Tell me why I need a smart phone

[hedgehog]

Right now I carry a Jitterbug type phone so I can call AAA if my car breaks down. My kids complain because I generally only turn the phone on when I need to make a call.

[arcane1]

1. Not me. My phone is a complete idiot :)

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. You don't.

But they do some cool things. I love mine.

[Atman]

3. Just depends upon what you want.

An iPhone is a replacement for most of the things you can do on your desktop computer. Minus the serious applications, of course. But when traveling or just taking a day off, I find the phone indispensable. Call up maps, use GPS, get real-time weather, have a camera in your pocket, have a game or two when you're stuck at the airport...and I even have my old iPhone 4 as a tv-playing device. It has no phone service, but it has wifi, so I can hook it up to the television and watch movies or listen to music. We traveled overseas and turned off the phone, but used Skype and wifi to stay in touch.

I know it's popular to say "I don't have a smart phone," but I really find it to be a pretty handy device. I think the PHONE is the least that I use it for.

[dr.strangelove]

4. Very few of us "NEED" a smart phone.

Like most modern tools, they can make life easier, but they are not a need. For me, the ability to access email, text-messages and the internet, from the palm of my hand, is very convenient for my business. I can scan physical documents into my work files from my phone, which ihelps me out a lot. I can research caselaw from my phone and mostly I can read documents from my phone. It takes dictation, which helps me a lot. Overall, its a great tool. I enjoy facebook and DU on my phone too, but its hardly worth it just for that. But that I can get document, scan it and fax/email it from my phone is pretty helpful.

[LWolf]

61. I've had a smartphone for 2 years now,

and have yet to figure out how to access the internet in any useful way. Either what's on the screen is too small to read, or it's big enough to read but I only see a very small fragment and it won't scroll smoothly.

I've never used the gmail they made me get with the phone; I already have a home and work email to deal with. I do delete email spam without reading it EVERY DAY. I don't send texts. I'm a touch typist, but that tiny keyboard on the phone defeats my not-so-large fingers. My account allows me to send about 5 texts a month without incurring charges. In two years, I've sent 3, all in response to unwanted texts sent to me.

So far, the only text I've ever gotten that I actually wanted were reminders of appointments. The rest I find highly irritating and time-wasting to delete. Thankfully, the people who would actually send texts know my response, so I don't get too many.

I've also told my mother, repeatedly, that there's no reason to keep leaving me voicemails every time she calls me at work when she knows I can't answer. The only message she ever leaves is "It's mom. Call me." Well, DUH. If I see a missed call, I call you back. I don't need the several steps and wasted time it takes to delete your voice mail telling me to do something I already did.

The only useful thing my stupid-ass smart phone does that is useful is navigate. I can get places I've never been before a hell of a lot easier. Oh, and let me make and receive phone calls in most areas, which my good old "dumb" phone did just fine.

It probably does other things that I've just never figured out how to do. I am bewildered by all those tiny little thumbnails for "aps" I have or don't; I don't know what they do or how to use them, and the screen is so damned small I haven't tried to find out.

[lunatica]

68. In my line of work I get documents sent to me via iphone

I love that about it. I can accept photos of documents too. It's great and a work saver!

[UTUSN]

5. After one month of succumbing, I still don't have an answer to your question

I was the Last Old Man with a flip/clamshell phone. Although I am not a network-relationships dude, I was a little tired of being unconnected to the web while all around me everybody was swiping and sliding with their faces lighted up. I had finally started taking a tablet or laptop to one place with Wi-Fi, and this stuck out, too. So I finally took the jump to the most Basic web connection, plus the phone, and discovered that the Basic plan has a very low limit for web with the rest being Wi-Fi, so I'm back to that ONE place I go to with Wi-Fi and the same other ones withOUT it. The only difference is that I can get messaging and e-mails, although it's a mystery why some of the e-mails come in only via the phone and not through my general e-mail account: Some e-mails are in both, some by phone are lost except by phone.

Since I don't have any significant e-relationships, all I use it for is what I was doing without it. But then, I was also the Last Old Man without a cell phone at all and finally only got one because of a car breakdown and discovery that convenience stores no longer have pay phones or even phone books.

[Populist_Prole]

6. I'm just like you

I have a ( modern ) flip-phone, as I like the compactness of it. I only turn it on to make a call or to check for voicemails. It's for my convenience, not someone else's.

[cyberswede]

11. "It's for my convenience, not someone else's"

Perfect.

[pablo_marmol]

28. "Perfect."

Until he tries to call someone with their phone turned off for the very same reason.



I'm a dinosaur as well, with an old clamshell.

[Populist_Prole]

34. No problem

I'll just leave a message. They'll get back to me in time.

[Xithras]

45. The use of voicemail is declining sharply.

In the age of texting and instant communication, fewer people are willing to leave a voicemail and wait around for someone to get back to them. Gizmodo did a survey a number of years ago and found that only about 20% of people leave messages for people they don't know, and half of people won't leave them even for family (aka, they never leave voicemail messages at all for anyone). Roughly 25% of people said they don't even check their voicemail when other people leave one for them.

And those numbers are a half decade out of date. Voicemail usage has declined so significantly that companies dedicated to voicemail technologies are actually going out of business. Vonage reported last year that it had seen voicemail usage drop 8% in a single quarter in 2012. That's huge.

In other words, "leaving them a message" is no longer a sure bet.

[Populist_Prole]

48. The hell with them then

Livin' life slow and easy............

[tabbycat31]

73. It probably depends on the audience

At my age (34) I have no desire for voicemail. In fact at one point, my greeting said to send a text instead. If it's not an important call (just calling to chat, etc) then I see I missed the call and I will return it.

At this point, the only people who leave voicemail are for work related issues. My friends and family know better.

(I've been cell only since 2002).

[Nevada Blue]

18. me too but

I keep mine on, so that when I'm away from home, family could still reach me. I have an elderly mother and need to be available even when I'm not really available.

I like my cheap little trac-phone just fine - wouldn't be able to see anything on a smartphone screen, anyway, without extra-strong reading glasses. Screen is just too small and I don't feel the need to be 'connected' all the time.

[tazkcmo]

71. That's what I have always used.

Had a smart phone also from Tracphone for about 3 months but I dropped it. I don't miss it.

[csziggy]

25. OMG - you know how to do voicemail?

You and your cellphone must be smart.

I might have voice mail - I don't know. I never figured out if my cellphone does. My cellphone is on tonight to use for an alarm clock. Otherwise it lives in my purse where the battery runs down, or in my truck where I leave it on the charger. Since I get no bars here at the house, it gets used rarely on the few occasions I leave home.

"It's for my convenience, not someone else's." How true - but the two times I really needed it (ran out of gas and had a flat tire) the battery was dead and I had to get someone else to call for help.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. It has totally replaced my camera (which was always running low on batteries anyway), and

that includes my travel photos since late 2011. Doing so makes it easy to upload pictures to Facebook.

As a self-employed translator, I may miss out on a job if I don't check e-mail frequently, so that's one thing.

I love to read, and I get the urge to read whenever I have some downtime or have to eat meals alone. With books loaded on the Kindle app on my phone, no problem.

You can store MP3s on a smartphone, and I listen to upcoming choir pieces as part of practice between official rehearsals.

I don't know about the Android phones, but the iPhone has a GPS function, which is valuable if you're looking for an unfamiliar address.

This summer, I discovered that both my banks let me deposit checks by photographing them and sending them to bank with the bank's dedicated apps.

So really, my phone replaces a camera, a Kindle, an MP3 player, and a GPS device, not to mention trips to the bank.

[riderinthestorm]

39. I'm also self employed (with horses) and I use my smartphone for work every single day

in so many different ways.

Like you I check my email a few times/day. I can watch videos of prospects instantly, get pedigree stats immediately, and download information about unusual or quirky issues asap (the horse had a hairline ulna fracture - what's the REAL potential for long term serviceability as well as actually seeing the xray online etc) I can also upload my own prospects for sale very easily with my smartphone to the various sales outlets and trainers I know as well as Facebook.

I use it to film riders and can give them instant feedback on their ride.

People text me constantly so having the conversation stream is very helpful since I'm quite forgetful

There's a lot of "hurry up and wait time" with horses. Standing around holding a horse for the farrier or the vet or the acupuncturist, waiting between performance times at competitions etc. so it helps having online access everywhere and I LOVE having access to my books 24/7. I do most of my browsing on DU on my phone during the day which is a BIG bonus...

I honestly held out for a long time before caving a couple years ago and now I can't imagine life without it. It helps though that I had a teenager at home when I first got it and she REALLY helped me understand the potential for the phone.

[geardaddy]

8. I don't even have a cell phone.

My g/f call ourselves "urban Amish"

[elleng]

9. You probably don't.

I have a 'dumb' cell phone, no land line. I keep it charged and 'on' at all times. call and text friends and family with it. For internet, my lap top. I don't know what's jitterbug.

[hedgehog]

10. jitterbug

[RebelOne]

36. That is the exact Jitterbug phone that I have.

I have no need for a Smart Phone. I am retired and home all the time. My cell phone I only use for emergencies for when the power goes out and any emergency on the road. Plus I cannot afford the monthly rate for a Smart Phone. The Jitterbug is only $22 a month.

[cyberswede]

12. It seems to me that if you don't already know you need one, then you don't.

That said, I upgraded to a cheap android smart phone this year (had a flip phone), and here's my take:

It's easier to type texts on the touchscreen than it was on my flip phone (I also like the threaded conversations).
I have had occasion to take a photo and email it - that's a nice feature, even if I don't use it much.
It's nice to fire up the internet once in a while when I need it.
Location-based driving directions have been very useful - love that!

However, it's easier to accidentally pocket-dial, and it's bigger than my old phone.

Other than that, I don't use it much differently than my flip phone.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

13. Eh. You really don't need one.

I've had one for two years. Yeah, I'll use it to check Facebook and browse the net sometimes, and it takes good pictures, but if I lost it I doubt I'd really miss it. I gave up browsing the net on my Iphone last Lent and I survived fine.

Even as an Iphone/Smartphone user, I'm still of the opinion that they are overrated.

[tabbycat31]

14. to be honest it sounds like you don't need one

I'm probably a generation younger than you and love my Galaxy. It's completely replaced my camera, I can get emails on it, upload photos to FB, there's GPS (although I have a separate unit because I have limited data). I can play music on there but I'd rather not clutter up my phone with it because I have a functional ipod.

It's a mini computer in my pocket, and I love it. However they're not for everyone. The concept of using a cell just for emergencies is a completely lost concept to me (I haven't had a landline since 2002 and never had one in my own name). I know there's a lot of Luddites on this board (again I'm a generation younger than many, or so it seems) but landlines are something that baffle me completely (paying extra for your phone # not to be public, being tied down to one place to make a phone call, etc).

[ohnoyoudidnt]

15. You do not.

Neither do I, but I love mine. It it a cool toy that makes some things more convenient. Like web and email access anywhere at anytime.

[A HERETIC I AM]

16. Because you're too stupid to use a regular phone?

Sorry....couldn't resist.

[derby378]

17. I broke down and got a smartphone this year after my old phone got fried by the rain

You may not need a smartphone - as long as you can use the phone to make calls and send texts, you're doing fine - but a smartphone can make life easier for you in ways that you didn't expect.

[Kali]

19. OK I will!

The ONLY reason I would want one is for the grocery store. I mostly only shop at one store, but they have made saving a few cents insanely complicated, what with custom specials "just for me" weekly specials, coupons or freaking one day specials, I practically have a nervous breakdown trying to figure out what fucking toilet paper I should buy this week.

It takes an hour on the computer to load the crap on your "loyalty" card with the three e-mail alerts they send every week and they you have to remember or print it all out and figure out whether the coupon or the daily special will be the better deal that minute. It is more damn homework than I ever remember doing in school. AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!




if I had a handy on-line device in the store I could double check that crap easier. that is all.

[pinboy3niner]

27. If I need to, I can print 'My List' from my account on the in-store computer at Vons

It takes just a couple of minutes to sign in and get a printout.

But mostly, I just scribble some notes at home on what I want to get on a shopping trip, and I do the notes while looking at My List (which includes My Card items) on the site.

My dumb method saves me a lot of bucks for a smart phone I don't need.

[noamnety]

41. If you use it for couponing

then you can also turn a few extra bucks with it getting rebates through ibotta, checkout51 and savingstar, and receipthog. Oooh, and the target cartwheel. And it's nice that you can type a shopping list in a google doc and then access it straight on your phone.

[Liberal_from_va34]

20. You don't really "need" a smartphone to be honest

In my opinion, the only real advantage a smartphone has over a regular cell phone is being able to send texts faster. I don't use text messaging, so that advantage is moot. Just my opinion, of course.

[Tobin S.]

21. You probably don't. I don't either, but they are fun. n/t

[mainer]

22. If you're actively employed or you travel, you need one.

I can't imagine going on a business trip without one, if only to get updates on my airline cancellations and rebookings. And to text whoever's picking me up at the airport.

Otherwise? meh.

[Skittles]

53. I am employed and I travel and I don't need one

I actually CALL the person picking me up......imagine that

and airline updates are message / texted to all phones, not just "smart" ones

[mainer]

55. I travel overseas, and texts are cheaper than phone calls

Much easier to text in Europe.

But it's true, depending on your job, you may not need a phone or a car or a computer or anything but a pair of hands.

[Skittles]

52. so essentially

you've turned into one of those people obsessed with their handheld

[KeepItReal]

26. DU...on your phone...at work

Need I say more?

[BainsBane]

29. You can use it for directions with voice even

(Android anyway). You can consult gasbuddy to get the cheapest gas in the area. You can look up the phone number of the Chinese restaurant to order food on your way home from work. If you take the bus---and this is what finally convinced me to get one back when I rode the bus--you can get real-time bus information online!
You also have something to read while using the restroom.

[pinboy3niner]

30. I hear it also makes a good door stop

That's just what I heard.

[BainsBane]

31. What did I tell you

about talking to little green men?




It's way too light, silly.

[pinboy3niner]

32. So...

...maybe I need two of them?

[TBF]

33. I use email, facebook, maps -

and can check my bank statement or look for restaurants when traveling. For me it replaces a tablet or laptop when traveling, but I'm no longer employed full-time so I don't use as many apps as some people do. If they ever figure out how to put the Paperwhite Kindle screen inside the phone I'll be set with one device for most of my needs.

But I am also not a big TV/movie watcher - it is a small screen so I check scores rather than watch sports on it. Still need the TV or PC for football and tennis!

[MrMickeysMom]

35. I will not tell you that, hedgehog...

I have a Credo cell phone that I can text upon, input phone numbers and push the speaker phone so that I can talk while driving (try not to do that much). Other than that, I can wait until I'm home to use my MacBook Pro for DU, or Skyping my bro/sis/friends.

I have a garden, work, outdoors that I hike in, neighbors that I know and help, kids in my neighborhood who I occasionally guide on the side. When my home renovation is done soon, I'll be outside at night sipping a few before the seasons change… I WATCH the seasons change.

Now, I just can't see that I need a smart phone for that, yes?

[Kingofalldems]

37. I pay $33 per month for a regular flip phone

I understand it is double that with a smart phone.

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

38. Music, movies, flashlight, alarm clock, camera, internet, calendar...

[Tom Ripley]

42. So you can play the Mellotron

[Trailrider1951]

43. I just recently replaced my dying flip phone

I went with the Kyocera Brio:

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/shop/cell-phones/kyocera-brio-phone/features/

Why? Because it's cheap. About $25 for the phone and $20 per month for 400 anytime minutes. Also, my kids and I can text each other. That's a big deal to me, as I am hearing impaired and my kids mumble.

[hedgehog]

44. Thank you all for the comments and advice -

as cool as a smart phone is, I just can't justify the expense. My daughter put me on to a plan that charges 10 cents a minute when I use it. I'm going with that to replace my existing phone which is dying slowly.

[Jenoch]

62. If your kids would like you to have a smartphone,

why don't one of them include you on their family plan?

[hedgehog]

66. They'd be happy if I just left it on from time to time!

Really, what brought al lthis up is that the battery in my old phone is dying, so i had to get a replacement. I tink the smart phones are cool, but I work from a lap top t home and rarely travel any place new (mostly to doctors' offices , so I really can't justify waht would just be a toy for me. Besides, i prefer spending my money on roses and bulbs.

[Jenoch]

67. I still use a flip phone too.

Although though my battery is still ok on my four year old phone, I bought a new battery online for less than five bucks.

[AgingAmerican]

46. So you can leave your house

...without having an anxiety attack wondering if it's your move on 'Words With Friends'.

[AgingAmerican]

47. It is a pocket computer

...that has the ability to make phone calls.

[LibertyLover]

49. My husband bought one a few weeks ago

so that he'd have texting capabilities in connection with being a manager for our daughter's music group. We figured that one of us should be in the 21st century. Then a couple of days later, my office instructed those of us with company-issued Blackberries to turn them in for iPhones. We are changing e-mail platforms and the Blackberry won't support the one we are moving to. So, I'll get a free iPhone. It's only for work and I'll still keep my regular old flip phone and number for personal calls.

[Jimbo S]

50. Same boat

I have just a flip phone to stay in touch with my wife and call road assistance. My only use for a smart phone would be for maps and radar, and there are other means.

[pokerfan]

51. Because...

Doodle Jump!

[PasadenaTrudy]

54. I have relatives

in their 80s who love their iPhones. Very easy to type on and easy to use.

[IDemo]

57. My phone cost $14.99 at Best Buy

I think you can get them for $9.99 or cheaper now.

It has: voice dialing, text, email, 3G internet, camera (OK, 1.2 Mp), and tunes via BlueTooth headphones. Tracphone, no monthly or yearly contracts, pay as you go.

Pretty smart, IMO.

[Skittles]

79. keep same phone number?

[IDemo]

80. I've only ever had Tracphone as a cell carrier

and we disconnected the landline over a decade ago. I believe it's possible to port a number over to a new wireless carrier in most cases, though.

[kwassa]

58. So you can argue on DU at any time in any place. Why else?

The DU smartphone app works well ...

[fizzgig]

63. i resisted getting one for a long time because i really didn't need it

but the husband a) needed gps for work and couldn't do that with the flip phone and 2) he got pissed off at tmobile and sprint gave us two $400 phones for free.

i don't need it but i sure like having it, but it honestly doesn't sound like you need one.

[Aerows]

64. You only need one

if you think you need one. My Dad just uses the OnStar in his Cadillac. He's useless with a phone anyway, since you need to turn it ON in order to receive calls. His phone's battery probably lasted for a month because he took it with him and never used it. That was his THIRD phone that got lost.

He couldn't keep track of it because he never turned the damn thing on. At least in the Cadillac you can call him.

[shenmue]

65. Spotify and the Stephanie Miller podcast

I don't know what I'd do without them.

[PassingFair]

69. It puts all of the knowledge of the universe at the end of your arm!

I love having a computer at my fingertips.

[vanlassie]

70. It allows me to keep in close contact with my daughter on another continent.

FaceTime allows us to see each other with total clarity. It is awesome. And since she is due to have a baby in two weeks, I will see the baby girl probably within minutes. And then keep in close touch until I get there!

I do the same with my two grandsons who are five and two. See them all the time even tho they live three hours away!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

72. If you had a smart phone it could tell you why you need one.

[WinkyDink]

74. Ha! I don't even have THAT much, as I installed On-Star in my car!

[alarimer]

75. My phone is basically a replacement for my computer when I'm out.

I can check Twitter, email, play games or read while I'm waiting for something.

It takes pictures when I want to capture the moment.

I have Spotify for music and an app for podcasts, so I have something to listen to rather than stupid terrestrial radio with commercials.

And the GPS has helped immensely. Although there is a caveat with using cell-phone based GPS: if you don't have at least 3G coverage, your maps will be inaccurate. It may not get a fix on your position at all. So I've learned to have a backup plan.

But where coverage is good, Google Maps helps me find routes around traffic jams and helps find food, lodging or whatever else you might need in an unfamiliar place.

I honestly have no idea how I survived before without it.

I do think there are places where the phone should be off completely: theaters (movie and otherwise), concerts, when you are dining out with someone special.

[intaglio]

76. To begin at the beginning

phone, camera, kindle, music, note taking ...

Remember all those offers you see at a store? Photograph the poster to remember them

[Turbineguy]

77. Well.... where do I start?

First, wouldn't you be happier if you paid more for phone service? What about the joy of charging up more often? And then there's the several year long learning curve. There's the chance to kill yourself and some other people while texting. You need all the nearly useless apps that require constant updating. You can give up all your friends and relations to revel in oneness with your phone.

In a pinch you can use it to cover the hole in your head which also comes in handy.

[JonLP24]

78. Depends on what you like

If you like downloading apps, music to listen to anywhere, take pictures, etc it is for you.

Me, I surf at home and don't ever really call anyone so I barely even need a phone.