6 ms·

A very personal opinion coming up. I agree with his conclusion that there has to be a 'better way' than the smart phone, but my situation is slightly different

A very personal opinion coming up. I agree with his conclusion that there has to be a 'better way' than the smart phone, but my situation is slightly different. The author still embraces technology as the best way to handle our day-to-day problems. Mine have turned somewhat away from that. A year ago I owned an iPhone 3GS. It was more than enough. I got the iPhone 4S, however, because some apps required a faster processor, so the simplest of tasks slowed down my 3GS. It just seemed like iOS was bulkier. Fast forward to the present day, and I find myself only using my smart phone (iPhone 4S) to listen to music and use its GPS/map function. Sometimes I use it to check for venue reviews. I send a couple messages a day, be it SMS or a messasing app, and probably talk on the phone an average of a few times a week for a few minutes. I use Twitter as an RSS feed, too. For all its prowess, I don't seem to be doing much on it. I would sell it and get a cheap $10 phone, except I already bought it and as an ex-musician, I cannot stand listening to the radio, so I plug it in to my car stereo for that reason. Basically, I feel like my smart phone was an expensive, over-rated, hyped piece of technology and machinery. Either we are not using it for the right reasons or it truly is a futile piece of metal that can be replaceable. Again, this is my situation. I don't have a calendar and meetings I need to keep tabs on, so it may very well be that I am not part of smart phone makers' target audience, oddly enough. Just another overstated opinion, I guess.

bornhuetter 14y ago
Have you considered getting a stand alone mp3 player? If you're really into music, the sound quality on a Cowon or a Sansa clip is better than on any phone I've listened to, and the battery lasts much much longer (I get about 100 hours on my Cowon J3). You can pick up a Sansa clip for about US40, and it comes with a Micro SD card slot, so you can chuck a 32-64gb card for not a lot of money.
- kafkaesque 14y ago
  Thank you. I will consider it. I used to not want to carry two bulky things, but that was because I used to live in a city where I only used public transport. Since I've moved to the US, I now have a car, so I guess I can always leave the MP3 player in there.
  - bornhuetter 14y ago
    I carry my Cowon J3 + phone on the tube everyday and don't find it a problem. It's thin and light enough that I barely notice it in a pocket. I'd recommend the Sansa Clip if you are going to leave it in the car - I leave mine in my gym bag. The sound quality is great, and it's cheap enough that it's not a huge deal if it gets lost/stolen.
angryasian 14y ago
I tend to agree, with both you and feld on your points. The only thing that really stands out for me is that, its there when I need it. When I'm lost I can pull up directions. If I'm standing around I can browse or play a game. If I need look up something quick I can google. If I need to compare prices I can amazon. If I do get an email that needs an immediate response I can do it (although email and chat are really a discipline on the user part to not answer everything right away). And of course pictures and video at a moments notice. Its these quick types of interactions that make this technology endearing for me. Otherwise all these apps are just complete nonsense.
- kafkaesque 14y ago
  I understand and agree if you have that need, sure. Personally, I don't. I was sold on the fact that 'It's there when you need it'. I believed it. Then I started calculating and understood that the amount of times I 'need' it and the low priority and non-emergency of the matter did not pay off. For example, I wanted Walmart to price match something on Amazon. They don't price-match online retailers. Okay. I'll buy it off of Amazon. Including taxes and shipping and handling, I would've saved $5. I'm not a consumerist, so I hardly buy things and wouldn't save that much a year. I'm probably a technology vendor's worst nightmare, though. I find that the better deals are always on Amazon/online because either Best Buy/Fry's don't have the same models or I am not willing to pay more for the convenience of having it immediately. For example, I'm an audio guy. I want to buy a particular set of cans. Big box stores would never and have never stocked these pair. The specialized stores that do charge way more. That's pretty much all specialized gear, unless it is old hardware/technology (Rokit monitors, e.g.). Different strokes.
coob 14y ago
You use: * Integrated GPS * Maps * An RSS reader * Twitter * Messaging apps * SMS * Phone calls * Music player * Other apps that got slow on the older iOS (?) And yet you think your smart phone was "an expensive, over-rated, hyped piece of technology and machinery". You ARE a smart phone makers target audience. Just because you're not running a moon mission on thing doesn't mean it's not performing its intended function. Show me a device that does all that for $10.
- kafkaesque 14y ago
  Ultimately, I think you are misreading what I've said. My priority on my phone is my music. As far as the rest: Integrated GPS/Maps: I used GPS because I recently moved to a city in which I did not know where things were. As I have become more accustomed to my surroundings, I use the GPS less and less. I can replace this with an actual/physical map, which is what I used to do and do on road trips (I don't rely on GPS on road trips). I like getting lost and exploring my surroundings, actually. RSS reader: I mostly use this on my PC. I don't need a phone for this. I don't need to be updated on world/breaking news when I'm not on my computer. It's like, why do you need to carry a newspaper all the time? Same deal. If there is an emergency, SMS should suffice. All phones offer SMS. Phone calls: regular mobile phones do this. I'm not sure why you bring this up and tie it to a smart phone. The apps that got slow were the messaging apps (Kik, Beluga which got bought off and another which I don't recall the name anymore). They were especially slow-loading. I can do without these if I/everyone had unlimited SMS. I don't play games on it. I don't watch/stream any videos because Verizon 3G sucks.
- chongli 14y ago
  With the possible exception of maps, none of the things you listed require the incredible performance of today's smartphones.
nollidge 14y ago
I use my phone about as much as you do and totally feel it's worth it. What are your monthly fees though? I have an unlocked Galaxy Nexus (older version, $350) and one of those $30/month, unlimited text/data, 100 minute talk, no-contract plans from T-mobile. Seems reasonable to me.
- kafkaesque 14y ago
  I bought the 4S 32GB (locked) with a new contract. It came out to ~$360, if I recall correctly. I'm with Verizon, so monthly payments would be ~$100. But because I like to save money, I'm on a family plan with other people and we divvy up the costs. Because of that, I end up paying way less than the regular Joe. I pay $50/month and I feel I can still pay less, except there is a married couple in the plan, and friends and other relatives, and the costs are divided slightly unevenly. Anyway. I don't know the specifics of the plan, because I hardly use my phone. But I think it goes something like unlimited texts and 1000 minutes shared, and for my line, 2GB of data. 2GB data alone costs $30 with Verizon.

bornhuetter 14y ago

Have you considered getting a stand alone mp3 player? If you're really into music, the sound quality on a Cowon or a Sansa clip is better than on any phone I've listened to, and the battery lasts much much longer (I get about 100 hours on my Cowon J3). You can pick up a Sansa clip for about US40, and it comes with a Micro SD card slot, so you can chuck a 32-64gb card for not a lot of money.

kafkaesque 14y ago
Thank you. I will consider it. I used to not want to carry two bulky things, but that was because I used to live in a city where I only used public transport. Since I've moved to the US, I now have a car, so I guess I can always leave the MP3 player in there.
- bornhuetter 14y ago
  I carry my Cowon J3 + phone on the tube everyday and don't find it a problem. It's thin and light enough that I barely notice it in a pocket. I'd recommend the Sansa Clip if you are going to leave it in the car - I leave mine in my gym bag. The sound quality is great, and it's cheap enough that it's not a huge deal if it gets lost/stolen.

angryasian 14y ago

I tend to agree, with both you and feld on your points. The only thing that really stands out for me is that, its there when I need it. When I'm lost I can pull up directions. If I'm standing around I can browse or play a game. If I need look up something quick I can google. If I need to compare prices I can amazon. If I do get an email that needs an immediate response I can do it (although email and chat are really a discipline on the user part to not answer everything right away). And of course pictures and video at a moments notice. Its these quick types of interactions that make this technology endearing for me. Otherwise all these apps are just complete nonsense.

kafkaesque 14y ago
I understand and agree if you have that need, sure. Personally, I don't. I was sold on the fact that 'It's there when you need it'. I believed it. Then I started calculating and understood that the amount of times I 'need' it and the low priority and non-emergency of the matter did not pay off. For example, I wanted Walmart to price match something on Amazon. They don't price-match online retailers. Okay. I'll buy it off of Amazon. Including taxes and shipping and handling, I would've saved $5. I'm not a consumerist, so I hardly buy things and wouldn't save that much a year. I'm probably a technology vendor's worst nightmare, though. I find that the better deals are always on Amazon/online because either Best Buy/Fry's don't have the same models or I am not willing to pay more for the convenience of having it immediately. For example, I'm an audio guy. I want to buy a particular set of cans. Big box stores would never and have never stocked these pair. The specialized stores that do charge way more. That's pretty much all specialized gear, unless it is old hardware/technology (Rokit monitors, e.g.). Different strokes.

coob 14y ago

You use: * Integrated GPS * Maps * An RSS reader * Twitter * Messaging apps * SMS * Phone calls * Music player * Other apps that got slow on the older iOS (?) And yet you think your smart phone was "an expensive, over-rated, hyped piece of technology and machinery". You ARE a smart phone makers target audience. Just because you're not running a moon mission on thing doesn't mean it's not performing its intended function. Show me a device that does all that for $10.

kafkaesque 14y ago
Ultimately, I think you are misreading what I've said. My priority on my phone is my music. As far as the rest: Integrated GPS/Maps: I used GPS because I recently moved to a city in which I did not know where things were. As I have become more accustomed to my surroundings, I use the GPS less and less. I can replace this with an actual/physical map, which is what I used to do and do on road trips (I don't rely on GPS on road trips). I like getting lost and exploring my surroundings, actually. RSS reader: I mostly use this on my PC. I don't need a phone for this. I don't need to be updated on world/breaking news when I'm not on my computer. It's like, why do you need to carry a newspaper all the time? Same deal. If there is an emergency, SMS should suffice. All phones offer SMS. Phone calls: regular mobile phones do this. I'm not sure why you bring this up and tie it to a smart phone. The apps that got slow were the messaging apps (Kik, Beluga which got bought off and another which I don't recall the name anymore). They were especially slow-loading. I can do without these if I/everyone had unlimited SMS. I don't play games on it. I don't watch/stream any videos because Verizon 3G sucks.
chongli 14y ago
With the possible exception of maps, none of the things you listed require the incredible performance of today's smartphones.

nollidge 14y ago

I use my phone about as much as you do and totally feel it's worth it. What are your monthly fees though? I have an unlocked Galaxy Nexus (older version, $350) and one of those $30/month, unlimited text/data, 100 minute talk, no-contract plans from T-mobile. Seems reasonable to me.

kafkaesque 14y ago
I bought the 4S 32GB (locked) with a new contract. It came out to ~$360, if I recall correctly. I'm with Verizon, so monthly payments would be ~$100. But because I like to save money, I'm on a family plan with other people and we divvy up the costs. Because of that, I end up paying way less than the regular Joe. I pay $50/month and I feel I can still pay less, except there is a married couple in the plan, and friends and other relatives, and the costs are divided slightly unevenly. Anyway. I don't know the specifics of the plan, because I hardly use my phone. But I think it goes something like unlimited texts and 1000 minutes shared, and for my line, 2GB of data. 2GB data alone costs $30 with Verizon.