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I spent decades as a software engineer on the bleeding edge of technology. I figure I've earned my right to be a Luddite - if that were actually what I was doing. But I'm not.
Nobody should buy a computer at Best Buy. I used to build my own, but the last 2 were purchased online. I just can't see well enough and my hands are too fumbly. I have mine built by an online builder now.
A data phone does not replace a tablet which does not replace a netbook which does not replace a laptop which does not replace a desktop computer. I have a desktop computer for my daily needs and would never consider anything else for that purpose. I have a netbook which more than fills any need for connectivity while roaming about - mostly used in libraries and whatnot these days.
My data phone is useless as a computing device. The screen is too small, the touch keyboards are too hard for me to use, and frankly I don't feel the need to be constantly online anyway. I don't even have it set up for e-mail. My e-mail can dang well wait until I get around to it. And its functionality as a phone as been severely degraded in exchange for making it work well to play Angry Birds.
The screen size on even the largest cell phone is simply too small to make for pleasant surfing, or anything else other than reading the weather banner. IMO its even too small for GPS. My eyes are as old as the rest of me - and they're not up to seeing much of anything on that teeny tiny screen.
Cell phones are lousy computing devices. They're about as useful as a Gameboy - and largely serve the same purpose. They're optimized to play games and text, and that's about it. Now that I've had one for about 6 months, I can tell how little use it is to me. When the contract on this expires and it experiences forced upgrade - as another poster noted, new firmware speeds up the process of a phone becoming obsolete - it'll be gone, I'll go to one of the pay-as-you-go flip phones with no data plan, and I'll never miss the data phone at all.
I think there IS a useful purpose for mobile phones, for emergencies, 911, to call AAA, etc. But that purpose is adequately served without having to have a data phone at 10x the cost.
I have two words for you: reading glasses. That and you need to spring for an actual office suite for your smart phone and the HDMI cable that will give you a large screen monitor any place you can find a flat screen TV. I have a folding bluetooth keyboard with real keys that is about the size of a paperback book when folded. It saves toting another piece of luggage around with me.
I do own a laptop and a desktop, but haven't picked up a tablet yet. My cell phone has a quad core cpu, 32 gigs of program ram, a 64 gig extra memory card, bluetooth, wifi, USB and 4g connectivity. All that and it fits in my shirt pocket and doubles as a mobile telephone. When I was working I even had a bluetooth interface for my hearing aids, and could take phone calls from either the company phone or my personal phone with the touch of a button, without even getting them out of my pocket. I felt like I had a ST-TNG communicator on me, while flip phones are ST-TOS communicators.
Yes, I still use my desktop for editing photos and videos. There are times you need as much speed as possible, just like in the old days when a full project rebuild would take 4 hours, but most people would get along fine with a 10 year old computer, just like they get along fine with an ancient flip phone.
I sympathize a bit with dropping out of the tech race. I don't even use twitter, and don't have an instagram account. My internet experience started long before there was a world wide web, and I still gravitate to text that would display fine on a VT-100. I still find a smart phone to be a very useful digital Swiss Army Knife.
That's akin to saying books, newspapers, and magazines are "useless" and "lousy" because your eyes can't make out the print.
Nonsense.
What it is akin to is saying that large print format is the better medium to read these, than it would be if they are printed in miniaturized format, in a small font.
I HAVE reading glasses. They're even NEW reading glasses, from my optometrist appointment about a month ago.
That doesn't change the fact that the screen on even a large cell phone is less than 4" wide. You simply CANNOT populate enough of that screen for it to be anything but a hassle to deal with trying to browse with the thing. Plus, websites are "optimized" to run better on tiny phones like that, which means they don't look much like the same website on your PC.
The browser controls are different, even for the same browser. It's just a pain to deal with it.
If I want to be online, I do that at home, on my 26" monitor, in comfort, and without ending up accidentally clicking links because I'm trying to use the zoom function, which means I then have to scroll the thing up, down, and left and right to be able to read the entire page.
By the time you add a bluetooth keyboard, and a cable to "plug in" to a larger monitor, etc etc - all devices intended to make your cell phone more like a real computer - why don't you just stick with a netbook to start with?
It is more trouble than its worth. I don't see the need to be online at all times anyway.
We have 2 phone lines-the house, landline (which we have 3 cordless phones & one old non-cordless phone in case of power outage) and our cell-flip phone. We only use the cell when we travel. Until a few months ago-we were paying something like $30 a month for a phone that we only used a couple of times a year. So, we switched to a pay-as-you-go service. Saves us a ton of money.
We also have the desk top (that I am using right now), another older desk top that isn't connected to internet that my husband used to play games but the screen doesn't work right so he now uses the laptop which has portable hotspot that we use when we travel.
As for cameras-I have 3 really nice cameras. I don't need one on my phone.
I HAVE reading glasses. They're even NEW reading glasses, from my optometrist appointment about a month ago.
That doesn't change the fact that the screen on even a large cell phone is less than 4" wide. You simply CANNOT populate enough of that screen for it to be anything but a hassle to deal with trying to browse with the thing. Plus, websites are "optimized" to run better on tiny phones like that, which means they don't look much like the same website on your PC.
The browser controls are different, even for the same browser. It's just a pain to deal with it.
If I want to be online, I do that at home, on my 26" monitor, in comfort, and without ending up accidentally clicking links because I'm trying to use the zoom function, which means I then have to scroll the thing up, down, and left and right to be able to read the entire page.
By the time you add a bluetooth keyboard, and a cable to "plug in" to a larger monitor, etc etc - all devices intended to make your cell phone more like a real computer - why don't you just stick with a netbook to start with?
It is more trouble than its worth. I don't see the need to be online at all times anyway.
YMMV. But that doesn't make me an idiot.
I sympathize with your embarrassment, but the problem is in your head, not reality. Netbooks don't have anywhere near the capabilities of a smart phone. They also don't have a full sized keyboard. My bluetooth keyboard folds up to the size of a paperback book and tucks into my luggage, and I still have full functionality of my cell phone without it.
Yes, your home computer with a land line and a digital camera/video cam will do almost everything the cell phone in my pocket will do, except perhaps for the GPS function. If you never go anywhere, you won't need GPS anyway. I find it very pleasant to be able to listen to my own music play list or audio book on a long drive or flight. The web sites I access on the road (news, weather, etc.) mostly have a mobile optimized page that displays just fine on the phone screen. I see no need to pack along six pounds of bird cages and waffle irons just to have basic computational ability on the road. I even run the calculator app at the supermarket to find out if the special is really a special. And it fits in my shirt pocket and doubles as a telephone.
I spent decades as a software engineer on the bleeding edge of technology. I figure I've earned my right to be a Luddite - if that were actually what I was doing. But I'm not.
Nobody should buy a computer at Best Buy. I used to build my own, but the last 2 were purchased online. I just can't see well enough and my hands are too fumbly. I have mine built by an online builder now.
A data phone does not replace a tablet which does not replace a netbook which does not replace a laptop which does not replace a desktop computer. I have a desktop computer for my daily needs and would never consider anything else for that purpose. I have a netbook which more than fills any need for connectivity while roaming about - mostly used in libraries and whatnot these days.
My data phone is useless as a computing device. The screen is too small, the touch keyboards are too hard for me to use, and frankly I don't feel the need to be constantly online anyway. I don't even have it set up for e-mail. My e-mail can dang well wait until I get around to it. And its functionality as a phone as been severely degraded in exchange for making it work well to play Angry Birds.
The screen size on even the largest cell phone is simply too small to make for pleasant surfing, or anything else other than reading the weather banner. IMO its even too small for GPS. My eyes are as old as the rest of me - and they're not up to seeing much of anything on that teeny tiny screen.
Cell phones are lousy computing devices. They're about as useful as a Gameboy - and largely serve the same purpose. They're optimized to play games and text, and that's about it. Now that I've had one for about 6 months, I can tell how little use it is to me. When the contract on this expires and it experiences forced upgrade - as another poster noted, new firmware speeds up the process of a phone becoming obsolete - it'll be gone, I'll go to one of the pay-as-you-go flip phones with no data plan, and I'll never miss the data phone at all.
I think there IS a useful purpose for mobile phones, for emergencies, 911, to call AAA, etc. But that purpose is adequately served without having to have a data phone at 10x the cost.
I wasn't suggesting that anyone buy a computer at Best Buy. I was suggesting that people notice what I noticed last time I visited. We bought ours from Dell, actually. And if my perusal of newer Dell offerings via catalog is any indication, they are offering fewer standalone computers.
I am sure that a regular computer does more things well than many mobile computers, but I am told that people do get along with only mobile computers. One family member did so for a number of years. I believe for this person, the chosen home computer is now a Microsoft Surface + smartphones. It frankly astonishes me that anyone would not have a printer, but apparently this is now fairly common.
I stand by my opinion that progress moves forward, and it is best to move with it, at least to some extent. I also think that eventually I will be left in the dust, as I become less able to adjust to new things.
If you cannot imagine using a smartphone, then by all means don't buy one. If you can't afford it, then don't buy one. But I don't think NOT buying a smartphone should be decided by whether or not we are too old. (Unless we are also too incapacitated.)
Yes, your home computer with a land line and a digital camera/video cam will do almost everything the cell phone in my pocket will do, except perhaps for the GPS function. If you never go anywhere, you won't need GPS anyway. I find it very pleasant to be able to listen to my own music play list or audio book on a long drive or flight. The web sites I access on the road (news, weather, etc.) mostly have a mobile optimized page that displays just fine on the phone screen. I see no need to pack along six pounds of bird cages and waffle irons just to have basic computational ability on the road. I even run the calculator app at the supermarket to find out if the special is really a special. And it fits in my shirt pocket and doubles as a telephone.
Many hotels have computers in their lobbies available to guests. If you can't live a couple of weeks without a computer that's an easy solution. But why take a vacation to use the internet? Almost anyone can connect from home, but they sure can't see the sights or enjoy a good meal if they're eyes are glued to a screen..
I started using cellphones before most people had cellphones with the second generation Motorola portable cellphone which were available after the briefcase portable phones. That Motorola portable cellphone was many times the size and weight of today's cellphones. For many years I used a flip phone. I started with a plan that only cost me about $6 a month for 30 minutes, and zero if I did not use it at all during a month. Later, I changed to T-mobiles 1,000 minutes for $100 a year.
I then switch to a cheap $50 smart phone for a year still using the prepaid T-mobile service. The cheap smart phone had a very slow processor and would take 2 to 3 minutes to place a phone call, since the phone was so slow. I thought about switching back to a flip phone since it is much faster than a slow, cheap smart phone. But I decided to get an iphone 6 plus after getting used to the work iphone 5S phone for a year. The iphones are addicting. The iphones are the 'gold' standard of cellphones, superior to the Android cellphones. However, the iphones are not cheap. My unlocked iphone 6 plus with 128 gig memory was about $1,000. The T-Mobile service is cheap, only costing me about $25 a month for unlimited service because I share a family plan with a relative.
I listen to a lot of podcasts with the iphone. I also download and play music locally with a Spotify music subscription. The music and podcasts are downloaded when I am near Wi-Fi, so I am not dependent on streaming the music and podcasts. Web browsing comes in handy at times. It gives you something to do when you are stuck in a slow checkout line at a store. I don't use my tablet as often, since the iphone 6 plus has a large enough screen.
Wit-nit must be one of the last holdouts in America that is still using a rotary phone at home. Even people on welfare living in poverty don't live that way! One option is to get a push button phone that converts the push buttons to pulses. Using a rotary dial is just too privative, unless you like living like a caveman!
Suralvr - You don't need Facetime for video chats. Skype can be used for free.
I only know one person who refuses to buy and use a cellphone. He stops at gas stations and asks to use the store's phone! Pay phones are almost non-existent, except for at airports. One day, I suspect he'll get to trouble and will be burned by not owning a cellphone.
Cellphones also have a built in GPS and are also a flashlight if you have a flashlight app.
You have to decide how much you can afford or how much you are willing to spend. I think spending close to $100 a month, or more on the service is way too high. If you are paying that much every month, you should try to join a relative or friends family plan to drastically reduce you monthly cost. You may need an unlocked cellphone to join a family plan. My share of the family plan is only $25 a month.
Verizon is the most expensive career, plus they have the Super-cookie. The Super-cookie spies on everything you do with the smartphone. Verizon charges far more than any other cellphone company and they rip you off even more by spying on you by selling your information, and then they give you nothing in return. If you have Verizon service, you should call them and demand that they disable the Super-cookie on your phone, unless you enjoy being spied on and having your information sold to the highest bidder.
I think a cellphone can come in very handy if you get into an accident or need help. It's cheap insurance. Recently, there was a person that was marooned at sea in a disabled sailboat for two months off the east coast. In that situation, a cellphone isn't enough. You need to have an emergency satellite locator device and you should also have a satellite phone. That guy could have easily died. Apparently his life isn't worth the cost of an emergency satellite locator device or satellite phone. If I boated on the ocean or lived in a very isolated area, I would have both emergency communications devices. The cost of those devices is cheap compared to the cost of losing your life.
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