Smartphone Justification

[tplyons]

I'm looking to get a smartphone, so I'm out the door to do it, I tell my girlfriend that I'm going shopping for a new phone and she tries talking me out of it, saying anything more than phone calls and text messaging is worthless.

Things I need:
Calendar. My life is hectic, I can't remember everything I have to do in a day. Nice to sync with my computer as well.
Email. Very important that I can check my email any time, any where. She insists I'm too dependent on email. Yes, I check often, but that's how most stuff I'm involved with is done.

She insists that I can go to any computer lab on campus if I need to check my email. She insists that a handwritten planner is just as useful as the calendar feature. Yes... I could work with either, but I need that little bit of convenience of everything in one place.

Sure, internet is just a gimmick that I won't be using often, but I'm sure it will come in handy from time to time. That's why I'm changing my service to AT&T to get the iPhone.

Has anyone tried to talk you out of something simply because they don't understand your need for it?

[Joe Gress]

Originally Posted by tplyons

Has anyone tried to talk you out of something simply because they don't understand your need for it?

Yep, then I got it and they ended up liking me using it more than I did myself.

[jady]

You have the same needs that i do, I got a smart phone a few years ago and have not looked back!!!!!

She'll fall in love with the iphone and want one herself in less than 2 months.

[FrigginChris]

i was in the same dilemma as you. I'm rarely home these days and the convenience of having everything i need in a single device in my pocket is a must.

when i decided i wanted to get my iPhone 3g all i kept hearing about was how it was too expensive and that i wouldn't use half of it's features. i'm coming to the end of my first week with it and i'm starting to wonder how i lived without it! i've found daily uses for most pre-installed apps and like one of the above posters mentioned all of the nay sayers keep wanting to play with it themselves.

[Pilgrim]

You don't need a smartphone to check email and your calendar. Most mid-grade phones can do both of those. However, the Palm Treo does these things well, and there are plenty of used ones on Ebay that can be had with NO contract, and they cost under $100.

DO NOT spend big bucks on an iPhone or Blackbetrry - just buy a used Treo or similar unit and be happy. You will not have to take on a contract (just use your current one, but modify it if needed) and you won't spend a lot of money.

[Pacman]

I just bought this one - smarter than me, right now.

[tplyons]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

You don't need a smartphone to check email and your calendar. Most mid-grade phones can do both of those. However, the Palm Treo does these things well, and there are plenty of used ones on Ebay that can be had with NO contract, and they cost under $100.

DO NOT spend big bucks on an iPhone or Blackbetrry - just buy a used Treo or similar unit and be happy. You will not have to take on a contract (just use your current one, but modify it if needed) and you won't spend a lot of money.

I'm switching carriers anyway because having a single phone on Verizon costs more than full data does on AT&T. I will not buy a used cell phone. There are just some things that I insist on buying new, two of them being underwear and cell phones. I will have a new contract anyway, so the new phone doesn't bother me. It's not like I bounce between carriers often, this is the first change since I signed up for Verizon in 1999.

Not to mention ease of use is very important, and ease of syncing with my computer. Being that I use a Mac, and Blackberry's aren't exactly known for their foolproof syncing with Macs, the iPhone is the most obvious and easiest way to go. Besides, it does everything I want and then some.

[SoComSurfing]

I've not had ANY problems syncing my Treo with my Mac for the past year and a half.

After three years my Treo is starting to show its age, and I've started looking for a replacement. I REALLY want to like the new Treos, but I have never liked Windows Mobile. I think Palm's OS is much better, so I probably won't be going with the new Treo seeing that AT&T doesn't carry any Treos with Palm OS.

That considered, I'm looking heavily at the iPhone. If I can find an AT&T store w/ the Treo 680, I may go that route, but for now it's iPhone, most likely.

[tplyons]

Originally Posted by SoComSurfing

I've not had ANY problems syncing my Treo with my Mac for the past year and a half.

After three years my Treo is starting to show its age, and I've started looking for a replacement. I REALLY want to like the new Treos, but I have never liked Windows Mobile. I think Palm's OS is much better, so I probably won't be going with the new Treo seeing that AT&T doesn't carry any Treos with Palm OS.

That considered, I'm looking heavily at the iPhone. If I can find an AT&T store w/ the Treo 680, I may go that route, but for now it's iPhone, most likely.

I never liked the Palm OS, hence the TREO is out. However, the Blackberry was the only other option, but doesn't sync well.

[jady]

Honestly if you are looking for a device for keeping track of your life but do not need a lot of business options (Exchange servers, Document editing, push to talk, etc) You do not really need a full on PDA phone. Most of the Carriers have some really cool upper end phones like The Vue, Instinct, Dare, etc, etc. They will do what you need but be more geared towards media, communication, and recreation.

I have had 2 WM5 devices, a Blackberry, a Sidekick and now the Instinct. I have gone less for the PDA route and ore for the practicality. The Instinct isn't really a smartphone due to the onboard memory and processor speed but I use it for all my contacts (multiple #s, Email, address) my schedule, iPod (audio/video), pretty fast HTML internet browsing, Sprint streaming radio and TV, TelNav turn by turn GPS, and in a pinch I can use it as a Broadband modem tethered to my laptop. Plus the touchscreen interface is pretty bitchen.

All this for 69.99/mo.

[SoComSurfing]

Originally Posted by tplyons

I never liked the Palm OS, hence the TREO is out. However, the Blackberry was the only other option, but doesn't sync well.

The Treo 750 from AT&T uses Windows Mobile, if you want to check that out.

[BullHorn]

I got my symbian phone almost a year ago, when i was enlisted. I don't think i could've stayed sane this long without this phone. As a matter of fact, i'm posting from it now while on the 4 in the morning train to my base.

[Toasted]

You don't need to jusitfy it.

[peterbright]

Originally Posted by Toasted

You don't need to jusitfy it.

This level of control is a warning sign.

[ADbassman]

My Samsung Sync cost me $20 and does email, web, calender, maps, etc. plus its basically indestructible. A lot of the standard phones nowadays do everything you need.

[Pacman]

Originally Posted by Toasted

You don't need to jusitfy it.

Write it down, I agreed with Toasted!

[D.Don]

I threw out my cell phone from my lie 3 years ago, I don't miss it.

I have an old nokia and I pay the cheapest monthly rate one can get, just to be able to have the same number as I always had coz when I travel (2-3 times a year) I like the idea of being able to have a phone with me. Apart from that, it's always switched off and stays in a box at home.

10 years ago, I knew all numbers to all my friends, then I started to use the cell (and the address book) and 5 years ago, I didn't even know the number to my best friend. Now I know the numbers to almost all my friends and even some work associates and such.

Bouncing your brain functions into an electrical device is in a long term perspective, for a fact, diminishing your brain capacity, the device fools you to take a step closer and closer, every year with new functions, to a hyper-reality where humans are making themselves dependent upon machines, and with that, creating a value base that has it's roots in a manufacturers profit, and not in human needs and the actual capacity of the human mind/brain and the possibilities one has to develop it and it's capacity.

Based on my own experience, for all of you information addicts (look at us, we sit here and chat on a web page..) to take one first step away from this, now close your mail client(s) and only open them when YOU need them, ie. when you have to send an email, or open an old one to get a reference to something... The stuff that arrives in the inbox, doesn't need your answer or even your attention until it's decided by you that the actual topic/message need focus and can be given a few minutes of your life.

Having the mail client in the background all the time (if you are a "screen worker" in particular) is a total stress momentum that most of us are not aware of, stress as in information stress ie. push push push data to the user ..

Being able to check the mail anytime, anywhere, sounds like a punishment, and a total disaster, where have we been going then since we started to use our brain for progressive thinking? Is the information technology REALLY helping us here ...



D.Don

[Bluesdog]

D.Don. you don't have to be a slave to your phone,

I have an iphone, and yep I also need sync, email, blah blah and as a mobile Mortgage Broker my income depends on being able to communicate, but . . . . . when I'm not at work it's on silent and taking messages for me, no conflict, no asking me if I'm sure I'm not in, I reckon they're great.

[D.Don]

Well, imho a cell/smart-phone is quite un-necessary if you like your life the way it was before 1995, ie. you had a fixed line, and if you where not at home, people had to call you again etc.



Each to his own as usual though!

[JayAmel]

I had a smartphone, and for practical reasons I went back to paper notebook (the moleskine one, most specifically). I also have a paper to-do-list with me everywhere.

The smartphone definitely wasn't user-friendly enough for me.