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Having a full plan gets pretty pricey....and tons & tons of unproductive time used up.
$70-100+ a month plans? Plus those BS govt taxes which really hammers the final bill.
buying the phone? free to $400 for the 64gb Iphone?
Insurance for the phone fee per month. If you lose it without ins., it is like $600-800.
Accessories for the phone? Covers, protective glass, car charger, extra chargers, Bluetooth, etc etc.
Some people spend quite a penny on various apps! More money out the window!
Then the wife or husband want one too
Then the kids want one too.
For a family of 4...one can easily spend well over 2 grand to start. Then upwards of 10 grand plus over the course of two years...then the cycle starts again at the end of the contract. God forbid if you have to pay a cancellation fee or you are the one who needs a brand new phone when it first comes out....I think it madness when I see the super long lines for the newest Iphone at no cost.
I think I made a similar to statement to what the OP said.
Today, it is a 24 hour culture. Many companies (my fiance's job included), give out cell phones to their employee. He's had emergencies in the middle of the night that is affecting an overseas office. He gets all of this on his phone. Is it healthy to be a 24 hour culture? Probably not, but it is the way of the world these days.
I've needed access to email to answer questions for a job interview or when I needed to send something for work. I'm able to communicate with friends and relatives and send photos. While Facebook does drain time, it also allows us to communicate and stay in touch with people. I have friends from across the country and the world that I can talk to. Do you know how much it would truly cost me if I called someone in Australia on my regular talk plan? Skype and Facebook are good for things like that.
Data plans do not have to be expensive. I currently pay about $70-80 bucks for my plan, but I am with Verizon, so that is the reason it is on the higher end. I have researched other plans, and found comparable plans for less money. I just pay for a premium with Verizon because it's considered the best, and also I'm grandfathered in at the moment with unlimited data.
Wow...you have a smart phone and use it for all necessary items like games and entertainment....just wow.
Some of us are just hedonists that way. I have trees in my yard if you need some leaves for toilet paper. I wouldn't want you to sacrifice for such a luxury as two ply.
BTW, another of your snarky replies...next time cut and paste the whole sentence that includes maps, GPS, communication and add text, email, other work apps. I'm always amazed at the usual suspects on here acting magnanimous for not having technology the rest of us think it fantastic. Wow, you hate gadgets. Cool. Reverse hipster ethos. Enjoy your abacus, gramps.
I don't think it's a necessity at all, but it's very much a nice perk. I pay $24/mo. because of a corp discount and that's barely bearable for my 4G use but I love the smartphone (note 3) itself because I use its wifi all the time at home around the house (don't have to run to the desktop in the office). I also use it to watch movies (netflix or stream from downstairs PC) in bed. Anyway, the < $30/mo. is helped by the ability to look up coupons and have them scan it while at the store (toys r us, boston market) so the few times I was able to do that I mentally told myself hey it was only ~$20 for data that month!
Another good thing I've used it for is Waze for its live data reporting - other users tell you about cops on the road ahead of you.
Also with kids it's great to have a high quality camera (13MP) & camcorder in one that you carry with you all the time with no extra effort. That is priceless.
All this said, people don't balk at paying ~$150 for their triple play entertainment package so even at $50/mo. for this convenience, capability, and portability, it shouldn't be a showstopper.
I don't think it's a necessity at all, but it's very much a nice perk. I pay $24/mo. because of a corp discount and that's barely bearable for my 4G use but I love the smartphone (note 3) itself because I use its wifi all the time at home around the house (don't have to run to the desktop in the office). I also use it to watch movies (netflix or stream from downstairs PC) in bed. Anyway, the < $30/mo. is helped by the ability to look up coupons and have them scan it while at the store (toys r us, boston market) so the few times I was able to do that I mentally told myself hey it was only ~$20 for data that month!
Another good thing I've used it for is Waze for its live data reporting - other users tell you about cops on the road ahead of you.
Also with kids it's great to have a high quality camera (13MP) & camcorder in one that you carry with you all the time with no extra effort. That is priceless.
All this said, people don't balk at paying ~$150 for their triple play entertainment package so even at $50/mo. for this convenience, capability, and portability, it shouldn't be a showstopper.
Shhh...too much tech explaining and heads might explode. This is the thread of sacrifice and caveman self-sufficiency. How dare you have that wasteful luxury and declare it "useful" while good people tie string to Progresso soup cans to communicate.
Love it, worth it, wouldn't go without it. Entertainment, news, games, info, communication, GPS, maps at my fingertips. Saves me tons of hassle, time and money for work and personal use. The OP question is insipid. We know you "don't need luxuries" and consider anything you don't want to pay for to be a "luxury." If you don't want one, don't get one. No one cares. As always what is a "luxury" or "necessity" is defined by the individual, but I'm sure this will fill up 12 vortexian pages of tech vs anti-tech arguments like there aren't already 50 threads of the same.
Agreed. Just what we need. A new vortex subject to go around and around about!
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