Anyone else sort of over the SmartPhone thing?

[Vic Vega]

Where are you people getting that kind of money to splurge on devices and monthly plans like these ? Are you the 1%-ers?

For me, I just don't see the need or even the want to have an expensive device in my pocket, and monthly bill, that pulls me further into the internet and away from MeatSpace.

My phone was $150.00 and my plan is $37 a month including taxes and fees.

Also, the 1% thing is played out.

Edit: My wife is a banker and sees all sorts of people and how much money they have and what they are spending their money on. From what she tells me, most people CAN'T (as in, should not be) affording these stupid expensive $100+ per month plans - they simply have them at the expense of other things like paying the power bill on time, paying their rent on time, etc.

 

[Capt Caveman]

to many it's just a fad/trend.

i think to many who otherwise wouldn't get/don't give a shit about computers own one.

Or people that leave the comfort's of their parent's basement and social may find them invaluable.

 

[Murloc]

I still haven't switched to smartphones, but I see how they can be useful. I don't use my phone enough to justify getting a subscription, and I don't need mail or the internet when not at home or in class. I don't need higher writing speed either.

So yeah, I'm not over it, I didn't even start.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I might be willing to buy a smart phone but why should I let Verizon gouge me again. When I can take my wireless enabled laptop and a sip phone and do everything anyone can do with a smartphone with greater convience at any free public WIFI hotspot in the nation.

You can't fit a laptop your pocket or conveniently carry it with you all day. I've got a ultraportable laptop, netbook, and a tablet but I still use my Galaxy S2 all the time. Ultimately the device you can always have with you is the most useful one

Where are you people getting that kind of money to splurge on devices and monthly plans like these ? Are you the 1%-ers?

For me, I just don't see the need or even the want to have an expensive device in my pocket, and monthly bill, that pulls me further into the internet and away from MeatSpace.

My smartphone costs $15 more a month than the dumbphone it replaced and I picked it up for $1 on sale.Strait talk offers such affordable unlimited plans that you don't need to spend an arm and a leg to have a high end smartphone.

 

[PeeluckyDuckee]

I don't lust for smartphones as I used to. My very first smartphone was an iPhone 3GS, that was amazing not because it is an iPhone, but amazing because it was my very first smartphone and opened my eyes to all the possibilities. Then came the iPhone 4, better in the sense that I could perform tasks faster with greater visual clarity. The iPhone's attraction (metal and glass) was also what later on turned me away, to the Galaxy S2. The S2 had a larger display, yet holding it in my hand felt half the weight of the iPhone 4. Sure the S2 was built on plastic but it didn't feel cheap at all. The android experience on the S2 was decent, not too shabby that would make me turn it away and go back to IOS on the iPhone.

After the S2 is my current phone, Galaxy Nexus. With ICS and later on JB it is a joy to use. Battery life on S2 and Nexus is not really up there with iPhone, but seriously for a heavy user like myself no smartphone battery life can satisfy me. I do like the flexibility of being able to switch out a battery whenever it dies on me, with the iPhone I can't do that.

My user experience has plateau'd and I don't see the new iPhone 5, especially considering it's price ($700) being twice as good as my current Nexus ($350). Being how good the Nexus already is, I can't really justify giving it up and spending money on the next latest and greatest smartphone. Can't justify the money, as it seems like smartphones have plateau'd in what it can bring and do for its users. What I would like to see now is improved battery life.

I went from paying (not including long distance charges) $110/mnth on the 3GS, to $70/mnth on the iPhone 4, to $55/mnth on the S2, to $25/mnth now on my GNexus. Each reduction in cost technically did reduce the amount of service I am able to receive on paper, but in practicality I gained service through my transition from reliance of voice services over to data services (skype/tango). I do about 1000 minutes long distance, so without relying on voice and instead on Skype/tango, that alone has saved me enough money to buy me at least two smartphones a year.

For me I'll continue to use my smartphone daily, but little do I see how future smartphones can benefit me based on my usage pattern.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I have to comment on how people in this thread keep talking about productivity and how they don't see themselves increasing it with smartphones. So what? Do you have to justify everything you buy in terms of productivity?

When I'm in my car I plug my smartphone into my stereo and listen to podcasts. Quite often there will be names, places, or other things mentioned in the podcasts that I want to know more about. Then I pick up my smartphone and look them up (after pulling over of course). I pull into a convenience store and buy some gas with my credit card. When I get back into my car I see that there is an email on my smartphone telling me that my credit card balance has fallen below the parameters I set for an alert. I then open up an app and pay my credit card balance right there, while I'm thinking about it. Perhaps I might even want to check my bank account to see if my last paycheck has been deposited before doing that. Guess what, I can do that right then and there. When a new book comes out that I want to read I can get it instantly on audible or through various other real text services. Audible works better when we're talking about a phone though. When I'm waiting for basically anything I can pull up tapatalk and post on Anandtech. When there is particularly long wait, say at the doctors office, I can watch another episode of Breaking Bad or play a game.

Most of the stuff I'm talking about here doesn't even involve productivity. Some of it does, but most of it is entertainment at my fingertips 24/7. Every time you were doing something boring, staring at your steering wheel or a 6 month old copy of better homes and gardens in a place you don't want to be in, you could instead be engaging your mind in something truly of your choosing. If your writing off smartphones just on the basis that you can't easily do your taxes on it, or type up an excell spreadsheet, or build a scale 3d model of a house on it, you're missing out on the majority of what a smartphone can bring to your life. Smartphones just make a lot of stuff you already do more immediately available in places they weren't before. They have the potential to fill gaps in your life that you didn't know existed.

Admittedly there are other devices that can do the same, but if we're going to say that you don't need a smartphone because you've already got a transformer with 3G connectivity then basically what you've got is a really big smartphone anyway. One of the important things is Internet connectivity everywhere after all. An equally important thing is having that connectivity in your pocket. It really changes things in ways I never imagined before having a smartphone.

 

[Bateluer]

I like gadgets and technology in general.

 

[Oakenfold]

For you folks talking about using Straight Talk just make sure you don't hit that 2GB limit per month for their "unlimited" plan....

 

[RossMAN]

Damn, $12/mo is insanely cheap lol.

Yep it sure is especially when compared to post paid or even some prepaid plans.

 

[Vic Vega]

For you folks talking about using Straight Talk just make sure you don't hit that 2GB limit per month for their "unlimited" plan....

ST doesn't have this anywhere in their TOS. I have used well over that amount when I was with them.

 

[TwiceOver]

My wife and I use Old Moto DroidX phones on PagePlus. She has the $40 plan and I'm on the $12 plan. Even if we didn't want the data, Verizon would force it on us just to have a smartphone and our bill would be about $180/mo for the pair. We have wifi at home, work, and just about every place we frequent, so no/little data isn't a big deal at all IMO. I have enough data with the $12 plan to receive work/personal emails, calendar updates, weather, google voicemail all on the go. That's enough for what I need.

As for the smartphone "culture", yeah I use the shit out of my phone, when appropriate. I don't dick with it in the car except to play podcasts, not at the dinner table, etc. But I do use the hell out of it for work and at the gym. Would I be "lost" without it? Probably not. But I would be looking to replace it immediately if I lost/broke it.

My buddy just got a 4s, his wife some sort of Android phone, and their son a dumb phone. He said his monthly from Verizon is $225/mo. That's INSANE! I honestly don't know how people can afford that. Even one phone is $90/mo which is ridiculous.

And on to the iPhone 5. I saw the news hubbub about it. It certainly looks cool and I'm impressed the specs they can pack into such a small device. But then I think about my naked DroidX phone that I dropped on the concrete twice last week alone and can't help to think how much shit I would be in if I dropped a $600 contract phone, especially an Apple one.

 

[Blackjack200]

But then I think about my naked DroidX phone that I dropped on the concrete twice last week alone and can't help to think how much shit I would be in if I dropped a $600 contract phone, especially an Apple one.

I've dropped my iPhone more times than I can remember, no problem. (Admittedly, I don't think I've ever dropped it from full ear height down to concrete, but there have been bad ones)

I have no idea how people spiderweb their iPhones. Maybe they fire them out of cannons or something.

 

[clamum]

ST doesn't have this anywhere in their TOS. I have used well over that amount when I was with them.

I've seen a couple references to that limit on the Internet but I wasn't sure what to believe. Doubt I would hit 2 GB a month anyway.

 

[Kaido]

Mine is mostly a camera and a social anxiety device. I find it really useful when I'm bored and waiting in line somewhere.

Also, I didn't see the tacos option until after I voted, dangit

 

[antef]

I've seen a couple references to that limit on the Internet but I wasn't sure what to believe. Doubt I would hit 2 GB a month anyway.

Straight Talk's terms say nothing about a 2 GB limit, what it does say however is that downloading large stuff and streaming music and video is technically prohibited. However they don't monitor this with sophisticated tools or anything and you can basically do whatever you like as long as you're not excessive and don't raise any red flags, hence the ~2 GB "limit" that people mention on message boards. Some people have used more without any issue. Basically, just don't worry about it and use your phone reasonably and it should be fine. I stream music on Straight Talk in my car but not all day every day.

I agree with everyone else here that smartphones are extremely useful to have but it's silly to overspend on the latest and greatest or overpriced cell plans. Just get something that works fine and save yourself a bunch of money. Commoditization is key. Very happy with my Galaxy Nexus on Straight Talk.