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Smartphones Pros and Cons

gromit

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As one of the six people remaining who doesn't own a smartphone, I am actually considering getting one for my grad program. I think it might be helpful in terms of keeping track of my schedule, looking up real-time transit arrival times, etc.

However, I'm not convinced the benefits outweigh the negatives. Of course it's a really cool thing to have the entire internet's worth of information at your fingertips, but I'm not sure it's that big a draw that I cannot wait until I can get my laptop out. Seems like so many people just turn it on automatically once the world stops being stimulating enough, and I could see that happening to myself too, if I get one. The worst is when you are with another person and s/he would rather be on the iphone than interact with you.

So. Pros and cons. What do you guys think?
 

Lexicon

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As one of the six people remaining who doesn't own a smartphone, I am actually considering getting one for my grad program. I think it might be helpful in terms of keeping track of my schedule, looking up real-time transit arrival times, etc.

However, I'm not convinced the benefits outweigh the negatives. Of course it's a really cool thing to have the entire internet's worth of information at your fingertips, but I'm not sure it's that big a draw that I cannot wait until I can get my laptop out. Seems like so many people just turn it on automatically once the world stops being stimulating enough, and I could see that happening to myself too, if I get one. The worst is when you are with another person and s/he would rather be on the iphone than interact with you.

So. Pros and cons. What do you guys think?



NOOOOO DON'T GIVE IN
 

JAVO

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We are Borg.
Resistance is futile.
Your life, as it has been, is over.
From this time forward, you will service us.
We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own.
And adapt it to service us.
 

entropie

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Ya what religion failed to achieve smartphones did over night :). thats what you have to pay if you dont adapt your sect timely
 

The Ü™

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It's easier to carry around than a laptop. As for contacts, everyone's number is blocked.
 
G

Glycerine

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Pros:
convenient
Easy access to to internet/email/GPS (can look things up quickly)
has apps/games/more functions (could be a pro or con)
Virtual keyboards/voice dictation/word prediction/swype are easier than the number keypad and a lot of the cheap qwerty phones (don't have to worry about the keys not working as much)

Cons:
Expensive
Fragile
Potentially addictive/distracting

I think the main thing is do you need/want quick access to email/internet (and other features) to be more productive? I like being able to look up directions random facts, email/listening to music/the keyboard.
 
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I resisted and resisted and resisted until last summer when my old dumbphone finally died. I almost didn't make the switch even then.

Now you can have my iPhone when you pry it from my cold, dead hands. It's kind of shocking. The best thing about it for me is not having to pull out and fire up the laptop just to check my email or look up a quick thing on the internet. It's also nice to have something to read or a game to play when waiting around somewhere or sitting on a train or plane. I don't feel the need to obsessively check it when I'm engaged in another activity, but it sure is fun when you have a random 10 minutes to spare.

The cost of the monthly service is completely ridiculous, and not a small concern. But that's really the only con to me. The cost is even offset a bit by how much money iMessage saves me in text message fees.
 

cafe

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We just got smartphones a few months ago. I like mine because I don't have to carry both a phone and an iPod to listen to audiobooks now. :D I also try to keep a Kindle book on it all the time because sometimes it's not appropriate of advisable to have your headphones on (in?). Having internet almost anywhere is nice and so is having navigation. But I would have a computer with an internet connection implanted in my head if I could.

That said, we wouldn't have made the switch if we hadn't found a cheap provider.
 

EJCC

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Pros:
convenient
Easy access to to internet/email/GPS (can look things up quickly)
has apps/games/more functions (could be a pro or con)
Virtual keyboards/voice dictation/word prediction/swype are easier than the number keypad and a lot of the cheap qwerty phones (don't have to worry about the keys not working as much)

Cons:
Expensive
Fragile
Potentially addictive/distracting
Additional cons:
More likely to get stolen (esp. if you get an iPhone)
Potential security risk, if you don't have really good security settings on your phone (what if someone steals your phone and then can access your credit card info?)
(That last one isn't a huge problem as long as you're careful, change your passwords regularly, etc.)

All the key pros are there. You have the internet at your fingertips all the time! Constant, reliable GPS! Apps for restaurants and list-making/organization and saving money at stores! Easy access to email/Facebook!
 

_eric_

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It doesn't have to be expensive, especially if you don't want the latest and greatest top of the line phones (though you can use some very recent ones with most providers, and a few actually do let you use some of the newest ones like the Galaxy S4). There are many good or at least decent pre-paid options out there, depending on where you live. Ting (which I use and am very happy with, they sell smartphones from basic to high end, and you can bring your own used Sprint ones if you want), Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile, Straight Talk, Page Plus, T-Mobile pre-paid...I would not recommend Tracfone, Verizon pre-paid, and GoPhone though. Look around and see what fits your needs best in terms of coverage and plans offered. You don't have to be stuck in a contract, paying thousands of dollars over the course of it, in order to have a good smartphone.
 

/DG/

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Yeah, they really don't have to be that expensive if you're willing to shop around. We found a $60 smartphone on sale at Best Buy for my mom recently. It obviously can't run the latest games and such, but it can access the Internet and use apps like YouTube, Facebook, the email app, etc. just fine.

I'd say the benefits vastly outweigh the drawbacks.
 

The Ü™

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Oh and how could I have forgotten the number one benefit of having a smartphone? By having one, you can go out in public without looking like a creeper. It's better to look like you have a life than to stare around awkwardly.
 

prplchknz

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pros:
mini computer
easier to organize life
cons:
sucky battery life compared to other phones
autocorrect (which i understand you can turn off so not really a con)
 

Coriolis

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As one of the six people remaining who doesn't own a smartphone, I am actually considering getting one for my grad program. I think it might be helpful in terms of keeping track of my schedule, looking up real-time transit arrival times, etc.

However, I'm not convinced the benefits outweigh the negatives. Of course it's a really cool thing to have the entire internet's worth of information at your fingertips, but I'm not sure it's that big a draw that I cannot wait until I can get my laptop out. Seems like so many people just turn it on automatically once the world stops being stimulating enough, and I could see that happening to myself too, if I get one. The worst is when you are with another person and s/he would rather be on the iphone than interact with you.

So. Pros and cons. What do you guys think?
Make that seven people. I don't have one either, and am in the same boat as you considering whether to get one, and if so, which phone and provider. I see the same pros that others do. My list of cons includes:

  • Cost: given how few calls I made when I had a blackberry for work, it is hard to justify the typical monthly fee, with or without contract, and that doesn't even consider the cost of the phone itself.
  • Security 1: as people have mentioned, if it is lost or stolen, much of one's personal information goes with it. I understand there are ways to safeguard this, and will not use a smartphone until I understand how to make it secure.
  • Security 2: using a smartphone (any cell phone - I actually have none now) is like carrying a homing device. I do not like the idea that my physical whereabouts are traceable. I tolerated it with my work phone because I had it with me primarily when I was on the clock. My personal time, however, is exactly that - personal. If the only way to prevent tracking altogether is to leave the phone at home or remove the battery, it almost defeats the purpose of having it.
  • Finding the phone I want: unlocked GSM phones with plain vanilla Android and removable battery seem to be few and expensive. Or, I get one with the usual bloatware and have to root it.
  • What to do with the silly thing: most smartphones are too big to fit in my pocket.

That said, we wouldn't have made the switch if we hadn't found a cheap provider.
What provider did you choose?

Oh and how could I have forgotten the number one benefit of having a smartphone? By having one, you can go out in public without looking like a creeper. It's better to look like you have a life than to stare around awkwardly.
No need to stare around awkwardly just because you don't have a smartphone. That's what technical journals are for.
 

Fidelia

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I resisted until this year, when I was going on a trip where there would be little public telephone or internet access. I got three offers of free phones from friends who for whatever reason had switched. I ended up with an old iPhone 3, which is perfectly adequate for my needs. I don't like the idea of being tracked and on purpose leave it at home when I don't foresee reason for needing it (just going to pick up something at the store, etc). I don't have kids or a family relying on me, so emergency is unlikely in the amount of time I'm away. It has been very handy, but I've had to make conscious efforts not to use it except at certain times. I went with Koodo, which has good coverage and doesn't require a contract and I opted for their cheapest plan - $25/month, 200 anytime minutes, free evenings and weekends, unlimited texting. I can check internet with WiFi and on the few occasions when I need it and there is no WiFi available, then I can turn on data. For me, I can't justify spending $60-100 a month on data, when it is only a matter of convenience and not at all need. I have had to draw certain lines - my friends know that I am not going to carry on a long conversation via text. It either will become a phone call or an email, or else it is conveying a short bit of information. It's been very nice to be able to alert my niece if I'm going to be late picking her up, etc but from day to day, I don't make a ton of calls. I do feel good about having it for road emergencies (and Koodo has pretty good coverage across Canada - I think it's just Manitoba where it kind of sucks). I think it's easy for smartphones to become social crutches and I don't want that to happen, so I'm trying to make sure that when I use my phone, it is very intentional and not at the expense of interactions around me.
 

JAVO

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Here's a big con: they kill people! :overreact:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/15/world/asia/china-smartphone-electrocution/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

U.S. electronics giant Apple is investigating reports in China that a woman died after being electrocuted while trying to make a call with her iPhone 5 while it was charging.
Ma Ailun, a flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, was picking up her handset to answer a call last Thursday when she received an electric shock, police said Sunday, in reports carried by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Police, who are continuing their investigation, have not yet identified a cause -- whether the phone or anything else.
 
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