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I used a Nokia 208 for about 8 months last year, coming from a Moto G, and leaving to a Nexus 6. Battery life was the best part by far. My phone wouldn't need

I used a Nokia 208 for about 8 months last year, coming from a Moto G, and leaving to a Nexus 6. Battery life was the best part by far. My phone wouldn't need to touch a charger more than every other day. One feature that I was glad to not be without was tethering-- it has a 3g radio, and after some setup I got tethering working on my laptop. The part that I didn't like was not having a GPS and Camera. I used a sansa clip for my music, but I don't have a standalone camera or GPS. I wonder if I would have enjoyed sticking with a dumb-phone if I had bought a Garmin eTrex and a DSLR instead of a Nexus. That's something that I think we take for granted with our smartphones: They're really not that good at what we use them for. My sansa clip has 128gb of storage and plays my FLAC library flawlessly, gets days of battery life, and is convenient for exercising. A DSLR will knock the socks off my Nexus 6's camera. An eTrex has enough battery life and precision to make sure I never get lost, and can be loaded with OSM data-- no internet required. I think generally speaking, you know when you're going to want to take a photo, or be navigated via gps, or listen to music. So why not take the route that allows you to experience those tasks at their best? I can't speak much for the social effects of it. I didn't feel any more in-the-moment.

quanticle 11y ago
I think generally speaking, you know when you're going to want to take a photo, or be navigated via gps, or listen to music. So why not take the route that allows you to experience those tasks at their best? Because life is all about trade-offs. Yes, I can buy an eTrex, a Nikon D5, a standalone audio player, and a phone. But now I have 4 devices, each of which needs to be kept charged and kept track of. With a smartphone, I have a decent GPS, a decent camera, a decent audio player (which can play FLAC with the right apps), and a decent phone. I can carry one thing in my pocket, or a backpack full of gear. That's not to say there isn't a time and a place for specialized kit. If I'm camping, for example, I'm definitely going to use a dedicated GPS device, rather than an easily breakable, low-endurance smartphone. If I'm out on vacation, I'm going to take a proper camera in addition to my smartphone. Most of the time, though, I don't need the advanced capabilities that a dedicated device would give me. A phone gives me easily 60 to 75% of the same capabilities, at a much smaller fraction of the space needed.
khedoros 11y ago
I agree with your points and made similar ones on a thread yesterday. A counterargument is that the best version of a device is whichever one you tend to have with you when you need it. The phone's a subpar camera, but it's a better camera than what I used to habitually carry around with me (i.e. nothing). It's like a Swiss army knife: it's got "meh" versions of a lot of tools, but the benefits are versatility and convenience.
icebraining 11y ago
Because getting a decent camera, standalone GPS, music player, ebook reader and phone is quite expensive for many of us, and the marginal benefit is often minimal (Offline OSM maps? Try OsmAnd. 128GB of storage? Most smartphones accept SD cards).
- nickysielicki 11y ago
  I don't disagree with you. These things are expensive, and I don't own a camera or a GPS or an ebook reader for that reason. I will say this, though. my MP3 player cost $30 (+$50 for sd card) and my nokia 208 cost $30 on ebay. I'll use my mp3 player for years to come, and if I didn't go back to a smartphone I'd be using that phone for years, too. I imagine a good camera, ebook reader, GPS, etc. would outperform smartphones for years to come, too. It might be more expensive in the short term, but I think it can ultimately save money.
  - icebraining 11y ago
    Smartphones last years, too. My 2012 Nexus 7 (I use a tablet + $20 dumbphone combo, not a smartphone) is still going strong - even after being literally submerged while turned on! - so I'm not planning to upgrade it any time soon. Around here, we pay for our smartphones out of pocket (the vast majority of people have prepaid SIMs, not contracts), so you can bet we're not replacing our phones every year :)
nickthemagicman 11y ago
I have Spotify for music, with almost every album known to mankind. I have a 13mp camera which is on par with most professional cameras, and Garmin literally uses the same gps coordinates that phones use except phones have much more sophisticated apps. Imo phones are the best at everything. Not trying to be condescending but maybe you just need to utilize your phone better?
morganvachon 11y ago
That phone (Nokia 208) is beautiful in its simplicity. I'm seriously tempted to import one just to have it as a solid backup.

quanticle 11y ago

I think generally speaking, you know when you're going to want to take a photo, or be navigated via gps, or listen to music. So why not take the route that allows you to experience those tasks at their best? Because life is all about trade-offs. Yes, I can buy an eTrex, a Nikon D5, a standalone audio player, and a phone. But now I have 4 devices, each of which needs to be kept charged and kept track of. With a smartphone, I have a decent GPS, a decent camera, a decent audio player (which can play FLAC with the right apps), and a decent phone. I can carry one thing in my pocket, or a backpack full of gear. That's not to say there isn't a time and a place for specialized kit. If I'm camping, for example, I'm definitely going to use a dedicated GPS device, rather than an easily breakable, low-endurance smartphone. If I'm out on vacation, I'm going to take a proper camera in addition to my smartphone. Most of the time, though, I don't need the advanced capabilities that a dedicated device would give me. A phone gives me easily 60 to 75% of the same capabilities, at a much smaller fraction of the space needed.

khedoros 11y ago

I agree with your points and made similar ones on a thread yesterday. A counterargument is that the best version of a device is whichever one you tend to have with you when you need it. The phone's a subpar camera, but it's a better camera than what I used to habitually carry around with me (i.e. nothing). It's like a Swiss army knife: it's got "meh" versions of a lot of tools, but the benefits are versatility and convenience.

icebraining 11y ago

Because getting a decent camera, standalone GPS, music player, ebook reader and phone is quite expensive for many of us, and the marginal benefit is often minimal (Offline OSM maps? Try OsmAnd. 128GB of storage? Most smartphones accept SD cards).

nickysielicki 11y ago
I don't disagree with you. These things are expensive, and I don't own a camera or a GPS or an ebook reader for that reason. I will say this, though. my MP3 player cost $30 (+$50 for sd card) and my nokia 208 cost $30 on ebay. I'll use my mp3 player for years to come, and if I didn't go back to a smartphone I'd be using that phone for years, too. I imagine a good camera, ebook reader, GPS, etc. would outperform smartphones for years to come, too. It might be more expensive in the short term, but I think it can ultimately save money.
- icebraining 11y ago
  Smartphones last years, too. My 2012 Nexus 7 (I use a tablet + $20 dumbphone combo, not a smartphone) is still going strong - even after being literally submerged while turned on! - so I'm not planning to upgrade it any time soon. Around here, we pay for our smartphones out of pocket (the vast majority of people have prepaid SIMs, not contracts), so you can bet we're not replacing our phones every year :)

nickthemagicman 11y ago

I have Spotify for music, with almost every album known to mankind. I have a 13mp camera which is on par with most professional cameras, and Garmin literally uses the same gps coordinates that phones use except phones have much more sophisticated apps. Imo phones are the best at everything. Not trying to be condescending but maybe you just need to utilize your phone better?

morganvachon 11y ago

That phone (Nokia 208) is beautiful in its simplicity. I'm seriously tempted to import one just to have it as a solid backup.