I am out in the yard, not when I am driving down the road, and certainly not when the wife and I are out having dinner. So if you call me and don't get me in person, leave a message. There is nothing you are likely to want to say to me that is so important that it can't wait till I get back home.

And as for browsing the internet on one of these little devices, thanks but no thanks. And people claim to watch movies on these things? Seriously? Yeah, that's got to be a lot of fun...... :rolleyes:

I guess "smart" phones are saying just as much about the users of such things as "smart" cars say about their owners....... :rofl: Just because your favorite tool is a hammer doesn't make every job you want to do a nail.
 
Jet76 said:
Welcome to a whole new world.
Click to expand...

It is!! Going to visit my son tomorrow and he is going to show me some stuff, I want to set up the GPS. Have already discovered that I have an alarm clock on the phone!

WebSlave said:
I guess I just don't see the need to be "connected" like most people. I'm available to take phone calls ONLY when I am in the house. Not when I am out in the yard, not when I am driving down the road, and certainly not when the wife and I are out having dinner. So if you call me and don't get me in person, leave a message. There is nothing you are likely to want to say to me that is so important that it can't wait till I get back home.

And as for browsing the internet on one of these little devices, thanks but no thanks. And people claim to watch movies on these things? Seriously? Yeah, that's got to be a lot of fun...... :rolleyes:

I guess "smart" phones are saying just as much about the users of such things as "smart" cars say about their owners....... :rofl: Just because your favorite tool is a hammer doesn't make every job you want to do a nail.
Click to expand...

Sometimes you are just an old grump :D
No need to rain on my phone, and I won't rain on your helicopter thingies :)
 
Lucille said:
It is!! Going to visit my son tomorrow and he is going to show me some stuff, I want to set up the GPS. Have already discovered that I have an alarm clock on the phone!



Sometimes you are just an old grump :D
No need to rain on my phone, and I won't rain on your helicopter thingies :)
Click to expand...

Sure. But I think I am a REALISTIC old grump.

In any event, please do the world a favor. When you are driving, leave the darn cell phone in your purse and don't try to drive and use it while driving. Used to be someone weaving all over the road was a sure sign of a drunk driver. Now it's a better bet that it is someone messing with their cell phone when they should be concentrating on their driving skills. It appears that most people are incapable of realizing that they do not have the mental capacity to effectively and safely divide their attention between the cell phone and driving their vehicle. So in such a case, the term "smart" phone is certainly being an inverted play on terms that is not very flattering.
 
WebSlave said:
But I think I am a REALISTIC old grump.
Click to expand...
And you're my favorite old grump.
You are 100% correct about talking and driving or God forbid texting and driving.
But I've already ordered a holder for my smart phone that sits on the dashboard while it is being used as a GPS.
My phone was not one of these pricey ones, I got a plain little (but still amazing) Samsung Galaxy Light, so far the accessories I've just ordered like the cute phone case, the lanyard, the earphones, the dashboard holder cost more than the phone.
 
I don't have to stay connected. I use it mainly for work but I use it as my laptop as well. I don't watch videos, I don't have social media (except here) and I don't let it get in the way of face to face time. I DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE. I typically put my phone on silent while driving, as to not be tempted. If it is an emergency then it is worth a phone call. I wear my Bluetooth only while I'm driving.
 
I was recently in an accident involving the icy conditions we've all seen on TV lately. The damage to the front of my car was to the passenger's side front quarter panel. The insurance company said this was a sign that I tried to swerve, and was therefore not texting upon impact. I can hardly text sitting in a chair with zero distractions, and even then I need a stylus and a lot of time.

On the bright side, my new car's stereo, phone, GPS, everything, can be controlled by either my voice or my thumb on the steering wheel. Never any need to look away from the windshield.
 
Thank Lucille! My very first real car accident (I'm 50), and it was one of those chain-reaction, close the highway deals. Many cars involved, and we all walked away. I feel like the luckiest person alive.

Noelle
 
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