Dev.SN ♥ developers
Sections
Dev.SN
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: 4, Interesting) by TheGratefulNet on Wednesday March 26 2014, @03:32PM
I very reluctantly gave in and got an android phone.
the main thing I use it for: always updated gps. I have a gps in the car but its 10 yrs out of date and there have been enough road changes to make it useless in many cases. I can't trust it anymore. the google maps can really suck sometimes (bay area, oddly enough) but at least they are updated and they can also use cell towers for quicker locating. of course, the n1 phone I use is the buggiest POS google ever put out and I have to do a phone reboot before using gps or it will crash DURING a trip. nothing like hearing voice prompts during a trip - followed by long periods of silence and the shimmering X appearing on your phone (ie, a reboot by itself). google does not even have the grace to add a checkpoint feature on CRITICAL apps like gps nav, and so even after a crash, they don't auto restart the last app and place you were at. stupid google, seriously stupid google! I thought they were smart people working there? sigh..
I don't install many apps. apps can be hostile and I just don't trust most android devs. way too much privacy leakage going on in apple and android phones.
but I just can't live without having gps available, including portable gps (gee, where is that store or restaurant? I had to park way out here and walk; now where IS that place?).
one really cool app that helps keep me sane: mrnumber (mister number). it crowd sources incoming phone calls and lets you know if its been tagged as spam. love that app!
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 26 2014, @04:53PM
> the main thing I use it for: always updated gps.
If you shop hard, you can get a garmin GPS with free lifetime map updates for ~$100 - smartphones have really hurt their market so they've got nice units for cheap nowadays.
Plus side is that google isn't recording every move you make with a standalone GPS the way they do with a phone-GPS. I actually have a smartphone and I never even turn on the GPS receiver because my garmin does everything I need (OK, not quite, I wish it had a speed camera database, my valentine1 radar detector can't detect cameras).
(Score: 2) by TheGratefulNet on Wednesday March 26 2014, @07:25PM
a receive-only gps is definitely more private! agreed.
but then I have to carry a 2nd box and also keep it updated. if I have to carry a voice phone, anyway, its hard to justify extra boxes.
this is why for most people, mp3 players are now dead, cameras are now dead, pda's are totally dead, microcassette recorders are dead, etc. all purpose-built things are better; but they take up more room and power and cost money.
smart phones have the worst apps compared to purpose-built things, but the convenience factor of having just one box is what makes them sell and be so popular.
if I did have a 'infinite updates' garmin in my car, I'd use that over my phone; but if I have to buy a new box to get these infinite updates, that is a non-solution when my phone is already there and working and cost of app is zero.
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."