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The way I see it (and I'm sure the corporate shrills who dominate this board won't agree with me), if having a smart phone / data plan is so important to my job, then my employer should either pay for it, or give a raise that covers it plus inflation. Otherwise, I am basically taking a salary cut.
The company DOES pay for it. It's in my post. My boss has one, my fiance has one. They don't pay for the phone or plan, plus when there is an upgrade to a phone (the new iPhone), then the company gives them the newest version.
A good smart phone can replace a laptop, camera, video recorder and even a home computer.. it's also very convenient and 24/7 acess us great. Can save you money if you think about it.
that is theory. It seems as though people are adding devices, not merging it. A few things have been heading twds obsolete....like pagers, GPS, etc. Consumers are seemingly adding more new stuff to their vast array of gizmos.....tablets, google glass, mp3 players, etc
Totally agree!! A 13MP phone camera is not going to replace my 24MP camera nor is a video recorder on a phone going to replace the quality of an actual digital camcorder.
I'd rather have all my items separately and I'm sure as heck not going to go online on a phone to pay bills or anything else!
Unless you plan on blowing up a pic to a huge poster, I don't see why a new modern smartphone camera can't do the job for everyday and spontaneous photos. Do you carry your 24MP camera everywhere you go? I have a DSLR too but the thing is so bulky I don't carry it everywhere anymore like I used to when the kids were < 2. Unless you're an enthusiast, you wouldn't either. These are the specs of a Note 3 which only costs $150 for new phone customers.
Primary 13 MP, 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Features Dual Shot, Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization, panorama, HDR
Video Yes, 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps (N9005, N9002)/ 1080p (N9000)
Secondary Yes, 2 MP, 1080p@30fps
For reference, you can do a 24"x36" poster even with an 8MP camera, so says members of DSLR message boards. Also with my newborns I went out and bought a $600 camcorder in addition to the DSLR. I used that camcorder for 2+ years religiously and have some great quality videos, undoubtedly, but for archiving all those videos, due to space reasons, I re-encoded them down to 720p and they still look great on a 57" tv. A lot of overkill in specs mainly to sell consumer devices and every company trying to 1-up another.
These days would I still be carrying these 2 devices around vs. just my phone (camera+camcorder)? Not to mention your pockets are already filled with keys and a wallet too. Unless I'm at a special event, practicality is what it comes down to. Nobody is asking you to replace those devices, especially for special events, it's just that they are always with you at a great convenience all the other times. And I don't mean those food pics. As a techie, it's easy to say you'd rather use dedicated devices but it doesn't make sense as much as it used to.
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The only problem I have ever had with my razor phone ($24.99 a month) is that when my charger was misplaced, it was almost impossible to get a new one that fit. I had to go on Amazon and have one sent. They are "obsolete" I was told.
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The only problem I have ever had with my razor phone ($24.99 a month) is that when my charger was misplaced, it was almost impossible to get a new one that fit. I had to go on Amazon and have one sent. They are "obsolete" I was told.
ebay. cheap too.
hotels have mountain loads of chargers. amazing how many are left behind.
I used to have Virgin Mobile. That was only $35/month, unlimited everything. I started having problems with their signal so foolishly I went to Verizon. They are sooooo expensive and I don't even have unlimited data. I am thinking about switching to straight talk. It's only $45 for unlimited everything vs $100 dollars and I am only getting 2gb of data. I need a data phone so I can go online and make the time pass by at work. LOL. I only use it when I am at work. When I am at home, I use my desktop or nook.
I'm not a boomer, I just think that data plans are too expensive. If a bank was going to allow transactions only by smartphone, I'll find a new bank, unless they are willing to pay for my data plan.
I agree $30 for 2gb sounds ridiculous, but let me ask - what do you pay for entertainment at home today? Triple play, extra channels, netflix, amazon prime, hulu, console or pc games, etc. What about extracurriculars like league sports? I pay about $30 for my hobby 1 night per week. That's already more than my data plan. If you're trying to save in every area, the conversation would end there.
I hardly use 4G (allotted data), but I see it as a convenience fee to have the smartphone (requires data plans of course). If you're like me, you can get in as low as $30/mo. and never need more than even 1GB. That's the reality. I think a lot of it for people is unwillingness to change. Principle or whatever else. Look at how many people didn't want to be "tied to a cellphone" back in the late 90s and early 00s compared to who has them today.
I don't have a smartphone, nor do I want one. I can think of many other better uses for $40/month plus taxes and fees, than that. And I'm part of a family share plan with Verizon (with son and DIL; both of which are inseparable from their smartphones, lol).
My phone is an LG 8000-something from probably five years ago -- maybe more -- and it's just fine for my needs. Heck, I don't even text on it very much, LOL . Less than a half dozen texts a week, if that. Don't know what I'd do if the thing died and I couldn't replace it with a different non-smart phone.
As a senior living on Social Security, I have to really prioritize what my "necessities" are and for me, a smartphone doesn't even come remotely close.
Unless you plan on blowing up a pic to a huge poster, I don't see why a new modern smartphone camera can't do the job for everyday and spontaneous photos. Do you carry your 24MP camera everywhere you go? I have a DSLR too but the thing is so bulky I don't carry it everywhere anymore like I used to when the kids were < 2. Unless you're an enthusiast, you wouldn't either. These are the specs of a Note 3 which only costs $150 for new phone customers.
Primary 13 MP, 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Features Dual Shot, Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization, panorama, HDR
Video Yes, 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps (N9005, N9002)/ 1080p (N9000)
Secondary Yes, 2 MP, 1080p@30fps
For reference, you can do a 24"x36" poster even with an 8MP camera, so says members of DSLR message boards. Also with my newborns I went out and bought a $600 camcorder in addition to the DSLR. I used that camcorder for 2+ years religiously and have some great quality videos, undoubtedly, but for archiving all those videos, due to space reasons, I re-encoded them down to 720p and they still look great on a 57" tv. A lot of overkill in specs mainly to sell consumer devices and every company trying to 1-up another.
These days would I still be carrying these 2 devices around vs. just my phone (camera+camcorder)? Not to mention your pockets are already filled with keys and a wallet too. Unless I'm at a special event, practicality is what it comes down to. Nobody is asking you to replace those devices, especially for special events, it's just that they are always with you at a great convenience all the other times. And I don't mean those food pics. As a techie, it's easy to say you'd rather use dedicated devices but it doesn't make sense as much as it used to.
You are too nice to keep trying to teach the technophobes. MP's don't make a camera "better" they just allow more pixels per inch to improve enlarging and post processing (as you stated). The real measure of a camera are the lenses and the sensor which jack up the price into the high hundreds to thousands. Today's "smartphone" cameras are on par with most $100-$400 point and shoot digitala but of course they also do a whole lot more.
But hey, some crack dealers and techno-dullards are happy with their pay as you go TracFone so bless their little hearts. I pay $130/mo for 4 phones w/ unlimited talk and text and 10gb pooled data. Most are paying at LEAST $25/mo just for phone service. I say they are the ones getting ripped off.
They are paying $25/mo for a phone. I pay $32.50 for a mobile computer, internet, camcorder, camera, phone, GPS, Kindle, gaming device, messenger, flashlight, music editing tool, calendar, notepad, calculator, alarm clock, compass, weather station, coupon center, mirror and 4000 other services I don't have to haul around. Oh yeah, it's also a phone. Like I said...another vortex thread based on a completely false premise.
Back when I was in college in the mid 2000's I had an African cell phone with a pay-as-you-go SIM card. Used about $100/year.
I forget the make and model, but the phone was designed to be used in very rural environments as seen in many places in Africa.
Of course no internet, primitive seven-segment display (think calculator displays) with talk and text only, size of a snickers bar with amazing 30 day battery life and exceptional antenna.
But MY tEXt MESSAgES WouLd CoME tHrougH LiKE tHiS.
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