Long story short...12th phone handset "swapout"in 20 months on Verizon..I realized I was sick n tired or replacing them every 4-6 months due to hardware issues...so I turned off my account..nothing removed..just de active...my wife has the same exact apps on my phone so for me work is basically all the same and hey $60 savings per month is a nice idea as well...so my 2nd question is...whats the longest time you stayed away from YOUR startphone?..i.e. no more constantly checking twitter/FB/email..be it to save some cash or just to "simplify" things for awhile...
So.I decided to take a step back from my "smartphone"how about you?
- Thread starter smalltank
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Don't own a smartphone. Boss has suggested it, I'm resistant.
I have unlimited talk and text on our two phones and that's enough to spend.
Twitter/FB... don't even have accounts.
Email? I'll check it multiple times a day when I'm home.
When I'm at work, I'll check work email 3 or 4 times a day, rarely check my personal email.
I always used to be on the "bleeding edge" of being "connected"... but the Smartphone left me behind. Some day? Maybe, but not with the current costs.
Wife has a Nook that we take on road trips for googling the area for food and points of interest.
I have unlimited talk and text on our two phones and that's enough to spend.
Twitter/FB... don't even have accounts.
Email? I'll check it multiple times a day when I'm home.
When I'm at work, I'll check work email 3 or 4 times a day, rarely check my personal email.
I always used to be on the "bleeding edge" of being "connected"... but the Smartphone left me behind. Some day? Maybe, but not with the current costs.
Wife has a Nook that we take on road trips for googling the area for food and points of interest.
Dude. I'm old fashioned.
I have a land line for local calls and a flip phone (cell) for long distance. I keep the cell turned off unless I want to make an out of the area call. When I finish I turn it back off (power it down). I've never taken a cell phone with me anywhere, only use it at home.
I don't have voice mail set up on the cell and I do not have an answering machine or voice mail on the land line.
Heck... Most of the time I don't bother answering the land line and just let it ring.
I am on the computer because this is how I run my business.
I have twitter, facebook, google+ accounts in the business name just so someone else does not start one with the biz name but none of them have ever been used (they're all blank). I suppose I haven't checked any of them in at least 2 years.
I have a land line for local calls and a flip phone (cell) for long distance. I keep the cell turned off unless I want to make an out of the area call. When I finish I turn it back off (power it down). I've never taken a cell phone with me anywhere, only use it at home.
I don't have voice mail set up on the cell and I do not have an answering machine or voice mail on the land line.
Heck... Most of the time I don't bother answering the land line and just let it ring.
I am on the computer because this is how I run my business.
I have twitter, facebook, google+ accounts in the business name just so someone else does not start one with the biz name but none of them have ever been used (they're all blank). I suppose I haven't checked any of them in at least 2 years.
I pay $110/month to Verizon for two plain old cellphones (wife's and mine) and a 2GB data plan for my 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab. This has been working well. The Tab gives me all the "functionality" (and more) of a smartphone, but I don't feel compelled to whip it out every two minutes to check whatever.
I like mine for calendar, memos, camera etc. I pay $25 mth, no contract and have a Samsung S2 with as much talk and text as I need and all VM and Caller ID etc.
i only use the phone with a few family members and for emergencies etc
Wifi is everywhere, so I don't need a data plan.
i only use the phone with a few family members and for emergencies etc
Wifi is everywhere, so I don't need a data plan.
It's sad, but I would be bored to death without my phone. It's also sad where you see 4 teenagers at a table glued to their phones instead of taking and playing cards or something. Sign o' the times I guess.
For anyone looking to reduce costs, you may be able to go with either of the following:
Ting - http://www.ting.com
StraightTalk - http://www.straighttalk.com
Ting uses the Sprint network, Straight Talk uses T-Mobile network and maybe AT&T
Ting - http://www.ting.com
StraightTalk - http://www.straighttalk.com
Ting uses the Sprint network, Straight Talk uses T-Mobile network and maybe AT&T
If you really wanted to simplify things, you would have kept that smartphone 
Smartphones make life very simple. No more needing to check e-mail on a computer; no more needing to log into your e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc. accounts to check for updates; no more having to bring both a cell phone and an MP3 player with you; etc. I respect those that choose to live without them, but in my opinion, to realistically simplify one's life, one should fill it with technology (unless that person is one of the unlucky people that technology just does not like, e.g. my father).
Smartphones make life very simple. No more needing to check e-mail on a computer; no more needing to log into your e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc. accounts to check for updates; no more having to bring both a cell phone and an MP3 player with you; etc. I respect those that choose to live without them, but in my opinion, to realistically simplify one's life, one should fill it with technology (unless that person is one of the unlucky people that technology just does not like, e.g. my father
).If you really wanted to simplify things, you would have kept that smartphone
Smartphones make life very simple. No more needing to check e-mail on a computer; no more needing to log into your e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc. accounts to check for updates; no more having to bring both a cell phone and an MP3 player with you; etc. I respect those that choose to live without them, but in my opinion, to realistically simplify one's life, one should fill it with technology (unless that person is one of the unlucky people that technology just does not like, e.g. my father
It's simply not an inconvenience.
I have no need to check my email continuously during the day. Anything that important is work related, or family emergency, and it will be in the form of a phone call.
No Twitter/FB account, so no need for that.
I have an iPod Nano connected to my car stereo. I have no need or desire for an MP3 player away from a vehicle.
And how often do you have to plug in to recharge?
My personal cell phone gets charged once a week. The work phone, every night, but it could easily go 2 or 3 days.
My boss complains about his Droid always having to be charged, and when he's left it in his office on the charger... he no longer has it with him.
Even if you check your e-mail once a day, the smartphone is still more convenient because you are not having to log on.
I charge my iPhone every other day or once a day if I played games on it that day. It really is no inconvenience: just plug it in at night. Unless I am using my iPhone as a GPS unit, I never need to re-charge it during the day. Even then, I have a car charger.
Just curious, what type of hardware issues were you running into? For me I love technology so knowing I have a device that is just a powerful as a full blown computer of 4-5 years ago is awesome.
I can look up anything I need in a matter of seconds, play a game, listen to music, look at funny a Youtube clip even watch a movie. I understand the financial side of owning a smartphone. It can get pretty pricey, but at least for me the money is well worth it.
The only downside for me is when somebody introduces a even better phone than what I have now, and then I want that one. I guess I suffer from gadget envy lol,
For years I resisted the "smart phone" due to it's less than remarkable execution of said phone. Especially the "smart" part. Then came along the iPhone from Apple and that made me zit up and take notice. It was at that point I said "finally someone did it right". Yet it wasn't till a couple years after that I decided that it was time to go from various flip phones I've had for a better part of a decade to a smart phone. It was a great choice. Not happy about the billing but my wife and I did get grandfathered in for unlimited everything. But the next upgrade is where the train stops. I won't keep paying these escalating costs for the newest and fastest. Next is either back to a flip or have the one in my hand till it dies.
I'm 33, and I have a cell phone with tons of texts and talk time (could never max it out). It's not a smart phone, and it doesn't have a data package. I spend $15 per month. No contract. My girlfriend has a droid based phone that we use on road trips to look up maps and info we need. She pays something like $40 per month with no contract. Virgin Mobile is great. I have no desire to be constantly connected to things like facebook, and I don't feel naked without my phone.
-Andy
-Andy
The whole smartphone thing is aggravating. While there is certainly merit to the idea of toting only one device around I just don't understand it at the price it carries. One bloke at work has two iPhones through Verizon and his bill is only just shy of $200 per month. He is waiting for contract time to expire so he can go back to a more conventional device and plan. My wife and I and have three voice phones from ATT and the bill is about $90 a month taxes all in which is more than enough. My wife wants a smartphone and with the new plans, adding one smartphone and keeping the two dumb phones would increase our bill to $145 before taxes. No thank you. I am not tech adverse and the market will bear what it will but like the recent trend of cutting the cable Tv cord it could happen a lot more going forward. I might add I am not business dependent with my phones which changes everything for those who are.
Cheers, Todd
Cheers, Todd
Sadly I can't and I have two of the bloody things as well. One is for work, it has a tendency to malfunction after hours and on weekends so it's not so bad. I can't get rid of the personal one as it's my only phone as I don't have a land line.
I sadly got my first smart phone 2 years ago and wish that I never did. I was able to live fine without it, and then my wife convinced me to get one since she had one. We were paying 160 a months through t-mobile, but I could never live without it now. It's just nice to have everything on my phone, and not really have to log onto a computer to check anything. If I don't have a notification that I have an email, I have no need to check it. I like the ability when were out and about to be able to find any shop I needed to, or a place to go grab a bite to eat. It's nice to have GPS to be able to find a place that you have never been to, and also check on the traffic before I leave for school.
It also has some amazing apps that can often replace expensive devices. When I was really into golf last summer I was going to buy a golf GPS. Most run about $200 plus a year subsciption of anywhere from 10-40. Found an app for my phone that was $2, and better than a lot of the devices. I also have a guitar tuner, and TOPO maps on my phone.
I have gone through the same issues with device hardware, but decided to stay with smartphones because they are just too hard to give up. Now we just keep our old phones incase the new one breaks. For me, getting rid of my smart phone would be the same as getting rid of tv, it's not really possible.
It also has some amazing apps that can often replace expensive devices. When I was really into golf last summer I was going to buy a golf GPS. Most run about $200 plus a year subsciption of anywhere from 10-40. Found an app for my phone that was $2, and better than a lot of the devices. I also have a guitar tuner, and TOPO maps on my phone.
I have gone through the same issues with device hardware, but decided to stay with smartphones because they are just too hard to give up. Now we just keep our old phones incase the new one breaks. For me, getting rid of my smart phone would be the same as getting rid of tv, it's not really possible.
I am rarely home now that I'm working two jobs. Emails were piling up from family members and I missed a couple of key things. With my current plan, adding the smalllest data package to my plan was $20 more but I dropped my unlimited texting so it balanced out. I also found out I could get a work discount so I got another 10% off. 
This Droid was the one I was looking for.
This Droid was the one I was looking for.
don't have one, don't want one. just more junk to have to keep up with. Here in the states, we pay more money for less and slower services than anywhere in the world. rain on them. I don't even have an 'ordinary' cell phone. My boss provides me a phone when I am on his time. Other than that, I don't mind being left alone. and with a little extra cash in my pocket.
not to thread jack.
This is why I set up a home PBX with low cost foreign outbound trunks.
I am loving my galaxy nexus on vzw. using a jelly belly rom and it's working great. I won't buy anything but the nexus phones anymore...