Nothing wrong with not having one...

What do you mean by "Am afraid I'll be like those idiots pretending to drive on the highway - but are really on the I-Phone"?

I have a cheap flip phone and a pay as you go service. That is all I need, I don't like to talk on something that puts out radiation and has safety warning's like "keep the phone at least one inch from you body when you use it". I use it because I save $30. a month for a service I only use maybe 2 times a month.

I'm also curious. Just what does a smartphone do that my Go Phone doesn't?

I use a cell phone to make and receive phone calls, maybe 3 or 4 times a week. I do not need a phone to surf the web, check email, or broadcast my every movement on Facebook or Twitter.

To pay more than bare minimum for a phone would be a serious waste of money for me.

OP, what do you fear you might be missing?

I was at a function last weekend, sitting at a table with 4 people who were all doing something on their smart phones. I am an old fart, I guess, and thought that being at a public event with other people was a social situation, that involved speaking directly to other people. Perhaps if I had a smart phone, I could have texted the people across the table. Maybe I should have brought a book to read.

An iphone or other smartphone is in my opinion more of a hand held computer with on demand internet access than it is a phone. I use it to essentially manage all my life functions from wherever I happen to be. If you are home all the time you probably don't need a mobile device to do that but I'm not home all the time. I work, I travel, I have a weekend lake home, etc.

I use mine for personal and business email, my calendar which is synced with my office, all my contacts who I can email or call with one click, notepad for writing anything and everything down whenever I need to, notepad for keeping track of DHs to-do list which I email him from time to time with one click, calculator, currency conversion, metric conversion, multiple to do list apps to keep grocery lists and other shopping lists; another to do app to keep track of all the stuff I need to get done by date, shopping online whenever I have a need with Amazon app, have an app to control the temperature of my HVAC, maps app to figure out how to get to where I'm going especially if I need to make a move in a traffic jam, app to check traffic, maps app combined with search capability to find stores and other destinations when I'm out and about or on vacation, I take all my pictures with my phone camera now and have all my pics with me in my pocket all the time, online banking via my phone including depositing checks, I do my work expense reports on my phone, check the weather, listen to music while I'm exercising, access my electronic medical record and communicate with my doctor and the list goes on.

It is the kind of thing that you don't know what you were missing until you have one.

annkh, I don't think you are an old fart, I think you are smart. I love electronic toys, but expensive phones are not for me. Now buying a desktop computer that is a different thing. I use it a lot and buy the best I can find.

"...It is the kind of thing that you don't know what you were missing until you have one...."

To me it only made your life more complicated. Do you REALLY need a phone that adjusts the heat in your home?
Do you really need to shop from your phone?
Where I live, waiting for 5 cars at the stop sign is traffic.

That sounds more like a toy.

I read in a forum where someone said their phone bill ran $700. a month due to cells and contracts. I would have to be very, very rich to pay a bill like that.

Even if I was very, very rich I had rather give that money to someone who needs it.

This post was edited by EmmaR on Sun, Oct 20, 13 at 13:28

Cell phones don't have to cost $700 a month... bet that was some strange and unusual circumstance.

We have five lines on our account. Four smart phones and 1 regular one. We pay no where near that amount per month.

My iPhone does not complicate my life... in fact it makes it easier.
But I would agree that it is not for everyone.
And I do not see how a computer (that you can fit into your hand!) is a "toy".

Emma, don't believe everything you read on the internet.

The strange and unusual circumstance were the amount of cells used and their contracts. They have family plans now that save you money, maybe not back then. Think of a family of six with cell phones before family plans.

I guess I just live the simple life. I have no need to carry a mini computer around with me at all times. In winter, if I want to adjust the heat, I move the lever on the woodstove.

No malls within an hour's drive, we have the smallest Wal Mart in the country, we just got cable TV past our house two years ago, (but we still have DirecTV) And our neighbors all know each other.

I wonder how many people on this forum can put down their smartphone and not touch it for 4 hours during the day without going through withdrawal.

Some say that up here we're 50 years behind the times. After living in NJ and PA, I welcome it.

christopherh, unlock the door, I am on my way, I love peace and quiet, a simple life.

I think we need personal contact with each other. With cells I think there will be less bonding with each other, less looking at each other, shaking hands and hugs. I saw a mother in the store with 3 small children and they were running to keep up with her and calling mommy, mommy. She didn't hear them or was ignoring them, she was on her cell.

"I wonder how many people on this forum can put down their smartphone and not touch it for 4 hours during the day without going through withdrawal. "
Only 4 hours?... piece of cake!
There are days that it is not turned on at all... Not a problem.

In addition to a lot of the above, I use mine all the time for on the spot research. Is this saw I want a good model? I didn't realize I had to choose between x and y, what's the difference? Is this feature worth spending more for, or just get the basic model? Need to try another store, how do I get to x store that was suggested? Bridge closed for repairs, need an alternate route.

I also make an effort to go paperless when possible. I can snap pics of info or things I need to remember. I can send them to someone if needed. I can access them at home on other devices when needed. I can pull up coupons while shopping, I often get them emailed to me. I can also pull up any order confirmations either online, via email if emailed to me, or by looking for a screen shot if I took one.

It's great for travel. I can pull up any info from my flight, hotel booking, registration confirmation for a conference, etc. One large conference I attend each year puts out an app with all sorts of details. I can add programs I want to attend to my schedule. I can mark the exhibits I want to see, then view them on a map of the exhibit hall.

I got my mother an iPhone. She likes it because she can integrate it with her Mac laptops easily, and she can use FaceTime to see everyone if she wants to. My nephew can call her on FaceTime and show off his loose tooth. Or latest soccer moves, or whatever else he is excited about. I can call her for tech support during my DIY adventures to show her what problem I ran into and we can work out a solution.

I guess it's just a matter of what your life is like. My sister doesn't have any type of smart phone. She has no interest in online stuff. She's just fine. I like the option to use technology to my advantage if I can. I have figured out the things I need to make it assist in my life rather than take over. I use my iPhone more like a personal assistant I can take with me that has a file full of all the paperwork I might need, and an infinite knowledge on any subject. And doesn't laugh at me when I get lost :-)

williamsen I like your last sentence, thanks for the smile.

EmmaR,

We don't lock our doors. The only times we do lock them is if we're away for more than a couple days.

After being in the rat race for a number of years, my wife and I realized the rats were winning, and we left. we packed up and came to Vermont and made our part time business our full time business.

Both our blood pressures dropped drastically, and we slowed down. I like going to a general store instead of a convenience store. You can still run a tab.

Good for you. You were lucky to have someone who enjoys that kind of life also.

I think if you do have a simple life, are at home most of the time and have lots of time to do whatever you need to do you might not find a smartphone/iPhone all that helpful. If you have a busy life, work and/or travel a fair amount, etc. it's helpful. It makes it easier for me to manage my life rather than increasing complexity. It allows me to get things done while waiting for appointments, sitting in the hairdresser chair, riding in the car when I would otherwise be doing nothing, etc.

Living in a cold climate, if I'm out of town I turn my furnace way down to save energy/$. While not necessary to be able to warm the house up before I get home, it is nice to be able to do so. Same can be said of AC during hot weather but that's not so much of an issue in Minnesota. I thought this was overkill too but it came with my new furnace and I've found it to be surprisingly useful.

My total monthly phone bill with unlimited data plan is $39.99 plus tax - a great value for me considering all the benefit I get from the smartphone.

I agree with you gibby, I live a simple life. Everyone grown and gone, so I live a pretty solitary life except for a few neighbors. I have one credit card which I use for everything over $15., bills paid by auto draft and eat out most of the time. A simple life and I love it. It's a good thing I do. LOL

This post was edited by EmmaR on Tue, Oct 22, 13 at 20:12

"Cell phones don't have to cost $700 a month... bet that was some strange and unusual circumstance.
We have five lines on our account. Four smart phones and 1 regular one. We pay no where near that amount per month."

I'm curious. How much does it cost to have 5 phones?

They may not have had the family plan then or maybe they were very rich and had the best set up they could have.

I'm 53 and still have my dumb flip phone. I'm happy with it but can see uses for a newer, smart phone.

I have a father who is almost 80 and lives a thousand miles away. At least 10 years ago, while he was still healthy and walking daily I tried to convince him to go to the library and learn how to use a computer. He saw no use for it. His attitude towards anything new is quite negative. It's always a bunch of B......t. His girlfriend had the same attitude. I tried to tell him that it would be fun for me to send him pictures of his grandkids and he'd get messages from them, not necessarily canned jokes. Still, it was a bunch of B......t.

Fast forward 10 years. Before my father ended up in the Nursing Home the girlfriend called me to tell me they were being evicted from their apartment.....in three days! They were packing only some clothes and necessities and I had no idea if they'd be staying in a shelter or in a box under a bridge. I was frantic, knowing that I had an impossible task in front of me. I asked the girlfriend (because my father was now an invalid) to go to the Walmart a few blocks away and buy a cheap flip phone. I told her she might need to charge it for a day and she'd have to follow the instructions to get a phone number assigned. Then I also told her how general delivery mail worked, because I really believed they were going to be out on the streets.

In the meantime I did call several organizations and to make a very long story short my dad ended up in a Nursing Home. For some reason he has to provide his own phone. The girlfriend did buy him a cordless phone but so many times he can't get to it (he is an invalid). He never calls me because he gets charged for long distance. I think of him often but don't communicate as much as I want. I send him things in the mail and more often than not he says he didn't receive it.

How I wish he could use a tablet! I would love to buy him a little tablet in the $100.00 range if only he had the mind frame to learn a few basic steps to open his mail.

On the other hand my mom, who lives close by, decided that she was going to jump on the computer band wagon ten years ago or so. All she does is e-mail but is so happy to keep up with her out of town friends and relatives. It just shows me that if you put your foot down and say you're never going to take technology further technology really doesn't care and will leave you behind.

"How much does it cost to have 5 phones? "

Just over 200 bucks.

A month??

Yes.

"How much does it cost to have 5 phones? "

>Just over 200 bucks."

Thank you LuAnn.

I did get a land line again. I was tired of worrying about what the cell was doing to my body. I went with my cable company and I really lucked out. They have a promotion going for the best phone service for $9 a month for 2 years, no contract and only $5. taxes. Very good deal.

For a working mom with teenagers (16 and 18 years old) my smartphone is great. Here is why...

I manage all appointments on my smartphone calendar. My children's calendars on their phones sync with my calendar and vice versa. You can also post appointments as personal so that they do not sync. I "subscribe" to the calendar feeds related to their sports teams. If a game gets cancelled, my calendar is automatically updated with the new date, time and location.

I too use the app on my phone to control my heat/ac when needed. If we are out later than normal why heat the house. If we shut the ac and want to turn it on before we arrive home, why not...

I also have an app that controls my home alarm and lights. Everything is preprogrammed but it does send me a message each time the system is armed or disarmed so I know if the kids have gotten home or left. I can change the schedule my lights are on as well.

GPS, for someone who drives a lot. Why have the option installed in your car when the phone will be constantly updated with new streets, detours etc...

Since I am not home during the day, newsfeeds, weather, banking are a convenience. I have an app that tracks my cycle as well. I have even traded stocks on it.

Low on gas, ask SIri to find you the nearest station.

Set reminders for birthdays, appointments, to do lists. Manage your grocery list. I never have papers floating around with notes, everything is in my phone. With a recent kitchen remodel I had set reminders to mail in the rebates before a certain date.

My library books and digital books download to my phone so I don't have to carry my book with me.

My pharmacy has an app that lets me refill prescriptions in about 6 seconds.

Obviously my music and emails.

My home voice mails also download phone, never need to dial in during the day to check.

When I want to have a face to face conversation with my son at college, FaceTime. His grandmother, who has an IPad, even FaceTimed him and saw his room etc...

For parents that want to track the location of their child's phone. Say they are not answering you and you want to know if they got to a friend's house ok. You can do that. I have only done that a couple times. But once my child was past his curfew, the locator showed him off the actual road, and he was, pulled over for speeding. My children know I would only use this app if I was concerned or worried and they are fine with it. I have their phone passwords and actually they have mine.

Security is not an issue, phone is pass coded and if I ever lost it can be remotely wiped of all nformation.

I am not one of those who you will ever see with my phone next to me at work, in a restaurant etc...

Can I live without it, absolutely. There is certainly a monetary cost associated with the conveniences and luxuries it offers. For me, it is such a time saver and organizer it is we'll worth...

There are two generations answering this question. I am retired and would rather use my tower PC and old flip phone. Since I'm home most of the time it is easy to send a quick email to any of the kids to read on their smart phones. Can just answer or hang up with the flip.

My upgrade is due and need a new phone. The darn flip phones are the same price and now with additional options which are of no use to me. The larger phone screens are nice, but still need my darn glasses to read anything of importance and it is too easy to go somewhere into cyberspace not wanted. Admission though, I would definitely use the app to compare pricing/stores.

Can't tell you how many times someone has to show me a pic they have on their phone....I either nod or say something nice unless my glasses are nearby. The kids have accommodated me by sending pics through email. And I'll hang on to my Nikon D70 with all the functions in my head.

The gathering of old people not wanting smart phones will fade away and this is not too far away. "New" old people will be the generation already skilled. But I have a vision of needing the old magnifying screens being put over them, those used in front of the first TVs in the 40s.

Even an Ipad drives me nuts due to size in getting around for all I want to do. Am an ex IT person, 40 years of computer evolution experience. Still love new software and learning more. I like my fast access, multiple software programs and a "fat" built computer with a 42" screen for photography. We can be set in our ways, but there are physical limitations which also direct us to what works for our needs.

Regarding the 700 a month. Enough people, aps, games, online use can easily jump to this. Family plan or not.. My son downloads books, usually once a month while he is sleeping. The data used is about 600 for this one shot. Phones used for business can easily run the monthly charge posted.

This reminds me of one of my favorite commercials from Office Depot. Grandma is taking pictures of her kids with a hand stapler she picked up instead of the camera they gave her. My humor may be off the map.

I am knowledgeable about electronics, I handle 95% of my electronic problems myself even though I am almost 76. I don't like the cells because of the safety warnings in the manuals and have had personal experience to know it is serious. I also don't need one. I get about 2 calls a month, mostly use my phone to call for appointments. Why should I read emails or look at photos on a tiny phone when I have my desk top computer. Now if I was younger and had a career, especially if I had to travel I would probably have one in a brief case. I really don't like phones I prefer personal contact. I also believe people spend so much time on electronics they are losing the bond that personal contact gives them. I think they can be just as addictive as a drug. A child growing up with that kind of activity is not healthy.....in my opinion. They need personal contact with society.

" I prefer personal contact. I also believe people spend so much time on electronics they are losing the bond that personal contact gives them. I think they can be just as addictive as a drug. A child growing up with that kind of activity is not healthy.....in my opinion. They need personal contact with society."

I know you are talking about phones... but the same can be said about computers (and message boards!) and video games.

I agree Lu Ann. TV, work and other things can do it also. I have seen nothing do it like social networks and phones. When our children were small we encouraged them to play outside instead of watching TV all day. Luckily both my kids liked playing outside and we did not have TVs in their bedrooms. We were lucky to be able to afford a TV in the living room.

I am 67 and received an IPhone for Christmas from my son's family. I am loving the texting. Also, we have a home in the southern part of our state and don't have internet access there. With my IPhone I can get online with my IPad ( another gift from my son). Would hate to be without it...

Are they breeding folks to have fingers that come to a more pointed end?

It seems that they can manipulate jeans now to accomplish almost anything.

What's that you say - wrong spelling ... that it's supposed to be "genes"?

Life does get complicated!

o j

Love my iphone. I use it for travel directions, traffic info, research, checking business hours, work and personal email, taking photos and movies, calling ahead to order take out, etc. During a recent family reunion it was super handy for "we're in the lobby, is Mom dressed yet?" text messages. A major time saver that helps me stay connected with family and friends.

EmmaR : no offense but you sound like you grew up in a low income household perhaps? Where luxuries were few and far in between. To me this is a psychological thing.... an iPhone is a luxury ( or any latest smart phone really), which is why you say you don't need it and are comfortable without it. Sort of like saying "what do rich people need 10K sq foot homes for? A small 1200 sq foot house is enough."

We are moving into a technologically driven future. You're either part of it or left behind (if that's what you want). I'm sure before the car was mass produced and affordable people were fine with horse and buggy, but look at us now, eh?

I use my phone all day, from sending/checking emails, surfing the web/news, comparison shopping ( in store), showing my coupons on my iPhone (no more clipping or key chain tags), playing games, fitness log, listening to music, letting others know not to bother me (when on a train, elevator, etc) etc etc, -it's part of my life.

Yes it's true I'd rather not spend $210/month on cell phones, but that's the price for being up to date on the whole world.

In my not so humble opinion it's a generational thing.

The kids (under 25) cannot exist without the phones. Because they know nothing else. They were raised with them.

But as we get older the need decreases. Over 40 and some call us Neanderthals. Over 60 and we're still using the Post Office to send letters!

Also location has a lot to do with it. Urban/suburban people "need" them to exist, whereas we in the boonies don't.

So if we're over 40 and live in the country, we still use these things as.... telephones!

I'm going to disagree with you, Christopherh, I don't think it has anything to do with age or geography.

If you have a phone and a PC, then you have the same thing as a smartphone. Only difference is, your equipment isn't portable.

You seem to like to diss people who don't live in the country. Without the development of the internet, you wouldn't be able to do that from a distance.