Anyone regret upgrading to a smart phone?
Jun 17, 2009 at 12:12 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 25
rhythmdevils

rhythmdevils

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Does anyone regret upgrading to a smart phone, with internet access, email, etc.?

I am considering taking apple up on it's iphone 3G sale, but I am a bit worried about being that "connected" all the time. I am really obsessed with checking my email while I'm at home, so part of me thinks it is a bad idea to have that all the time, and not walk away from it when I leave the house. However, another way of seeing it is that I would always be able to check my email, so it would loose any "specialness" to it, and I would be freed from feeling like I need to check my email.

Also, I just feel like it is a lot of technology to carry around all the time, and I'm not sure I want to have that much power in my pocket everywhere I go. It's convenient to be able to find a store on the go, but it's also nice to be lost sometimes.

I guess what I am asking, is do you own your smart phone, or does it own you?
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wrong place to ask about whether or not "upgrading" is a good idea or not, but I don't go to any other forums.
 
Jun 17, 2009 at 12:23 AM Post #2 of 25
I had the same misgivings about having a cellphone in the first place. I did not want one at all because I didn't want to be tethered.

It took an intervention style meeting (really) with my family before I signed up. They even got extended family to gang up on me.

Anyhow, I went and got the RAZR and came to like it. By the time the original iPhone came out, I was all over it. Two years on, I have no regrets. Sure, you're reachable and can check email constantly, but it's not that bad. Being able to kill time online when you're in line isn't so bad. At lunch, I can log on and post. Your life will adapt around the iPhone and you'll find it and the apps indispensable after awhile. I love having the HP12C emulator with me all the time, not to mention everything else.
 
Jun 17, 2009 at 2:14 AM Post #5 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I had the same misgivings about having a cellphone in the first place. I did not want one at all because I didn't want to be tethered.

It took an intervention style meeting (really) with my family before I signed up. They even got extended family to gang up on me.

Anyhow, I went and got the RAZR and came to like it. By the time the original iPhone came out, I was all over it. Two years on, I have no regrets. Sure, you're reachable and can check email constantly, but it's not that bad. Being able to kill time online when you're in line isn't so bad. At lunch, I can log on and post. Your life will adapt around the iPhone and you'll find it and the apps indispensable after awhile. I love having the HP12C emulator with me all the time, not to mention everything else.


so you're saying is that you are disfunctional without it?
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About waiting in line, it's kind of nice to be forced to look around, interact with the world while waiting places, maybe discover something you didn't expect.

I know at least a few people who have moved to a new town, or visited one for an extended period of time with a GPS system in their car. My sister for one, said that one time she tried to walk to the grocery store cause it was really close, and she had no idea how to get there...

I know it's the future, and it's futile to resist, I'm just not sure all this tech. is completely healthy. It's one thing to be dependent on calculators to add, but to be dependent on a phone to function properly is another story.

don't get me wrong, there are some things that I do bad anyways, and the calendar will be a good thing!
 
Jun 17, 2009 at 2:50 AM Post #6 of 25
No regrets here moving to a smartphone. I love being able to read/send email on the go, like if I'm selling something on Craigslist, and browsing the internet on smartphones is way better than regular cell phones. My smartphone even has true built in GPS and can make and receive calls over WiFi. There are tons of nice apps for killing time or helping you become more productive too.
 
Jun 17, 2009 at 2:51 AM Post #7 of 25
Smartphones is a meaningless category. You have the iPhone, its challengers the Palm Pre and Google Android. Everything else is substandard garbage (even though characteristic enterprise inertia means BlackBerry doesn't know it yet).

Yes, smartphones are very convenient. A proper browser is a revelation. Unfortunately, data plans are also very expensive when you factor in all the taxes the cellcos like to tack on to their bills. Expect to pay roughly $100 per month. The price of the smartphone itself is a rounding error compared to the price of the plan over its two-year duration.
 
Jun 17, 2009 at 4:27 AM Post #9 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by majid /img/forum/go_quote.gif
You have the iPhone, its challengers the Palm Pre and Google Android. Everything else is substandard garbage (even though characteristic enterprise inertia means BlackBerry doesn't know it yet).


You're joking, right?
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Jun 17, 2009 at 6:52 AM Post #10 of 25
I've had my Cingular 8125 since 2006 and I haven't regretted that purchase one bit. I don't have a data plan (useless since WiFi is EVERYWHERE) and don't use it for email or even texting (no plan for that either). Yet I still enjoy all the cool things I can do with it. I have programs like a remote desktop via the official terminal services client, an emulator for NES games I own, an RPN calculator, Myst, a few engineering tools, etc. I'm running it with Windows Mobile 6.5 RC1 on an overclocked CPU and the overall experience is pretty smooth.

I don't think I could live without the outlook calendar sync feature though. I'd be totally lost 90% of the time without it.
 
Jun 29, 2009 at 4:19 AM Post #11 of 25
I have a very basic Nokia that I can call and text with, and that's all I want to do with my phone. To take it further, I've been living in my apartment for the last 6 months without internet or cable. It was a great decision. I'm reclaiming time that was wasted by the internet/TV and using it for studying, listening to music, reading, whatever. I can go to the library 24/7 for internet if I need it.

I guess my point is you won't catch me with a "smart" phone any time soon, and I encourage you to take a more unplugged approach to life as well.
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Jun 29, 2009 at 5:28 AM Post #12 of 25
I have a Samsung SCH-i760. Got SPB Mobile Shell to compensate for MS Windows lame excuse for a mobile operating system and have actually really enjoyed it. Our University uses a third-party plug in to synchronize to Groupwise and it really works slick. I'm *really* connected with this thing...maybe *too* connected.
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Only downside is the OS--it bloats as easily as all the other MS products, but I do some routine maintenance on it and it treats me O.K.
 
Jun 29, 2009 at 5:49 AM Post #13 of 25
Jun 29, 2009 at 8:08 PM Post #14 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif
BTW: Never under any circumstances buy a Motorola product. Pure Garbage, in pretty packaging.


That's funny, I had one of the first-or-second generation Star-Tacs, and the thing was darned near indestructable. Of course, that was awhile ago, maybe longer ago than I'd like to admit.
rolleyes.gif
 
Jun 29, 2009 at 8:29 PM Post #15 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by Zaubertuba /img/forum/go_quote.gif
That's funny, I had one of the first-or-second generation Star-Tacs, and the thing was darned near indestructable. Of course, that was awhile ago, maybe longer ago than I'd like to admit.
rolleyes.gif



I remember the Startac, it was standard issue for the Arlington police at one time. Im sure it was a fantastic phone. I have had 2 Motorolas since then and they both turned out to be dogs. I think Im gonna stick with Nokia from now on.
 
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