Ditch Smartphones?

[quest7]

Nope, I don't own a pc and this is as good as it gets. It's like a portable pc for me.

 

[dchawk81]

I wonder if anyone's opinions have changed since Verizon implemented their new data tiers and Virgin USA announced an increase in their fees.

 

[JStormz]

As long as I'm grandfathered in for now I don't mind, but that may change in the future

 

[dchawk81]

That's about how I feel.

I wonder what our limit is as a nation though. When do we collectively stand up and let the carriers know we're not going to pay such huge fees anymore? Do we ever grow a spine?

 

[kc8flb]

That's about how I feel.

I wonder what our limit is as a nation though. When do we collectively stand up and let the carriers know we're not going to pay such huge fees anymore? Do we ever grow a spine?

How do you propose "we" do that?

The only power we really have is to vote with our dollars. If they started charging 1000 a month, maybe lots of people would cancel and find alternatives.

Do you have another way?

 

[davidnc]

I use my smartphone as a smartphone too more then the actual phone part as in talking on it .

But I cant say I would never go back to a dumb phone just depends on the circumstances.
I can live without a smartphone but it is nice to have ,But isnt life threatening
.

 

[dchawk81]

I hear ya on that. My phone use is negligible, but I couldn't do without at least something that does talk & text. I'd probably end up rocking a feature phone just for the QWERTY.

 

[dwaynewilliams#WN]

I actually did a little experiment with myself last year where I went a week without using a smartphone. I used a regular flip phone that didn't even have internet capability. It was an enlightening experience. I thought for sure that I would find that I don't need a smartphone, but that wasn't the case. The first few days I was going through withdrawals. After that Rita was just plain frustrating. I couldn't get emails in the go. I found myself in situations where I needed to do an internet search for something on the go and couldn't. There were several situations where I needed to use GPS ans didn't have it. I actually had to call places and ask for directions which was tedious. I didn't have my calendar on me at all times so I felt disorganized. Task lists, social networking, RSS, podcasts, music, e-reader, camera were all things that I needed and didn't have. But the most frustrating was the messaging. Typing on a regular dial pad was excruciating. I actually got so frustrated with texting and emailing that I ended up making a ton of calls instead. My smartphone is necessary because I use it to keep my life organized, convenient, efficient, and engaging.

 

[dchawk81]

I bought a $15 Samsung flip for Verizon prepaid last night. It's mostly so I can take credit cards on my Epic over the phone (that whole CDMA issue).

It's the most basic thing but it has a calendar, memo, calculator, and email. It even has web access and verizon navigator. Obviously some of these things cost either in a direct fee or the data requirement.

Obviously I'm not getting rid of the smart phone because of the CC apps, but I probably won't jump on a new one every two years anymore either.

 

[Buggy11]

Some days when I have 83848589 emails I wish I didn't have a phone at all.

 

[dchawk81]

I wish I got that much attention. As long as it's not spam. Haha

 

[Jux]

I bought a $15 Samsung flip for Verizon prepaid last night. It's mostly so I can take credit cards on my Epic over the phone (that whole CDMA issue).

It's the most basic thing but it has a calendar, memo, calculator, and email. It even has web access and verizon navigator. Obviously some of these things cost either in a direct fee or the data requirement.

Obviously I'm not getting rid of the smart phone because of the CC apps, but I probably won't jump on a new one every two years anymore either.

About a year and a half ago, I was in Las Vegas and I lost my phone in between casinos. The next day, I head to a T-Mobile store, they give me a free SIM card and I pick up one of those $20 prepaid devices to get me through the next two days of my vacation. It was a cheap Nokia candybar phone, and it was dirty bare bones. No MMS. No emails, no web access.

I had an iPhone at the time, and switching to that Nokia was terrible. I couldn't manipulate the old T9 keypad for texting, I couldn't send picture messages, couldn't update social networks, my contacts didn't auto populate from the cloud ... I thought I was going to lose my mind.

I could never go back.

 

[dchawk81]

I hear ya. I use almost every feature and have additional apps that get hit up regularly.

I'd miss them like crazy at first if I only had a basic flip, but I could still live without them. It'd be like the drug withdrawal process.

Having said that, I haven't been pushed away from my smart phone financially yet.

 

[JesseMT4G]

If money was real tight, yes I could do without. I have been close a couple times over the last couple of years, lol! When I think of all the money I would save it sometimes makes me want to punch a baby kitten.

I will do what it takes to keep my family afloat.

 

[dchawk81]

It's true. If you look a the big picture, it adds up to insane amounts of money.