smartphones....worth it or not?

wavedancer37 said:
I just bought an epic 4g and I have had it 2 whole days. Today I was at lowes in desperate need of a washer and dryer. While waiting for salesman to come back I googled the model # and found they had the same thing online for 200 bucks less. Salesman comes up and says are you ready... I said do you price match online ? He says yes. WOOOOHOOOOO for me. Saved 500 bucks because he beat the online price. Thats just paid for my phone in itself in day 2. Smartphone all the way for me.
I had a BB before this one and is nice but way to slow for web browsing
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There is a bar code scanner app that does this and is excellent!
 
Before I got my Droid, I used to walk through the airports and watch all of these people constantly looking down. Thought it was kinda sad that they had to be so plugged in that they could not put it down. I also understood what CrackBerry meant as I would see people texting each other when all they had to do was walk about 100' to have a real conversation.

After about a month with my Droid which was my first smartphone, I quickly realized I was one of those people always looking down and checking it. Instant email and Instant access to the Web is not always such a good thing. Electronic leach as someone said in this thread really hits home.

I will probably go back to a regular phone with a camera and no internet or email soon. I just do not need to be that plugged in every second of the day. Checking Email via laptop or home once or twice a day should suffice.

and yes, it is expensive when you add it all up.
 
Turtlesboat said:
I think any phone on AT&T is going to be city dependent. Their network in some cities is so overloaded that you want to take the phone and hurl it into a wall.
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I was in NY this weekend and we had to make a phone call on the AT&T network. We understand EXACTLY what you mean.

Uplate said:
Before I got my Droid, I used to walk through the airports and watch all of these people constantly looking down. Thought it was kinda sad that they had to be so plugged in that they could not put it down. I also understood what CrackBerry meant as I would see people texting each other when all they had to do was walk about 100' to have a real conversation.

After about a month with my Droid which was my first smartphone, I quickly realized I was one of those people always looking down and checking it. Instant email and Instant access to the Web is not always such a good thing. Electronic leach as someone said in this thread really hits home.

I will probably go back to a regular phone with a camera and no internet or email soon. I just do not need to be that plugged in every second of the day. Checking Email via laptop or home once or twice a day should suffice.

and yes, it is expensive when you add it all up.
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Yeah, it is "hard to go back". We don't have smart phones, but we got a MiFi device to provide 3G wifi service to computers and ipods down at the boat. It became a a lifeline, especially when you could fire up a computer web browser while in the car.

There are pluses and minuses to the digital life. We are currently contemplating a full blown iPhone conversion.
 
comsnark said:
I was in NY this weekend and we had to make a phone call on the AT&T network. We understand EXACTLY what you mean.



Yeah, it is "hard to go back". We don't have smart phones, but we got a MiFi device to provide 3G wifi service to computers and ipods down at the boat. It became a a lifeline, especially when you could fire up a computer web browser while in the car.

There are pluses and minuses to the digital life. We are currently contemplating a full blown iPhone conversion.
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We have air cards from ATT & Verizon because I travel a lot and with my business it is crucial I be connected to the internet at all times. I haven't ever been anywhere that I felt like my ATT phone service was lacking or poor. You could be correct about the service in NYC. I don't typically do a lot of work in NYC proper since they are very "protective" of their construction/engineering work.
 
We currently install two types of mobile internet devises, 1. Autonet mobile and 2. Internet In Motion. They both have pros and cons. The Autonet... http://www.autonetmobile.com/ ..has a built in router and can connect up to 20 computers/smart phones and uses all the different cell towers. The Internet In Motion uses a dedicated carrier (Verizon EVDO RevA having the best coverage) and can only connect one computer. But, you can plug in a wireless router and be fine. The Internet In Motion.. http://www.internetinmotion.net/ ..is probably the better unit, has external antennas that can be mounted outside, but is a little more money. We have been a dealer for a while and they are awesome to use with the Ipad and smart phones as well.
 
After looking at thousands of apps and playing with phones at the stores, I think I can justify the smart phone. I have narrowed down to 2 that I like. The motorola Droid x and the samsung facinate. Both are android based phones. Any input on these 2 models? Thanks
 
I have the Droid Pro, I just upgraded from the Droid X. Both good phones/toy, btw this is my third Droid so I guess I am a fan. (actually very happy with the pro).
 
I have verizon and believe its worth it. I use the internet on it a lot at work where our internet access is limited. Also if you spend a lot of time in airports, conference calls or the bathroom, its a life safer!
 
Ok, I broke down and got a pair of droid incredible's. I must say the are very nice, and so far well worth the money, and Cant beat free phones from best buy, verizon store wanted $150 a piece.
 
I have verizon and currently the Droid HTC Eris. I love it and am on it all the time. I loaded the Nav charts for the DC area and its a great boating tool for the Potomac. I can't wait for my next upgrade to get a new Droid.
 
I support about 500 of these devices for my employer. I am always floored by how many of our employees come to me DEMANDING that the company buy them a smartphone because it is an absolute requirement to get their job done. Really? How did we get work done 5,10,20 years ago without them. Seriously?

With that said, *some* people really do get a productivity boost from smartphones. Examples would be our top salesmen, our field engineers who need documents and other information zoomed to them in weird remote locations, and our Executive team who never seem to get into the same room at the same time.

If you travel A LOT, then definitely get the smartphone. Getting GPS, phone, text, email, and basic web rolled into a hand held device is big weight savings. Maps, travel info, car rental apps, weather, airport info, etc. It's amazing how much you can do with one and NOT get your laptop out. I'm to the point that I can go on 90% of my trips without ever getting the laptop out. They are big help if you are a roady.

If you don't travel at all, I don't see the point. It is too expensive...especially when you will see your wife nightly and have access to office/home desktops/laptops at regular intervals. Stick with the basic cell and *call* your wife. It's ok.

If my employer wasn't requiring one to be on my hip (and footing the bill), I would not have one. The $100/mo is too rich to come out of my check. However, since work pays for it, I roll with it.

For 2008 and 2009, I actually rolled with a basic cell (w/ voice only plan) and then had an iPod Touch for email, basic web browsing, and a few other "apps". This was extremely effective -- especially since we have Wi-Fi in our office. I avoided the really expensive phone bill; however, still had a small portable device that could let me read an email when I was away from my office and let me check stocks, headlines, and weather while on the head. Moreover, there are enough Wi-Fi hotspots around that I was never really *that* inconvenienced by not having 3G. You might want to consider this option.

Applying the smartphone to the boat, the biggest plus has been the real-time weather info and radar. I have used this on the boat when I see suspicious clouds. That has been cool. I'm inland and always seem to have coverage. Obviously, this won't be replacing your radar if you are going off the coast.

I did this on the iPod Touch too; however, I have all the TN river charts on my smartphone. Pretty neat.

The negative is the real-time email that seems to constantly pester. It took me a month to get all the light-blinking and audios turned off for every time I got an email, text, or other notification. Once that was all off, life was more pleasurable again (and battery life went way up too).

Bottom line, treat this like your cable/satellite bill. You don't really *need* it; however, you may want it. And if you do, then go for it. But don't get it just to be cool or trying to keep up with the Jones.
 
Love my Blackberry Bold, tried an Iphone and did not like it. I love the messenger feature BB offers and their new traffic app is great. My two daughters have BB, one lives a mile away and the other 1500 miles away. The messenger is free no time is used and it works all over the world. Keeping in touch with this one feature makes the BB perfect for us. I also have MS Office for the BB and when I tried the iphone last year it was not available, maybe it is now. It would be nice if the store that you purchase from would provide a loaner for a few days so you can see what is the right phone for you.

Ken
 
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