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> But doesn't virtually anyone have a smartphone now? my elderly father sails. he has a fairly modern android smart phone, but he has absolutely no ability to
by serf 4y ago
> But doesn't virtually anyone have a smartphone now?
my elderly father sails.
he has a fairly modern android smart phone, but he has absolutely no ability to use the phone outside the large 'make a phone call' button that was setup for him by family in the middle of his locked-down homescreen. He requested his phone be setup this way because he
1) has no interest to learn a how a smartphone works outside the small paradigm that he believes a phone should work and
2) he has trouble with the dexterity required to use a touch-screen and not press every button on the screen inadvertently during normal use.
so , tl;dr : don't assume that having a smart phone means having the ability or know-how to use even half of the things that it's capable of. Some people have smart phones simply because they were carried into the decision by the tides of time; many would probably still be using rotary land-lines if they got their preference.
- can16358p 4y agoWell if he learned to use the Maps app on his phone wouldn't it help him a lot? At this point it becomes more of a business/hobby/profession-related thing to learn that would help a lot, rather than a trend or a luxury.
- themadturk 4y agoBut if he's an elderly sailor, that means he learned decades ago how to navigate without electronics. People have navigated for thousands of years without electronics, even without light houses. For many it's a point of pride and a pleasure that they do things like this "the old fashioned way."
- sccxy 4y agoPeople have run aground for thousands of years without electronics, even without lighthouses... It is always amusing to listen old sea dogs after they run aground and they tell you that they have always sailed there and never had any problems. Even after that they still claim that iPads are toys and only dumb youngsters use them.
- pabs3 4y agoThere are rotary mobile phones available today: https://skysedge.com/unsmartphones/RUSP/index.html https://skysedge.com/unsmartphones/RUSP/index.html https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31166026 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31166026