moylan writes:
An article from the Chicago Tribune discusses people who are changing their smartphone for a dumbphone. From the article:
When Ryan Gleeson punches out a text message or takes a call on his cellphone at parties, he prepares to hear questions from onlookers, and sometimes snickers. That's because the 24-year-old carries a $50 flip phone - the Samsung Gusto 2. There's no touch screen or apps. No Web browsing capabilities. No collection of music to enjoy through earbuds.
"Definitely it's like a black sheep in the room when I pull it out," said Gleeson, a postproduction associate at a documentary production house in Lincoln Park. "I work with a lot of Apple people - creative types. Everyone has an iPhone." Gleeson is among cellphone users who choose to be dialled out of the world of iPhones, BlackBerrys and Androids. In an increasingly connected and accessible culture, these stalwarts have chosen hand-held devices that offer only the basics, despite the social isolation and limitations that may come with them.
For Gleeson, hanging up the iPhone demonstrates no "grand realization about humanity," he said; rather, it's a way to tamp down his compulsive email checking. With the basic phone, "It's a lot easier now to just step away and say, 'I'm not going to work right now,'" he said.
[...a survey] found that 35 percent of U.S. adults carry a cellphone that is not a smartphone.
As someone who got rid of an iphone and android device and replaced them with 2 feature phones I thought I was in the minority. But I have noticed more and more folk around carrying a second dumbphone for when the battery goes on their smartphone. Anyone else doing this?"
[Editor: Yes, me!]
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 26 2014, @01:56PM
I keep an old Blackberry OS7 phone. Basically, no apps. It does phone calls, email, photos, and has a basic browser (good enough to check the weather or read a few sites designed for mobile). Apps never appealed to me; I'm well-served by a device that's focused on communication.
(Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Wednesday March 26 2014, @03:28PM
I'm kind of the opposite. I'm way less interested in a phone than I am having a portable computer.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Nerdfest on Wednesday March 26 2014, @03:32PM
I should add that I'm getting out of the 'contract' lock as well and switching my device to a 'tablet' data only plan that I'll run VOIP on for voice. Many start at $5/month for a small amount of data and scale up quite reasonable. For those of us with wifi at home and work it's a great option.
I'm also somewhat looking forward for a fight with the providers over using a tablet plan on a phone. I've set a couple of my friends up with this option though and have had no problems, but I was warned by the reseller that it might be a problem.