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And it can do all this without being part of the Net? All of that? Really?
That is the question on the table, if it is not hooked up to the Net, for whatever reason, what can it do?
Can it, for example, store and be able to access a file, downloaded earlier, that lists all the serial numbers of Uzi's or stolen weapons?
I'm happy with the 1000 minutes I get from T-Mobile for $40. Things might be a little better if texting was included in that, but I can live with it. Further, it is an amount I'm willing to pay to a company I like and I am not in the habit of looking for ways I can cheat my vendors.
Finally, much of my life is "playing submarine" where in class, at a presentation, at a play, during a conference, while driving, etc., my phone is OFF. So while I have a decent amount of cell phone comms (and not because the current house is in a cell tower dead zone), I'm not that much tied to it. In fact, if anything, my cell phone is used more for the alarm clock feature.
If you don't want to be "on the net" you will most likely have to purchase the phone outright otherwise you will be required to get a data plan.
Some things can be done with wifi, and you can install apps via computer and USB, but to be honest a SmartPhone without a data plan is kinda silly but yes, you can do many things with one as mentioned by other users.
You know, T-Mo owns MetroPCS and MetroPCS and MetroPCS now uses T-Mos network. They have full plans for like $30. To add, using wifi to get things done is not cheating anyone. My phone is set to a few wifi networks the switch on and connect when I am in range; saves on data.
The U.S. government has been spying and hacking Americans' telephones since at least the 1950's. No one ever knew about this.
But to your point, I will not trade stocks, do banking or make purchases using my phone. I don't trust companies with our security. They half-arse their security program to save money. They find it easy to just apologize to their customers and then ask us to change our passwords. Not good enough.
I dread the day when cash is no longer used. Everything will be electronic. Any little extra cash you earn from mowing a lawn to selling a craft will be tracked. The government is embracing e-wallet for obvious reasons. The government will know just how much money you have. CASH IS KING!
Right....
....except that you should look into BitCoin, creating fake addresses, and much of a nightmare it is for law enforcement and computer forensics.
Buying something online is one thing, using a banking app is another. Then again it is not so much the website or the app; it's the user who is the ultimate security risk.
Speaking of security, the only way to be fully secure is to go on complete lockdown. Meaning, no Internet either. Just by accessing the Internet to post the above you have put yourself at risk....
If you don't want to be "on the net" you will most likely have to purchase the phone outright otherwise you will be required to get a data plan.
Some things can be done with wifi, and you can install apps via computer and USB, but to be honest a SmartPhone without a data plan is kinda silly but yes, you can do many things with one as mentioned by other users.
You know, T-Mo owns MetroPCS and MetroPCS and MetroPCS now uses T-Mos network. They have full plans for like $30. To add, using wifi to get things done is not cheating anyone. My phone is set to a few wifi networks the switch on and connect when I am in range; saves on data.
It's not a point of not wanting to be on the net but rather, much of my life exists with "masts down", be it being in class, in conference, at a play or a presentation, driving, on the range, literally underwater, in cell tower dead zones, or whatever.......and I rather like it that way. I'll "come to the surface" when I need or want to, but my life doesn't need to be linked into the Net every waking moment of the day.
As far as my four needs, the building of the Uzi serial numbers is an external built, internal file one because when I asked at the T-Mobile store, the only answer they were able to give me was a website of stolen weapon serial numbers. Certainly useful to me but wasn't quite what I was after. As far as what makes Uzis "special": an Uzi without a stock is a pistol but put a stock on it without a 16 inch barrel is a short barrel rifle and a HEAP OF TROUBLE without the required clearances. If I'm buying an Uzi pistol, I want to be able to determine on the spot that the serial numbers say it has always been a pistol and never been a rifle.
FINALLY, please keep in mind that at points here, you are talking with the technology clueless here. I really have got no notion what an "app" is aside from something that gets added to a smartphone. I assume it's a software item but for all I know, it might be one of those tube things, for this mission or that, that Frank would give EW & Dynagirl for their ElectraComs. ElectraCom - TV Database Wiki
Ie, this sentence, "T-Mo owns MetroPCS and MetroPCS and MetroPCS now uses T-Mos network", is sort of like talking to me like Swann did to the cowboys in "Timerider". I imagine T-Mo is my T-Mobile but what is T-Mos and why is it necessary to say "MetroPCS and MetroPCS now uses". For that matter, who is MetroPCS?
Ie, this sentence, "T-Mo owns MetroPCS and MetroPCS and MetroPCS now uses T-Mos network", is sort of like talking to me like Swann did to the cowboys in "Timerider". I imagine T-Mo is my T-Mobile but what is T-Mos and why is it necessary to say "MetroPCS and MetroPCS now uses". For that matter, who is MetroPCS?
There are only four nationwide networks in the USA. Verizon and AT&T grew out of Bell Telephone in the 1980s, T-Mobile is owned by a German company, and Sprint was an American company which is now wholly owned by a Japanese company, Softbank.
In a quest to introduce lower cost service and acquire more customers, the four national networks began to bulk sell time on their networks (around the year 2000), and the Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) was born. The first one was Virgin Mobile which worked on the Sprint network. Virgin later sold the brand directly to Sprint. Sprint also bought Boost so now you can buy Virgin, Boost, or Sprint and you are talking about divisions of the same company.
MetroPCS was founded in 1994, but on October 2012, MetroPCS Communications reached an agreement to merge with T-Mobile USA, Inc.
When Tracfone introduced Android phones in late 2013 the price of buying and operating a smart phone dropped by a huge percentage.
In august 2014 a planned merger between Sprint and Tmobile was rejected by the US government. Tmobile has doubled down on efforts to produce inexpensive contracts, in attempt trying to increase market share. Sprint has also entered into multiple MVNO contracts producing some of the lowest cost contracts ever seen. Sprint and Tmobile have led the development of integrating wifi and cellular in an effort to produce cheaper operations.
a smart phone is a hand held computer. it can do virtually anything you do at home. I have a "blu" smartphone that costs less than $100 new and I use Puretalk which costs about $10 per month for limited talk time and no data and it uses the att network.
by not paying for data I can control being one of those mindless zombies that are always on my phone however if I can find a free wifi hotspot (like dunkin donuts or starbucks) I can hop on the internet and get email or surf the web.
in my current plan, I'm paying less per month than my old phone-only cell phone from 25 years ago but the contact management and time management applications are big pluses of smart phones. the app store (google for android and apple for iphone) have tons of apps for stuff you never thought about like turning your phone into a level for construction projects, picture editor, flashlight etc etc.
for me the GPS mapping has always been a giant must have.
When Tracfone introduced Android phones in late 2013 the price of buying and operating a smart phone dropped by a huge percentage.
Sprint and Tmobile have led the development of integrating wifi and cellular in an effort to produce cheaper operations.
Minor disagreement with these two points.
Do you have a source for #1. Tracphone only has 26 million subscribers compared to the 460 million for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, so it's very unlikely that smartphones dropped in price due to any action by Tracphone.
Wifi calling was and is imperative to T-mobile, and to a lesser extent Sprint, because their phones don't work (well) indoors. Having people use WiFi has the ancillary benefit of relieving network traffic, but when people can't connect the network traffic isn't the primary concern.
Boost Mobile offers an ulimted talk and text, 1gb of data, and then unlimited throttled data after you use the 1gb, for $35 a month.. Last time I was in there they were selling the moto G smart phone for $50.
Why would smartphone do our things on it own? We all need to be cleaver and smart to use the phone in the right way. This will lead us to addiction. It is not easy things to free from.
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