Smart Phone or Dumb Phone?

[lordxizor]

Just curious.

I've personally never thought that the occasional convenience of being able to access the internet on the go was worth the cost. I have the dumbest of dumb phones.

[SeRoX]

I can afford smart phone but I find them useless. I use the phone only for calling and texting. That's all. Just because tweeting, googling I don't wanna have it. But I know Iphone has free talking and texting app but again, I don't like that big phone, plus it's touch-screen which I hate.

[Zydar]

I have a smart phone (HTC Wildfire) and I can afford it. I'm actually thinking about upgrading to a better one.

[Nekov]

I have a dumb phone. I have the money for a new one but I'm waiting for the Galaxy SIII to be released in my country.

[Kwyjibo]

I have a dumb phone and don't care for a smart phone. I don't know what they cost, so I don't know if I could afford one.

I grew up in a time, where there weren't even any mobile phones and you had to dial every number and you had to memorize or write down the numbers of your friends, because you couldn't just save them in the contact lists, so I'm content with what I have now.

[Elite]

I have a dumb phone and since I am a student, I can't afford a smart phone. Well, I technically I can, but I much prefer to spend my money on other stuff.

[Cecilia]

I am unemployed and can afford my smart phone (iPhone 4s).

I get a student discount, so that helps

[lonestar]

I have a smart phone (HTC Wildfire) and I can afford it. I'm actually thinking about upgrading to a better one.

Just threw my Wildfire into the ocean,hated that thing. Got a lg elite now,and enjoy it. As to costs,other than the 2 hundred i spent on the phone itself,my bill is very reasonable.

[Phoenix87x]

The reason Why I haven't bought an Iphone yet is because of the damn $30 a month data plan and that is almost what I'm paying now just for a regular plan.

Supposedly the Iphone is coming to Cricket for a really cheap plan so I might end up getting one.

Really, I don't care about having the internet that much, but I do want GPS and a decent camera.

[lordxizor]

The reason Why I haven't bought an Iphone yet is because of the damn $30 a month data plan and that is almost what I'm paying now just for a regular plan.

It's the data plan that I can't justify too. I can drop a few hundred on the phone itself no problem, but having to tack a $30 a month data plan onto a voice plan that is already more expensive than I want to pay is just unjustifiable for me.

[senecadawg2]

I have an iPhone, but I just dropped it and cracked the screen

[hefdaddy42]

I have a dumb phone.  I don't need a smart phone.  Any computer activities I do on actual computers.  I am always around a computer unless I'm driving, and my happy ass can wait until I get somewhere to look up something on the internet.

[wkiml]

I have always used the simpliest of phones but having a family plan that was setting me back $400 a month (5 Lines 4 of which had data plans) i finally broke down and got a Razr

[bosk1]

I need remote email access and occasional Internet access for work, so it makes sense for me to have one.  My contract is up next month and I'll be shopping for a new one.  Currently have a Samsung Galaxy (first generation).  It's been okay.  But I have had a few frustrating instances of it locking up every now and then.  And the battery life is HORRIBLE!!!  If anyone has any recommendations, I'm all ears.

[skydivingninja]

My parents bought me an iPhone, but if I were on my own I'd be content with basic call/text features.  However, the ability to look something up on wikipedia or google maps has been incredibly useful.

[TioJorge]

I have an iPhone 4S and it would now be very, very difficult for me to dumb down to anything else. It's amazing and it has helped me tremendously with real world situations as well as being fun as hell. I use many features of it every single day that other phones simply don't have or don't do nearly as well (my previous smart phone's GPS system was a fucking joke, as was the 'map'). But the power and expandability of it is a big draw as well; I'm a gamer so I've got games like Infinity Blade II and N.O.V.A. 3 to keep me busy during long waits or if Diablo III's servers are down  . Overall, I couldn't be nearly as efficient as I am now without it. I'm not one to say "Oh, I couldn't live without it" because that's ridiculous, but it would indeed make my life a bit more convoluted and create more steps for me to take to get to where I'm going or get what I need. And a little bit more bored.

P.S. Jailbroken iPhone is fundamentally different than one sitting in a prison cell. This thing has potential that Apple, for whatever reason (HMMMM $$$) doesn't unlock normally. So that's a big factor as well. It's just so much fun, but it also happens to be very applicable to things I do daily. I don't know if I'm just a massive geek and have spent way too much time unlocking certain features but it seems weird to me that so many people here are of the mindset that it's not really helpful. Then again I'm out a lot and in need of computer access but can't bring my laptop with me (mainly I'm thinking of when I go into refineries when needed) so the prison-free-iPhone is perfect for me.

I also like the fact that I can stream porn.

[El Barto]

I have a smart phone, but don't don't pay for much data since I never use it.  Accessing the internet on the phone is a PITA and rarely worth the effort.  Same with email.  However there are other advantages to a smartphone.  GPS and Google maps is very handy.  The scheduler is good for appointments that are more than 2 days away.  I've got 24gb worth of storage for music/videos.  I can play backgammon when I'm stuck somewhere with nothing to do. 

I need remote email access and occasional Internet access for work, so it makes sense for me to have one.  My contract is up next month and I'll be shopping for a new one.  Currently have a Samsung Galaxy (first generation).  It's been okay.  But I have had a few frustrating instances of it locking up every now and then.  And the battery life is HORRIBLE!!!  If anyone has any recommendations, I'm all ears.

Download a profile ap that'll shutdown services between certain hours.  From midnight to 0800, my phone is voice only.  Bluetooth, WIFI and data services are all disabled.   Those are the primary power-hogs.  I use profile valet which is clunky but effective.  Also make sure the GPS is disabled unless called for.  Nothing saps battery life more than GPS.  Besides, those assholes already have a good enough idea where you are.

[Cool Chris]

Basically what EB said for me. I have the lowest cost/amount data plan, and use the net (and games) a lot on my long-ass bus commute. The maps feature is great as well. Plus the calendar, camera, and music player come in handy when necessary. I can understand why some people wouldn't have/want one though.

Good idea about the profile/battery app. Though I usually charge or turn off at night so have never had any issues with battery life.

[kirksnosehair]

I have an iPhone 4s with unlimited voice/data/text.  My cost:  $0.00

It's the only phone I have.   It's the only phone I need.  One of the nicer perks that comes with my job.

[Gadough]

I've personally never thought that the occasional convenience of being able to access the internet on the go was worth the cost. I have the dumbest of dumb phones.

You say that because you don't have one. As soon as you start using it for other things besides calling and texting, you'll wonder how you ever survived without it.

[DebraKadabra]

I have a smart phone and, yes, I can afford it.  I don't have the most recent model, but I don't have a problem with that if I can still get updates from BlackBerry/RiM.  I'm eligible for an upgrade, though, so I'll have to see about switching up.

[lordxizor]

I've personally never thought that the occasional convenience of being able to access the internet on the go was worth the cost. I have the dumbest of dumb phones.

You say that because you don't have one. As soon as you start using it for other things besides calling and texting, you'll wonder how you ever survived without it.

I have no doubt I'd find ways to use it. But I actually keep track right now without a smart phone how often it would be a great convenience to have one. It's about once or twice a month that I wish I could look something up. Anything else would be purely for fun, which is fine, but I just can't justify the cost.

[Gadough]

Yeah, I gotcha.

[Fiery Winds]

I have an HTC Thunderbolt and the battery life is horrible.  It's great for tethering internet when plugged into the wall, which I'm doing now while waiting for my AT&T modem to arrive.  I may go back to Apple when the next iPhone comes out, if only because their battery life is much better than Android.

[jsem]

I have a mid-range smartphone. Samsung Galaxy W.

I can afford it, I've got a very cheap price plan.

[rumborak]

Half of my work day is spent coding for Android. Naturally I have a pretty nice one.

rumborak

[BanksD]

I got a smart phone about a year ago and haven't looked back yet.

[bosk1]

Half of my work day is spent coding for Android. Naturally I have a pretty nice one.

rumborak

Code anything recently that makes the battery last longer? 

[Fuzzboy]

when my dumb phone broke, i went to a store and all they had were smart phones. Got a "hand me down" smart phone from my dad a few days later since he's constantly buying new phones

[The King in Crimson]

I have a dumb phone.  It's an old ass blackberry, pre-touch screen.  It's built like a goddamn brick and it's survived the many times I've dropped it or gotten it wet.  Seriously, I think the thing is indestructible.

I've looked at getting a smart phone, but I just can't justify the data plan expense.  I'm sure it would be useful, but +$30 a month useful?  I fucking doubt it.

[Hyperplex]

^Technically that's still a smartphone. Smartphones combine the old PDA with a phone, so you can send and receive email, organize appointments and such while also getting texts and phone calls. Granted phones have come a long way since then, it's still considered a smartphone.

I have a Galaxy Nexus. Love it.

[carl320]

I have a Chocolate 3, so that's pretty much a dumb phone.  I probably could afford a smart phone, but I don't want to pay the extra for the mandatory data plan, so (at least for now) I am keeping my 3 year old phone.

[The King in Crimson]

^Technically that's still a smartphone. Smartphones combine the old PDA with a phone, so you can send and receive email, organize appointments and such while also getting texts and phone calls. Granted phones have come a long way since then, it's still considered a smartphone.

I have a Galaxy Nexus. Love it.

Technically it is, but it doesn't have internet on it, so it's basically just a dumb phone to me.

[millahh]

HTC Rezound.  Mobile email is critical for me (yet for some reason my employer has decided that only Executive Directors and above get company issued Blackberries).  In addition to email, it also takes the place of a PDA, iPod, GPS, and handheld gaming unit.  Phone calls are pretty rare for me, and texts aren't particularly frequent, either.

[Big Crouton]

I have a mildly intelligent phone (palm pre, one of the earlier smart phones) that I got with a better and cheaper plan than my dumb phone was on before I got this one.  Hard to say if I'll be willing to pay much more for a smart phone when this plan expires.  I do however think it's crazy that some of my friends pay well over $100 monthly for their phones.  I can't imagine myself going for that.