Anyone still with a trusty dumbphone/going lower tech?

[KeithTalent]

Nope, I use my smartphone for way too much non-phone stuff to survive with a dumb phone.

KT

 

[highland145]

We do have that discussion and I'm hosting 2016

dafuq? It's my turn.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Nope, I use my smartphone for way too much non-phone stuff to survive with a dumb phone.

KT

Me too. One thing I dislike though, is people switching to facebook messenger instead of smsing me! That is not a trend I enjoy.

Plus, so many games I can play!

 

[BurnItDwn]

a dumb phone is the kind plugged into the wall.

There is nothing low tech about an "old" cell phone.

 

[KeithTalent]

Me too. One thing I dislike though, is people switching to facebook messenger instead of smsing me! That is not a trend I enjoy.

Plus, so many games I can play!

Yeah people tried to do that with me too. I told them I just will not respond unless they text me instead. I refuse to install that Facebook messenger thing.

KT

 

[IronWing]

How are all these people on *this* forum?

(any forum, really?)

Shouldn't they be gathered around the water cooler, discussing when Luddite Fest 2015 is going down?

I'm not a Luddite, I'm a cheapskate. Sometimes indistinguishable, I know.


Okay, so my landline comes with a voicemail box I never set up because the answering machine still works just fine. But the answering machine was bleeding edge technology when I bought it.

 

[highland145]

a dumb phone is the kind plugged into the wall.

And after a 4 day power outage, it works anyway.:biggrin:

 

[Svnla]

I used to have a Motorola flip phone for a few years and then changed to another Motorola kinda "smart" phone to able to check email and look up things online and it worked for over 5 years.

Just changed to Nokia 635 because the kinda "smart" phone was dead (unable to power up completely).

 

[BurnItDwn]

And after a 4 day power outage, it works anyway.:biggrin:

4 day power outage, yikes!
I would just plug a cell phone into the charger in the car, or use a solar charger, or build a small wind generator if I was that long without power to my home.

 

[Capt Caveman]

4 day power outage, yikes!
I would just plug a cell phone into the charger in the car, or use a solar charger, or build a small wind generator if I was that long without power to my home.

I have several large external battery packs. A week camping, my smartphone is charged the whole time.

 

[Eug]

I figure a basic phone should do the following:

1. Make phone calls
2. Send texts

A smarter phone should do the following:

1. Make phone calls
2. Send texts
3. Send MMS
4. Check email
5. Surf the net
6. Etc.

The problem with 99.9% of dumb phones is that they can only do #1 effectively. It's next to impossible to text accurately and quickly with dumbphones.

And considering cheap smartphones do all of the above, there is basically no reason to get a dumbphone these days.

BTW, I own several dumbphones, but they're just backups, including my trusty old Nokia 6190.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I got a smartphone because I thought they were neat and then I found all sorts of uses for them that kept me with them.

Things I do with my smartphone:

pay the majority of my bills
get directions to places
order items online
check bank/credit card account balances
listen to books/music/podcasts
advertise for my business in social media apps
control my home theater
compare prices in stores (and immediately order if I find a lower price)
keep track of business cards
track diet and exercise
watch streaming video through plex, amazon instant, and netflix
get weather forecasts
view security camera feeds at my business
trade stocks
play games
read books

I've always been absent minded, remembering things at inopportune times and then forgetting to do them before the opportune time came. Smartphones were a godsend to me because they allow me to do many of those things at the moment they occur to me. It's made me a far more efficient person. I'm never going back if I can help it.

 

[highland145]

4 day power outage, yikes!
I would just plug a cell phone into the charger in the car, or use a solar charger, or build a small wind generator if I was that long without power to my home.

:biggrin:

Fortunately, we only have those every 10 years or so.

I have several large external battery packs. A week camping, my smartphone is charged the whole time.

Isn't the whole idea of camping to get away from the crap of the world?

 

[poofyhairguy]

As far as I am concerned when Apple released the iPhone we entered a new age of computing.

We have had:

-the Research Age (Pre-60s)
-the Mainframe Age (60-70s)
-the Personal Computer Age (80s-00s)

Then the iPhone began the Mobile Age

At the exact moment that happened, things like desktop CPUs and GPUs all got less important. Now the economies of scale are going into SoCs, better small screens and camera sensors.

Some nerds want to put their heads in the sand and pretend this didn't happen, and that smartphones and tablets are some kind of fad. Just like I am sure there was some guy in a suit at IBM circa 1981 that never saw the personal computer taking off.

Personally I follow the mobile market with the same passion that I followed PCs back in the 90's because I am tech enthusiast and that is where the market went.

I think some "nerds" are less tech enthusiasts and more focused on tech because of their occupation, so it doesn't surprise me that some here might still have flip phones.

Heck I know more than one programmer who can't build a PC, replace a smartphone screen or even tell you what "SoC" in a smartphone stands for. They learned to program because it was a mathematical career that made decent money and not because they love technology. To me someone like that isn't a nerd, just a technical worker. Unless of course they are nerdy for non-tech reasons like they have a Star Trek replica uniform in their closest.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Isn't the whole idea of camping to get away from the crap of the world?

I still like being connected. Plus, access to weather, gps and camera are always useful to have

 

[Rakehellion]

Anyone still with a trusty dumbphone/going lower tech?

I read "trusty dumbphone" as "rusty trombone."

I prefer the latter.

 

[Imp]

Ya... but it looks like a Blackberry (i.e. keyboard). Got it because texting, the only thing I really did with it, got annoying with my $50 flip phone. Considering how many times I've accidentally turned my current phone on or titty dialed (phoned a friend while in breast pocket), I want a flip phone again.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Tried smartphones (they were crappy Windows ones but still), gave up and went back to a decent Nokia 301:

http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_301-5323.php

I had hoped for 2 weeks battery life not 1, but its sufficient. Am I missing something? Couldn't care less about apps and I only (and barely) use them for calls and texts ($50 or less a year maybe). I'm not 90yrs old either. And yes I've recently started to wear a watch again.

Seems like the more tech we have the more I can't be bothered shifting. Prefer offline and low tech.

You do realize the GSM (2G) network is going away, right? Happy trails.

 

[ViperXX]

I read "trusty dumbphone" as "rusty trombone."

I prefer the latter.

I did too, LOL!

 

[rh71]

Things I do with my smartphone:

pay the majority of my bills
get directions to places
order items online
check bank/credit card account balances
listen to books/music/podcasts
advertise for my business in social media apps
control my home theater
compare prices in stores (and immediately order if I find a lower price)
keep track of business cards
track diet and exercise
watch streaming video through plex, amazon instant, and netflix
get weather forecasts
view security camera feeds at my business
trade stocks
play games
read books

A few more big ones for me:
- to-do task list (because shit pops into your head randomly)
- your entire music collection for every car via bluetooth
- GPS with super fast interface and POI instead of clunky devices including built-ins
- coupons for when you randomly pop into a store

 

[IronWing]

I read "trusty dumbphone" as "rusty trombone."

I prefer the latter.

Did you know that the trombone was named from the village of Troms in northern Norway? The instrument was originally carved from whale bones that would wash ashore during storms.

 

[JamesV]

I bought a Moto X last year, since I figured it would only cost me $20 a month if I use it for three years. I'm on Republic, so my cell phone bill is only $12 a month. I refuse to listen to music or watch TV or movies on it; I can't understand how people do that, when a home theater setup is far superior.

When I first got it, I installed games and a ton of apps.

Now, I only use it for messaging, phone calls, the alarm app, and the very rare Google map lookup.

Games suck on it, and any phone I've tried. Besides fingers getting in the way, I don't like the small screen, and absolutely hate in app purchase schemes and games needing things like my location. Same goes for apps; there is hardly anything out there useful to me.

So when my Moto X dies, I'll probably get the cheapest non-smart phone available, or dust off my old Samsung 900 MHz cordless phone.

 

[Eug]

I bought a Moto X last year, since I figured it would only cost me $20 a month if I use it for three years. I'm on Republic, so my cell phone bill is only $12 a month. I refuse to listen to music or watch TV or movies on it; I can't understand how people do that, when a home theater setup is far superior.

When I first got it, I installed games and a ton of apps.

Now, I only use it for messaging, phone calls, the alarm app, and the very rare Google map lookup.

Games suck on it, and any phone I've tried. Besides fingers getting in the way, I don't like the small screen, and absolutely hate in app purchase schemes and games needing things like my location. Same goes for apps; there is hardly anything out there useful to me.

So when my Moto X dies, I'll probably get the cheapest non-smart phone available

How are you going to do your messaging?

P.S. Most people I know don't carry their home theatres with them on the bus.

 

[preslove]

I read "trusty dumbphone" as "rusty trombone."

I prefer the latter.

Me too! I'm *this close* to making a parody thread...

 

[Eug]

I'm glad I looked up the meaning in urban dictionary instead of doing a google image search.