General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI finally got a smart phone
After years of bragging about I only want a phone that makes calls. Not even texts. While at a meeting Wednesday night I watched as people were looking up info during a heated discussion. So I got a smart phone with wi-fi. Just turning it on was a challenge. Culture shock.
OS
Freddie
(9,278 posts)You'll pry my iPhone out of my cold dead hands. Easy to read/comment/post on DU too.
Lex
(34,108 posts)for my job. The map/GPS app also helped me out greatly more than once. Love my smartphone.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Lex
(34,108 posts)In new places when traveling?
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Omaha Steve
(99,843 posts)But that doesn't help in a meeting outside my car.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)why would I buy a GPS for my car when I have both every map and timetable in the world available in my purse?
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)magnifying glass. Hence, the awesome gps in my car that talks to me. I don't need to look at it, but when I do, I can see it. And it's free! (well, it was wrapped into the price of the car. No monthly fees.)
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)it tracks me on the map and verbally warns me a minute or so before I will have to make a turn, it's super easy.
Also, it provides exploded views of the map for each step of the trip if I feel I must look at it- but the verbal prompts are so good- I never really do.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)must be better than mine!
EOTE
(13,409 posts)It's basically a public service. You can have a smart phone with no service and you'd still get GPS capability. And most smartphones are in the 4" to 5" range. If you can't read the 5" screen on my S4 without squinting, you're probably very close to being legally blind.
DontTreadOnMe
(2,442 posts)don't text a photo of your peepee to anyone unless you also are prepared for it to be on the internet for all to see
DJ13
(23,671 posts)Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)let's see...who's nice sized weiner pic could be used? Hmmmmm.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)But of course I'm too SMART to do such a stoopid thing!
Response to Omaha Steve (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
clydefrand
(4,325 posts)I'd be afraid I'd turn out to be to dumb to figure out how to use it.
Response to clydefrand (Reply #6)
Name removed Message auto-removed
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)My first smartphone was a Windows one, big mistake, but I still have and use it. The one I got over a year ago has Android, and I really like it. I do pack both of them around on belt holsters like some sort of ubergeek.
Omaha Steve
(99,843 posts)I'll be recycling TWO old dumb phones.
We had dinner plans for a week with our neighbors. Mom & pop place with no wi-fi. But it has been on
http://joetessplace.com/
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)I just bought a small Lenovo tablet, but only because the price was an absolute steal. I may live to regret that!
Really, it'll change your life. You will be able to find out anything you need, practically anywhere you are. That's a game changer. I'd have to say that the easily portable Internet-connected device will have as much effect on society as the printing press, if not more.
randome
(34,845 posts)They're called 'phones'.
[hr]
[font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font]
[hr]
KentuckyWoman
(6,697 posts)As soon as I say "fancy phone" all the co-workers roll their eyes and know they can't email me the link at midnight for whatever the latest YouTube viral hit might be.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)But a phone is one-stop researching, I guess...phone and researching, together.
They're very expensive, both the initial cost & the monthly.
I don't go to mtgs where research is necessary, so I'll still with my prepaid Tracfone. I spend $200 a year, my minutes roll forward, and I use the same cell towers that the smart phone users do.
I also don't turn my phone on most of the time. I don't WANT people callingme when I'm in my car or at a store.
IDemo
(16,926 posts)I did make the change from a flip-phone to a 'feature phone' last year. It has a somewhat useless camera and can store tunes. No GPS, and not missing it.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Omaha Steve
(99,843 posts)The meeting was where there was no wi-fi. It doesn't have cell capability that I know of. Our granddaughters tablet has 20-30 mins of battery. Not an option either.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)She can use her laptop anywhere. I checked it out, but I don't want to pay the monthly for that, esp since I don't really need it.
LWolf
(46,179 posts)I still can't figure out how to do much with it.
I hate swiping. Still.
I can't figure out how to get the pics of the phone without emailing them, one slow email at a time.
I can't figure out how to turn off the internet to save my minimal time without turning the whole phone off.
Not that I use the internet much; the screens too small to read, or, if I enlarge it, there's not enough to read to make sense of.
I don't text; I hate texting. And my keyboard is so small that this 60+ wmp touch typist can't type a few words without errors.
So far, the only useful thing its got that my old "dumb" phone didn't is the navigator. Which, of course, I can't use while driving.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)don't have to look at all. You would have to link and synch with a computer to download pics. Very easy.
And as much as you hate swiping, it helps a lot when you enlarge text to read it.
There are great resources on the net- you could spend 20 minutes looking for demos or top tips and really learn a lot. I bet there are 4-5 features or programs you never knew existed that you'll find really helpful! Good luck!
oregonjen
(3,347 posts)I have an iPhone. Does Google maps work that way?
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)searched for a route home (it's linked to contacts too) It just started talking to me, LOL.
On mine it's the apparently untitled MAPS that came loaded on the I phone? The last upgrade added the voice thing. I was dubious at first, but it was correct on my location the whole way home, every exit and turn. And the guide has a nice reassuring voice too!
Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)Get the free flashlight ap. Can't tell you how many times I've used that one.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)madokie
(51,076 posts)Our phones are antiques. I'm 65 now and I got a letter from AARP telling me I can get a phone plan that is much cheaper than the one we have now so we're going to look into that and possibly get smart phones.
I'm sure my 6 going on 10 year old grand daughter will have to help me figure it out. funny how that works
Omaha Steve
(99,843 posts)catrose
(5,079 posts)southerncrone
(5,506 posts)Did not take me long to realize that I was not smart enough to own a smart phone! LOL
I still don't know what all it can do, or how to do much on it. The only thing I can do that I couldn't w/my old phone is access the internet. My learning curve is steep.
Hope you are a faster, or more interested learner.
ecstatic
(32,782 posts)Only problem is, it's a computer first, phone last. I can't tell you how many times I've had to restart the phone before making a call. How disastrous would that be in an emergency?
Unless you plan to buy a backup phone and keep it charged, don't go crazy on the apps. More apps (especially running in the background) might translate into a delay in answering or receiving calls during an emergency. I turn background, sync, and mobile data off at night and that helps a lot.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)has had a cell phone since they were the size of a brick. He's had the same cell phone number since 1997. He still won't get rid of his landline.
I resisted getting a cell phone until 2005. Mine is still a flip phone. I don't want to send or receive texts. I have an iPod Touch that handles the smart phone stuff where wifi is available. I'm also cheap and don't want a huge data plan that comes with a smartphone.
(I wrote this post on an iPod Touch. When it craps out I'll likely get an iPad.)
duffyduff
(3,251 posts)That's what I will stick with. I don't really care about an iPhone or any of those anyway.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)phone access everywhere i go, don't want others to have access to me.
i don't understand people who do.
duffyduff
(3,251 posts)I can't even understand why people would have them in place of a computer; the screens are too stinking tiny.
I don't text either; it is more trouble than it is worth.
B Calm
(28,762 posts)was do away with my cell phone! No regrets at all and I'm saving a ton of money!
Savannahmann
(3,891 posts)That should save time when your name comes up in the future.
Tommy_Carcetti
(43,227 posts)I like the camera.
That's about it. The rest is just phone calls and texts, which I could do from my old phone.
Overrated.
Omaha Steve
(99,843 posts)My granddaughter showed me how to use voice recognition to send my texts, goggle searches, etc..
whttevrr
(2,345 posts)We now can track you... go ahead, press the pretty pictures.
Oh, and search for things.
We like when you search.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)My advice: Take some time, learn your way around your new phone, play with the software.
Think of it as a handheld computer that also makes phone calls. Like learning to use a PC, there's some learning required to use a smartphone, but they're in general pretty user-friendly.
A lot of us (especially me) find them to be incredibly addictive toys. Have fun with it!
Omaha Steve
(99,843 posts)I forgot to order the screen protector when I ordered the 32 gig memory card.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gameloft.android.ANMP.GloftDMHM&hl=en
Description
Grus loyal, yellow, gibberish-speaking Minions are ready for their toughest challenge in Despicable Me: Minion Rush. Play as a Minion and compete with others in hilarious, fast-paced challenges in order to impress your boss, (former?) super-villain Gru! Jump, fly, dodge obstacles, collect bananas, be mischievous, and defeat villains to earn the title of Minion of the Year!
ALL THE HEART AND HUMOR OF DESPICABLE ME
Enjoy unpredictably hilarious Minion moments
Perform despicable acts through hundreds of missions
Omaha Steve
(99,843 posts)https://www.consumercellular.com/Info/PhoneDetails/483/Samsung-Galaxy-Exhilarate
As a bonus, it's an eco-friendly device and one of the few to have earned an Environmentally Preferable Platinum certification from Underwriters Laboratories (UL).