Not Everyone Has a Smartphone (Whiny Rant)

[Mel]

I know in America at least, you can call 911 on any cellphone, even if that cell isn't activated/doesn't have minutes/you don't have a plan.

Here too.

 

[Swamp-Dweller]

Dumb phone here but it does have a handy dandy slide out keyboard (not that I text much). The hubby wants me to get an iPhone like him but so far I am resisting. We do not have a house phone and haven't since 2004.

We have Verizon Wireless as it has the best coverage for different areas we have lived and travel to.

 

[Freesia]

I pay about $20 per month on my phone. But that is because it is prepay, i dont have a contract. And I try and not use the data as it costs.

 

[Kitties]

lol. It seems like my plan is both expensive and cheap.

fadedone, I have a plan. It's not prepaid. I have only 20 anytime minutes and 20 night/weekend minutes per month. I've only gone over 2-3 times in years. I can text. I've only texted very few times and I don't remember the cost .25 maybe?

Should flip phones become obsolete I'll purchase the next most basic phone.

I don't want to give up a cell though. I often drive home after midnight and I feel a lot better having a cell phone.

 

[mlp]

Should flip phones become obsolete I'll purchase the next most basic phone.

I don't want to give up a cell though. I often drive home after midnight and I feel a lot better having a cell phone.

This is me too. Not so much the driving home after midnight, but I'm often on longish trips with one or more of the animals (my avian vet is about two hours away), and when I have animals in the car, it's important to me to be able to get help quickly if something happens, especially if it's very hot or cold.

 

[thefadedone]

Mine's a flip phone. It still works. Once it breaks I'll either give up entirely or get whatever's available. It's hardly worth it though, because all the places I'm liable to go around here don't have coverage either. My van broke down not too long ago, and it broke down where there's no signal, so I waited til the dog catcher drove by, who called the CHP, who called a tow truck. I'd probably be better of with a CB radio myself.

You really live in the middle of nowhere huh?

 

[das_nut]

You can still buy a flip phone - my significant other picked on up last week.

 

[FortyTwo]

Happily enamored with my smart phone, mostly due to the mobile gaming phenomenon and the ridiculous potential as a massively multipurpose tool.

I'm a bit of a futurist, though, so I tend to go over the top. It's just that the idea of a device that has so many functions, in a market where strict competition is forcing more and more improvements at an insane speed, is amazing to me. Smart phones and tablets are quickly becoming the pinnacle of computer science, at least until quantum computing is invented (go Crichton!)

 

[Pickle Juice]

You really live in the middle of nowhere huh?

Kinda. It's weird, because I'm only forty miles away from Yosemite, which is an internationally known destination, but my town is an official ghost town, and so is the next town to the west, and I guess people don't think ghosts need cellphones.

 

[Amy SF]

Kinda. It's weird, because I'm only forty miles away from Yosemite, which is an internationally known destination, but my town is an official ghost town, and so is the next town to the west, and I guess people don't think ghosts need cellphones.

I've read about some parts of the country that are remote enough that the residents are stuck in the 20th century; there is no cellular service or high speed internet. They have to use dial up for internet and downloading anything takes all day.

 

[Poppy]

I adore my smartphone. I love that I can do almost anything I could do on a computer nearly anywhere. I do not have a tablet - don't think I need one, and I don't like the bigger size.

 

[kibbleforlola]

I adore my smartphone. I love that I can do almost anything I could do on a computer nearly anywhere. I do not have a tablet - don't think I need one, and I don't like the bigger size.

I felt this way too. I have a laptop, and I have a smart phone, why do I need a tablet? It seemed like an unnecessary middle size that I really didn't need. And then I inherited bf's ipad 2 when he upgraded. And I really do use it all the time. It's really useful for school, because I ended up buying several of my texts as kindle versions, and lots of my teachers do pdfs of primary sources and additional readings, and my ipad makes it easy to organize and keep track of these documents. And it weighs a lot less than my laptop, and makes my backpack more manageable.

So, now I can see the usefulness.

 

[das_nut]

I've read about some parts of the country that are remote enough that the residents are stuck in the 20th century; there is no cellular service or high speed internet. They have to use dial up for internet and downloading anything takes all day.

"Read about" makes it seem so exotic.

 

[Amy SF]

"Read about" makes it seem so exotic.

I don't know what you mean by that.

 

[das_nut]

I don't know what you mean by that.

I've grown up in areas where even today cell phone coverage is spotty or non-existent. So it's somewhat second nature to me.

It feels weird to find someone who doesn't share that experience, and must read about it instead.

 

[Amy SF]

I've grown up in areas where even today cell phone coverage is spotty or non-existent. So it's somewhat second nature to me.

It feels weird to find someone who doesn't share that experience, and must read about it instead.

Oh. Yeah, well, because I live in Los Angeles County. There is a cellular tower alongside the San Diego Freeway in West Los Angeles that is disguised as a tree. Not very well, I might add. But that's L.A.

Actually, there are some areas in L.A. that have nonexistent or spotty cellular reception, but not very many areas. One area is in the middle of Topanga Canyon. There is an outdoor theater there. I once took my niece there for an acting class, and I wanted to call my mother to let her know I got her there. I couldn't use my cellphone, so I had to use the pay phone at the theater. For one brief second I was going, "How do you work this thing?" and "Do I have enough change?", something I haven't had to worry about for a loooong time.

 

[das_nut]

I've had the opposite problem once - I was camping, which involved canoing across two lakes, portaging, then canoing to an island in the middle of a third lake.

And I managed to receive a cell phone call while camping!

 

[PTree15]

I don't have a smartphone because I have no interest in being obligated to pay for a data plan when I am around internet-capable computers nearly all the time. I text more than I call, so as long as my phone has those two functions, I am good. I drowned my cell phone in the clothes washer a few months back and went to the Verizon Wireless store to replace it. I was going crazy because I thought all the non-smartphones had been phased out. then I spotted a small display of only three options labeled "basic phones". Only one of those three was designed for heavy texting with a full keyboard, so that's the one I got. I am worried what the options will be when I have to replace my phone next time...

I hear you. I don't want to pay for the data plan, either, so I still have a slide phone with the keyboard, as I text a lot as well. I think I am going to keep my current phone for my next Verizon contract. If they keep phasing out the basic phone, I'm going to have to go back prepaid phones or something. I will NOT be forced into buying a data plan.

 

[Muggle]

One of the things I love about my smart phones (I actually have two ) is that I can talk to you guys a lot more.

Like right now I'm in a coffee shop and everybody in here apart from me is American. It's rather strange..
Also, I'm currently hunting for books on local folklore. I know I can get them from amazon because I've checked on my phone but I'm trying to get them from local shops or from the library.
I've found all apart from two that I wanted. One (the most expensive) has been requested from another library branch for me. I have one last charity shop to check and if I can't find the other then I can order it from amazon from my phone.
Although the ease of being able to order things isn't really good news for my bank account.

 

[Cerebellion]

At least it's more convenient to check how much money you don't have.