Am I The Only Dinosaur Without A Smart Phone?

[DocV]

I no longer have a cell phone although I have an iPod touch. I use Skype and Google Voice for calls or SMS. The nice thing about Skype is I can get a phone number in Estonia and give that number to any folks who insist on having my phone number. My cable bundled phone cost me 40 bucks a month plus tax and fees and did not have long distance included. Obivoice costs 40 bucks a year and I can call anywhere for free. Obivoice uses e911 rather than traditional 911 which is somewhat of a down side, I suppose. A Skype number costs 60 bucks a year. My cell phone cost $80 per month. So using both a cell phone and a 'land' line phone was costing me almost $1500 per year. Now I only pay $100 per year. The extra $1400 can go to what I want or need rather than to the phone companies. Now if only I can think of something I would like to have more of....

I use roku, apple tv and broadcast stations to the point where I wonder if I even need cable tv.

[The Annoyed Man]

I'm a crusty dinosaur...some say fossil. I have just a flip phone.

I have yet to see a plan for a smart phone that didn't cost $50 a month. I don't see the value in that for me. All of our kids and their spouses have smart phones and rely on them a lot. I see why. There are a lot of good features. I'm a separate device guy.

- My Garmin is as good as any of the smart phone GPS apps. The smart phone running the GPS app takes hands while driving. My Garmin does not.
- I have a digital camera. It produces better pictures than any of the smart phone cameras. Like my Garmin, it means that I have to carry another device. I'm OK with that.
- I'm really old fashioned. I also have a Palm Pilot to run my schedule. When those were in vogue, I developed sophisticated ways to use it which I won't share here. I continue to do that.
- I have a voice recorder. Yes, it is yet another device that I have to carry but I use it extensively, too
- I have an iPod Classic. If I started to play the music on it 24 hours a day, I could last for 11 days without a repeat. Yep, one more device.
- Since I work out of the house a lot, I use a desktop computer. My eyes like the big screen a lot. I have a lot of "stuff" on it and I backup my critical stuff on a regular basis. I have some data bases that go back more than 30 years.

What I cannot do is to access the web while driving or moving around. When we travel, I have a laptop with Wifi and I have a pay-as-you-go Virgin Broadband dongle that I can "top up" at Wal-Mart for $20 a month when I want.

I inquired about just buying a smart phone which disabled the web feature and wanted to use it as I do my phone today. That is not allowed. So until the price or my situation changes, it will be just the flip phone for me. I'm technology savvy and have no problems operating as smart phone so that doesn't figure into my decision. I do have a bluetooth headset.

Most important.... my world doesn't crash if my smart phone does. I can exist for days and weeks without my phone. Looking at those around me, that is not a statement that many can make.

Well, I could probably live without a smart phone........but I don't want to at this point in my life.

GPS: I own a Garmin. I USE the GPS app in my phone because it is far more accurate. I have a mount for the iPhone which makes the GPS function both "heads-up" and "hands-free".

Yes, I have both a pocket digital camera and a DSLR camera which both have much higher resolution than the iPhone 5s camera, but at 8 Mpx, the phone's camera is still pretty good, and the software that runs is is VERY good. There are other smartphones with higher resolution cameras, but for 99.9% of what most people are going to do with a camera, 8 Mpx is more than enough. The video on the iPhone (and other smartphones) is also very good.

I can create word processing files, spreadsheets, and presentations on my iPhone. I can listen to my music. I have apps of very high quality that can do the following:

• Run my home alarm system.
• Skype
• Manage my office VOIP system, and receive those VOIP calls on my cellphone if I want to (RingCentral)
• Get accurate up to the minute local weather, or anywhere else, for that matter.
• Access cloud-based file storage (2 or 3 different apps)
• Monitor my health and physical fitness regimens
• Note sharing (Evernote)
• Worship service planning (PlanningCenterOnline)
• Banking (both business and personal). I can photograph a check and deposit it remotely, avoiding trips to the bank.
• Full featured ballistics calculator
• Kindle
• Bible apps
• MindNode (a project mapping app)
• Level/Ruler/Pendulum/Etc app
• Guitar Toolkit

These are not ALL the apps on my phone, but they are the ones I use the most.

I would imagine that almost all of what you do with your Palm Pilot, I can do with my cellphone, plus some things that your Palm Pilot won't do. I'm not trying to belittle your choice of devices; I'm just saying that there is a LOT of convenience in having all of those functions in ONE device. But despite the flexibility of iPhones and other modern smartphones, I don't pretend that they are a substitute for real computing platforms. For that, I have both a 27" desktop iMac and a 13" MacBook Air. I bought the MBA because it was light and very portable, and it is a REAL computer. And if I need to use it where there is no WiFi, I simply turn on the hotspot on my iPhone and connect my laptop to the web through my phone......so I don't need to pay extra for the dongle for my laptop, like I used to have to do.

Again, I'm not dissing simplicity, and what Abraham says makes a lot of sense...........for him. But this really isn't a judgemental issue; it's more a matter of necessity. Because of the nature of the industry I work in, mobile connectivity is really important, so for me, having a capable smartphone is a very good idea. But, my wife and I have had long conversations about what our lifestyle will look like when we are retired, and simplification is definitely part of it. There is a decent chance that this will be my last smartphone ever, and an almost certain chance that it will be the next-to-the-last one ever, and this applies to my wife too. We may eventually end up with just simple prepaid flip phones some day. But it won't be because we think smartphones are stupid, it will be because they no longer make sense in our lifestyle.

[The Annoyed Man]

BTW, I ported my landline number over to my RingCentral VOIP service. It cut my Verizon bill by roughly $100/month, and that pays for the RingCentral service with $50/month left over. With RingCentral, I get my business number and a fax number, in addition to my landline number, with a lot of automated features. When I answer a VOIP call or make one using my cellphone, the party on the other end sees my business number, not my cellphone number. We screen all incoming calls to our old landline number. If I pick it up, the caller will see my landline number and not my cellphone number. If I get annoying sales calls from the same number, I can set up the system to block all calls from that number. Etc., etc., etc.........and I can do this from my cellphone and don't have to be in my home/office to do it.

[RPBrown]

I have an Iphone only because of my business. I am able to open items on my computer from it when I need info and not close to another computer.

[Cedar Park Dad]

No. I have a simple slider phone. I carry a phone, an M&Pc with 13 rounds, keys, wallet, TACTICAL COMBAT AND ESCAPE KNIFE (Swiss Army apple cutter knife), and full size spare 17 round magazine. I need nor want the extra space and weight hanging off me.

[rotor]

BTW, I ported my landline number over to my RingCentral VOIP service. It cut my Verizon bill by roughly $100/month, and that pays for the RingCentral service with $50/month left over. With RingCentral, I get my business number and a fax number, in addition to my landline number, with a lot of automated features. When I answer a VOIP call or make one using my cellphone, the party on the other end sees my business number, not my cellphone number. We screen all incoming calls to our old landline number. If I pick it up, the caller will see my landline number and not my cellphone number. If I get annoying sales calls from the same number, I can set up the system to block all calls from that number. Etc., etc., etc.........and I can do this from my cellphone and don't have to be in my home/office to do it.

I use them too. Has saved me over $1,000 a year. And for those that can't see the small letters, Galaxy Note 3 is beautiful.

[OldCurlyWolf]

I only have one because it is paid for by my company. It is used for phone calls and emails. I have not used any "apps".

I am on the same page as Wild Bill.

[katmandu]

I have a ZTE Radiant ( AT&T GoPhone, cost about $75 new ) but I use Airvoice Wireless as the carrier with it - $10 / month for 250 minutes and no data plan, just for quick calls while driving, emergencies, etc. Airvoice is an MVNO that uses the AT&T network, which seems to work best in my area. I do use a few apps which save me time when I'm at home and have wifi available. I do like having a camera, video, & voice recorder in one device.

For a home phone I use Nettalk, $30 / year after buying the box, which is $50 w/ first year included. It's VOIP with unlimited minutes to US. It works well most of the time and is all I need, since I mostly use Skype-to-Skype for work.

So I guess I spend about $150 / year for phones, and it works pretty well for me.

[chasfm11]

Well, I could probably live without a smart phone........but I don't want to at this point in my life.

GPS: I own a Garmin. I USE the GPS app in my phone because it is far more accurate. I have a mount for the iPhone which makes the GPS function both "heads-up" and "hands-free".

Yes, I have both a pocket digital camera and a DSLR camera which both have much higher resolution than the iPhone 5s camera, but at 8 Mpx, the phone's camera is still pretty good, and the software that runs is is VERY good. There are other smartphones with higher resolution cameras, but for 99.9% of what most people are going to do with a camera, 8 Mpx is more than enough. The video on the iPhone (and other smartphones) is also very good.

I can create word processing files, spreadsheets, and presentations on my iPhone. I can listen to my music. I have apps of very high quality that can do the following:

• Run my home alarm system.
• Skype
• Manage my office VOIP system, and receive those VOIP calls on my cellphone if I want to (RingCentral)
• Get accurate up to the minute local weather, or anywhere else, for that matter.
• Access cloud-based file storage (2 or 3 different apps)
• Monitor my health and physical fitness regimens
• Note sharing (Evernote)
• Worship service planning (PlanningCenterOnline)
• Banking (both business and personal). I can photograph a check and deposit it remotely, avoiding trips to the bank.
• Full featured ballistics calculator
• Kindle
• Bible apps
• MindNode (a project mapping app)
• Level/Ruler/Pendulum/Etc app
• Guitar Toolkit

These are not ALL the apps on my phone, but they are the ones I use the most.

I would imagine that almost all of what you do with your Palm Pilot, I can do with my cellphone, plus some things that your Palm Pilot won't do. I'm not trying to belittle your choice of devices; I'm just saying that there is a LOT of convenience in having all of those functions in ONE device. But despite the flexibility of iPhones and other modern smartphones, I don't pretend that they are a substitute for real computing platforms. For that, I have both a 27" desktop iMac and a 13" MacBook Air. I bought the MBA because it was light and very portable, and it is a REAL computer. And if I need to use it where there is no WiFi, I simply turn on the hotspot on my iPhone and connect my laptop to the web through my phone......so I don't need to pay extra for the dongle for my laptop, like I used to have to do.

Again, I'm not dissing simplicity, and what Abraham says makes a lot of sense...........for him. But this really isn't a judgemental issue; it's more a matter of necessity. Because of the nature of the industry I work in, mobile connectivity is really important, so for me, having a capable smartphone is a very good idea. But, my wife and I have had long conversations about what our lifestyle will look like when we are retired, and simplification is definitely part of it. There is a decent chance that this will be my last smartphone ever, and an almost certain chance that it will be the next-to-the-last one ever, and this applies to my wife too. We may eventually end up with just simple prepaid flip phones some day. But it won't be because we think smartphones are stupid, it will be because they no longer make sense in our lifestyle.

I guess I was on a different point. For me, there is no debating the power of smart phones, iPads and the latest devices like them. Heck, Google Glass looks like a really slick thing. I won't try to compare the power of any Smart device to my Palm.

What I was trying to say that I AM a dinosaur and electronically, I live like one. I get along just fine. I have always preferred the multi-device versus singular device but I'm in awe of how the bundled products on a smart phone work together. Like everything else, the increased power comes with an increased cost. My flip phone has cost me $100 a year for the past 4 years. While plans are available today at $50 a month, a couple of years ago that same plan was $110 a month. The cumulative savings of not having the smart phone as been worth it to me to remain in the electronic stone age.

While many recover very well, I've seen too many people totally freak out when they do something dumb like dropping their smart phone into the bath tub. And while the smart phones are not tethered to locations, they do seem to be tethered to electricity. Battery life has a long ways to go and the alternative is that the phone is plugged into the car or to the wall a significant amount of time, depending on the apps that are used. It will be interesting to see how Google Glass fairs along those lines.

I sensed that Abraham was looking for kindred dinosaur spirits and tried to represent myself as potentially one of them. Thunder lizards need to stick together.

[puma guy]

Flip phone. I am working on a camera that will be capable of making a phone call!

[Wes]

Saying someone needs it is like saying they need two 1911's, lol. Of course most don't need it, but if you can have it why not? I use my iphone and ipad every day, quite extensively. Web, text, phone, apps, most all of it. It is my only alarm clock now, my work line is forwarded to it, all email is available on it, my thermostat and front door are controlled by it, security cameras are viewable on it, tv programmable from it, etc. Could I do all this stuff other ways? Sure, but it's more convenient to me using one device. Everyone is different though, and that's just how it is. I have one grandmother who loves hers and another who could care less. My dad has had three upgrades on his iphone since I literally forced him to try one years ago and I have friends who have tried them only to switch back.

[03Lightningrocks]

I do own a pre-paid cell phone I use infrequently, but see no need for a smart phone for myself. I bought it originally as a safety item, turned off and stowed. I find myself in remote locations kayaking and cycling. If I get in trouble it's a nice backup item, but not something I chat on.

I wonder if the majority who own smart phones really NEED them or are they more for recreational use?

What say you?

No you are not. My darned brother refuses to get a smart phone. I offered to buy him one. He said he would use it as a paper weight. He hates the darned things...LOL.

[WildBill]

I have always preferred the multi-device versus singular device but I'm in awe of how the bundled products on a smart phone work together.
I sensed that Abraham was looking for kindred dinosaur spirits and tried to represent myself as potentially one of them. Thunder lizards need to stick together.

I am the opposite in this area - I still like my separate GPS, component stereo system, desktop [no laptop or tablet]. I still have a TV antenna - no cable or streaming. No iPod for me. I still like to read a good book, but I have been eyeing a Kindle. I still haven't upgraded my high end camera system to digital - that's more due to money than not liking the technology.

[Oldgringo]

I have always preferred the multi-device versus singular device but I'm in awe of how the bundled products on a smart phone work together.
I sensed that Abraham was looking for kindred dinosaur spirits and tried to represent myself as potentially one of them. Thunder lizards need to stick together.

I am the opposite in this area - I still like my separate GPS, component stereo system, desktop [no laptop or tablet]. I still have a TV antenna - no cable or streaming. No iPod for me. I still like to read a good book, but I have been eyeing a Kindle. I still haven't upgraded my high end camera system to digital - that's more due to money than not liking the technology.

You still have a TV antenna? WOW!

[WildBill]

I have always preferred the multi-device versus singular device but I'm in awe of how the bundled products on a smart phone work together.
I sensed that Abraham was looking for kindred dinosaur spirits and tried to represent myself as potentially one of them. Thunder lizards need to stick together.

I am the opposite in this area - I still like my separate GPS, component stereo system, desktop [no laptop or tablet]. I still have a TV antenna - no cable or streaming. No iPod for me. I still like to read a good book, but I have been eyeing a Kindle. I still haven't upgraded my high end camera system to digital - that's more due to money than not liking the technology.

You still have a TV antenna? WOW!

I am a Tyrannosaurus! Except, I like my meat cooked.