But ask me about legalized weed ;]
So far I have managed to avoid getting a smartphone and am still using a flip phone. Every time I look into getting one it gives me a yucky feeling, but I’m still considering getting one at some point.
Of course I have a computer, a laptop, and also a small tablet that I have some apps and games on for amusement. But for a phone to carry around, all I care about is having a way to make a call if needed and send/receive texts, so I have no need for a smartphone. I have taken my tablet to a cafe and used their Wifi to access the internet a few times, but I rarely want to do that.
(edit to add): I can also use my flip phone as a wifi hotspot for my tablet if I really need to access the internet but I never do this as I usually don’t carry my tablet around.
Things that I can see a smartphone being useful for:
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GPS/maps, but I don’t really need that since I rarely travel that far away and I know my way around my city and nearby cities. However I can always download static maps of other cities to my tablet if I’m going to an unfamiliar place and/or look it up online ahead of time–like when I had to go to a funeral, I printed off a couple maps–one close up on the location area and one zoomed further out to see the route to the area.
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Weather app with radar.
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Signal app, which I’m not sure I’d use, but I think it would be nice to have in case I need secure messaging as we move into 2025.
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ummmm, can’t think of anything else 🤔
Things I’m glad I don’t have to worry about by not having one:
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Tracking, data harvesting, surveillance. Including via the phone’s mic.
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going around like a zombie everywhere constantly staring a screen, unable to sit or stand quietly for more than 15 seconds without whipping it out (the phone! you knew what I meant). This is really not healthy. Maybe I wouldn’t do that, but who knows, maybe I would start doing that, as it seems everyone else does, and (sorry, but) it looks pathetic and I think it’s not healthy.
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the constant beeping, dinging, vibrating, or whatever it’s set to do for notifications, from dozens of apps demanding attention. That would drive me nuts. My phone only makes a sound if I get a phone call or text, which is not often. If I ever started getting texts too often I might turn off sound for them.
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Yeah you’re full of shit dude. You’re telling me you’ve never used the GPS on your phone at the VERY least? Even for walking in the city or something?
To be totally fair, with my older phone the GPS never worked properly (it was very cheap), so I’d usually look up the directions to a place beforehand and text them to myself for use later. Did get lost a lot but you can usually just ask somebody where to go
yeah, shit post.
If you don’t find value in smartphones I can respect that
You’d have to pry my own from my cold, dead hands. I have a map of the entire world (mostly) in my pocket! That in itself I find invaluable. I use Google Maps all the time. To find places and to navigate to them. On foot, public transit, and car. Here and in other countries.
Sure, I used to manage before Maps was a thing but do I ever want to go back? Nope.
That is one killer feature for me
And yeah I definitely see how life changed for the worse because of them. I actively moderate my own behavior.
Sure, I used to manage before Maps was a thing
Remember keeping a stack of bus route maps in your bag? Ha ha ha, dumb times.
Printing out the MapQuest directions. Keeping the Thomas Guide in your car.
Suddenly, printing stuff has declined in popularity when you could just have all the data with you in your phone. Don’t even have to be stored locally when you can access the cloud instead.
I’m not going back that’s for sure. I do feel kinda of dragged along though, I didn’t have a cell phone until my early 20s and only became a full adopter when smart phones were ubiquitous. I just can imagine a life that would be just as fulfilling without the existence of the “smart” phone, or more so.
I hear ya. I too was a late cell and smart- phone adopter.
If I couldn’t use them anymore I would be annoyed at first. But I would adjust and yes, would certainly lead a fulfilling life regardless.
I myself am in between both extremes. Here are some ways I remain old school even though I’ve bought into the smartphone era:
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I remain in a real sense anti-app and keep them to a minimum on my phone. I keep their permissions as locked down as I can and I review every update pretty extensively. It’s ridiculous how everyone and their brother wants me to install their app. No thank you. I’m quite content getting up to adjust the thermostat and don’t need a fully automated smart home.
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If I’m socializing with someone they get my full attention. If I need to look something up, respond to a text, etc I excuse myself.
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When I’m out and about I’m present in my environment. “Smartphone zombie” behavior is foreign to me.
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I take full advantage of the digital well being and bedtime features of my phone. I set timers for my addicting apps.
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Oh, when I do drive I am hands off with my phone. If I really do need to use it then I pull over.
Etc
Sometimes u just wonder if we, as a people, will set down the phone and say, “that was interesting.” And kinda move on. Not like throwing them away but maybe just realizing, this isn’t everything.
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You mean portable GPS devices that have been around for a decade before smart phones?
I had those. They were much worse.
Seriously. Much much worse.
First you had to pay a fortune for a device, with which you may or may not get very limited map updates. Then after that you had to pay quite a bit to update. Even then it could take a year for permanent road changes to make it to the map updates, and temporary changes were never shown. Road construction, wrecks, and temporary closures were your problem. And God forbid your route took you through a closed area because there was no way to route around it. You had to find a place to park so you could look over the tiny little map to figure out your own way around the blockage, or else you could pick a direction and then yolo your route until you were far enough away from the problem area that the gps would finally choose a route that didn’t go through the problem area.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For instance, all the above assumes that it accepted the address you were going to as a valid address. There was nothing like the joy of typing in an address and having the device tell you that it doesn’t exist.I rented a car at some point where you had to input the address letter by letter using a little scrollwheel kinda thing.
Smartphones have issues, but the map thing is a killer feature in itself.
Holy sweet baby Jesus! You need to put a trigger warning on your post. The traumatic memories that you brought to the surface are enough to send me back to therapy all over again.
Do portable GPS also have a list of every single business near my location?
I was content and managed just fine with paper maps and directions before smartphones. When I got my first one it rendered those devices obsolete for me.
You’ve obviously never had to read a shampoo bottle to keep you entertained while taking a dump before.
Having access to the sum of all human knowledge in your pocket hasn’t helped you in any way at all?
Either you’re too high to think straight, or you’re lying. Unless you’re young enough that smartphones have existed your entire life, so they are the baseline… 🤔
What does having it in my pocket vs at home on a desk change? Im never really in such a hurry to find something out that I can’t just look it up later. I actually prefer researching at my desk.
Don’t let downvotes from smartphone addicts get you down. You’re being thoughtful about it and that’s a good thing.
Google Maps was life-changing.
Well, it’s a whole lot easier to get from point A to point B than it used to be.
And I can instantly find out what that actor’s name is or what song I’m currently hearing.
But yeah, they’re also pretty goddamn annoying at times.
All I want to say is, knowing an actors name or a song name isn’t really meaningful change. I guess if I really liked a song and listened non stop.
I like podcasts and I like apple music. The thing is, these both predate smart phones. Hence "pod"cast. Who knows though if they would have gotten as popular if everyone didn’t have easy access as they do today.
For me, it was notes, calculations, and having access to the necessary information for making the two.
I might be sitting on the train, looking out the window, zoning out, and suddenly I start thinking about the melting point of tungsten. I begin to wonder how much power an arc furnace would draw while melting tungsten, and could you keep one running with just solar power. How many panels would you need at this location? I have so many questions, and most of them involve calculations.
You can imagine how glad I am that I don’t need to carry a calculator and a bunch of books with me.
Google Maps on my smartphone is God tier.
I drove in the before times. You have any idea how much of a pain in the ass it was to use a paper map or look at written directions and miss a turn? Do you realize how great it is to type in “food near me” and see everywhere you might want to stop for a bite to eat and right where it’s at? That I can youch a business name on the screen and it will show me its hours they’re open? How n8ce it is that I don’t even have to look away from the road and have nice lady robot voice tell me to turn right 2 miles?
I could give up a lot of my smartphone stuff and not have it be “for the worse”, but im keeping the mapping stuff.
Gps without having to buy an expensive in-car GPS unit.
Gps that automatically updates maps.
GPS that updates routes based on traffic\Route planning including public transit
Especially when you’re not sure what your departure time will be
That accounts for temporary route changes
That automatically updates permanent route changesi hate ‘apps’, but off the top of my head
- take-out ordering process now is super easy
- having a camera and flashlight on my person all the time
- not having to know peoples phone numbers anymore… theyre all just kinda always there
- being able to verify vocabulary and other simple to find information almost instantly
- being able to self-entertain in locations where i have to wait for some crazy length of time
-Delivery seems super fucking expensive now
-Ill be honest if I had a flashlight to find my phone when I lost it and a camera to take pictures of my cats, I’d be set.
-It was not hard memorizing the 3 numbers I had to memorize
-i wish I could say my vocabulary has improved. Maybe it has?
-Ill give you this but I don’t remember struggling to entertain myself except for maybe long lines or something.
Smartphones have saved my ass.
I’m really bad at remembering things, and when something pops in my head, it needs to be dealt with immediately, or it’ll be lost forever. Credit cards due tomorrow? Open app, and done. Oh shit. My credit card IS due tomorrow. Gotta go!
I probably could do better time management. Remember those daily organizers, lol?
Look, are there downsides? Absolutely.
But, just thinking about the few days for Christmas:
Buddy and I were out and making plans to swim. Using our phones we found out what time the pool was open, then found out whether there was bbq nearby. We then added this to our calendars. All at thr same time without having to go home, look it up, coordinate then write it down.
The next day, I got groceries. I used my grocery app which also contains a couple hundred recipes I’ve collected. The grocery store had a great deal on something I hadn’t expected so I pivoted, used my phone to look through my recipes, found an appropriate one and adjusted.
Later, running errands on my bike and finished a bit early. On a whim, I checked to see if a movie I wanted to catch was anywhere near. It was but not in an area I bike often. Booked my tickets on the phone, navigated there and streamed music to listen to as I rode.
Heck, when I visited for Christmas, a friend sent a message warning the ferries to come home were getting cancelled. I checked while we were out at dinner, found the last ferry was still running and had space so was able to make it home instead of getting stranded.
Outside of this week, I’ve dated a bunch of girls whom I’d have never met were it not for “the apps.” Say what you will, it expands the network of dateable folks well outside your own social networks.
In summary: streaming music everywhere, all sorts of apps making things easier (in this case, recipes etc) navigation, making plans on the fly, dating all sorts of folks, booking things without having to find a computer and way more.
The ‘smart’ is the only part of my phone I like.
the good:
- wife can see when I’m running late because I chose to share GPS location
- I have maps
- I have zello
- I have messaging and asynchronous comms is so great
- I have email
- I have web so I can see my monitoring green-light
The bad:
- it would ring, if it wasn’t set up as a tablet
- if i installed IG or FB or Twitter, I’d have those, which are apparently toxic
So, yeah.
Twitter isn’t toxic. Twitter doesn’t exist. Twitter was very left leaning.
X is toxic.
I’ve not heard IG is toxic. I’ve only heard it’s the place to see braindead bimbos in bikinis.
FB is more 1984 than toxic. It steals all your personal info. Even if you’ve never signed up at all.
Got a mom who uses FB? Well she put your phone number in.
Sucks to be you, bro, but that’s not a universal experience.
I grew up when cell phones weren’t common, then flip phones were the thing. I didn’t get my first smartphone until I was already out of high school. My life was improved immensely. Not just the connection that allows me multiple vectors of communication to the people who matter to me, and the ability to plausibly ignore communications from those who don’t, but the absolute plethora of utilities now at my fingertips.
Do you even know how to balance a checkbook? Have you ever had to do it? In less than a minute I can see not only my bank balance, but all transactions going back months.
My teachers all told me I wouldn’t have a calculator with me all the time. Turns out that was not to be.
If I need to know something, anything, ever, I have a device on my person that allows me immediate access to the sum total of human knowledge. Whether it’s a question of what time the hardware store opens, how to fix a cracked pipe, or what rocket fuel the Saturn V used, the information is right at my fingertips.
I don’t ever have to be lost again. First time in a city? I can get directions to anywhere, from anywhere, any time I want.
I even have a freakin flashlight at all times.
Yeah, it sucks that some people get stuck in a narcissistic spiral on facebook or obsessively doomscroll to the detriment of their own health, but that’s not the smartphone’s fault any more than it is just the invention of electricity’s fault.
Does it suck? To not be reliant on something like a “smart” phone?
I don’t think it sucks for you to not be reliant on it, but it also seems like you don’t know how to use it for your advantage.
Never install social media on it and go figure out what it can do for you.
Please, let me know what else I can do to get more value from my smart phone. I’m open to it.
It’s been going on 20 years since smart phones arrived. You go figure it out.
It is a tool. Make sure to use it rather than allow it to use you. For my next phone I wish I could get a dumbphone but the need to have something like Google Maps is too strong. I’ll definitely just get a cheapie though, or perhaps a Fairphone.
These badboys exist - tempted to get the hotspot and navigation version.
Wow and even those have touch screens (most of them:-).
I just got a fairphone, and so far i have no complaints. I have also made a concerted effort to stay off corporate social media too. Kinda bored with my phone in a good way, but can still call an uber if i want to.
That somewhat sounds like perfection actually:-).
Is the touchscreen experience less smooth than a traditional smartphone?
Touchscreen is fine
I switched from a pixel 6, and i haven’t really noticed anything tangibly worse. Read a lot of complaints about the camera, and i have noticed it is slightly worse, but nothing really bad at all.
The circle to select is disabled. It doesn’t have wireless charging. Feel like the battery is a bit worse than the pixel, but its not bad. There’s probably something else im forgetting…
All in all, very minor complaints, and i’m overall very happy with it.
Oh that’s awesome! I barely use my camera as it is, so that is perfectly fine for me:-). Everything I hear about it sounds so good:-).
There are a lot of good things that a smartphone provides that has made my life better.
Weather they apply to you I don’t know.
Here are some great features of my smartphone that had improved my life.
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GPS navigation - being able to quickly and easily find your way is amazing. Though I will never have my GPS running with sound, I use it to have a map up when driving where I can glance to see the general idea of the way to my destination, this sometimes mean I miss a turn, but it’s fine the system quickly calculates the route again and I don’t get yelled at to follow directions when it might be impossible, reducing stress.
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Smart lighting, my phone can turn on my lights at home before I get home making me able to open my front door into a cozy lit up home rather than a black void.
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Translation on the go, being able to get translations of just about anything you need at any point is amazing, sure the translations are not perfect, but they are good enough.
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Entertainment is probably to biggest win for me, being able watch a movie, listen to music, read a book where ever you are on a small device you have with you is truly amazing.
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