Late to the party: Smartphone

[Pilsy]

Maybe this belongs in the confessions thread: I do not own a smartphone.  

When you're done pointing and laughing, if you really love yours, will you please let me know why (i.e., how does it stand out from the pack?) and which model it is?  I'm perfectly content without one, and the hassle of shopping for the best deal and learning to use it are making me feel very blah about the whole thing.  I really can't picture myself using it enough to justify the cost.  But the faithful little flip phone I've had for four or five years now is dying, and it will be useful to have email access on the go (without necessarily needing WiFi).  Finally, DH fears new technology but will be getting an iPhone from work before long, and he hopes I'll get one first so I can teach him to use it.  

I would love to hear why I should be more excited about this, too.     Tell me how this is going to make my life better and how it will be worth both the initial investment and $30 or so more per month.  

Oh, and do I need the 32GB or will the 16GB be sufficient?  What about the service plan?  (DH and I tend to believe these are always a rip-off.)  Are genuine accessories necessary, or are any that work with the phone fine?  Is there any way to get out of Verizon's ridiculous upgrade fee?  Is there a better place to buy it?  

Thanks for any advice you can give.  




ETA: I'll probably end up with an iPhone, if only because DH will be getting one from work and we have a MacBook and an iPad; but I'm not completely opposed to something else (and would love to save some $) if someone can explain away the compatibility concerns.    

[lindyanne]

I have an iPhone. I love it. Love love love. I have apple care bc I am a klutz and I have a three year old. I even converted my dad who wouldn't even let me TEXT him when I had DS 3.5 years ago. I had to wait till morning to call. Now we FaceTime all the time. (He lives 4 hours away)

[niq]

I don't know how techie you are. I tell non-techie friends to get an iPhone. Stuff is just more likely to work. With android you have to go through like five different versions of each app you want to find the one that works. iPhone's are not MM compared to Android, but unless you are the kind of person who likes tinkering with your computer or TV settings I would just get an iPhone. If you like fiddling Android is more fun, you can make it do exactly what you want.

The most MM way to get a smartphone is buy a used off-contract one off Craigslist, and then taking everything prepaid, especially if you have wifi at home & work. If that sounds too annoying, and T-Mobile has good service in your area, the next best thing is to pay full price for the phone and buy the smallest plan that you need. If you have wifi at home and work 1GB per phone is probably plenty, just don't use Pandora unless you're on wifi .

You only need more storage if you have a lot of music or watch TV/movies on your phone, or play a lot of games on it. And even if it's just movies/music you don't "need" it. Since everyone is getting into the Cloud Music business you can just upload all your music to Amazon or Apple or Google (well not Google on the iPhone) and then download the albums/playlists you want to listen to. Even a 16GB phone will hold hundreds of albums. It's a little annoying because you have to pick out your favorites and if you suddenly change your mind while you're on the road, tough luck.

I think if I traveled for work or had small children in the house I'd get the service/replacement plan.[/a]

[bostonmichelle]

I have an iPhone and love it. My parents recently got iPhones as well and they have done remarkably well with them, my dad texts me all the time and he loves having his personal email with him to check if he is away from a computer. My dad couldn't even understand what texting was just a few years ago and now loves it. I love the simplicity of the iPhone, I had a blackberry and android before but they just were not up to par. I also got the applecare and the top button stopped working within the two year window, so I just went to an apple store and they helpfully made sure I backed up everything and gave me a new phone and off I went. I have the iPhone 4 and will continue to use it until it dies/something major stops working.

[hurricanedrunk]

I have an IPhone and love it. It's my first smartphone and I've had for over a year. Here's how I use other than just a phone. These are probably things that any smartphone could do but the iPhone is very user friendly.

1) GPS
2) Internet - our computer died a few months back and we've decided to hold off on getting a new one and use our phones (I'm typing on my phone right now)
3) music - pandora, plus you can add music like an iPod.
4) I text a lot more.
5) I love my workout app, it keeps track of how far I run walk or bike. It's been awesome in tracking all my workouts.
6) calendar, contacts all in one spot. I synced from google so no retyping everything and if something happens to my phone the info is safe.
7) email
8) photos- I take a lot more picture because I always have my phone on me and the camera is quite nice. I have an app that makes them look olde timey which is fun to play around with

Also to note I have Siri but rarely use her.

This is the longest I've ever typed out on my phone so sorry for any type-o's.

[Deleted]

I have a 64 GB iPhone (I have over 32 GB of music on it, hence the size). I use Siri a lot to text while occupied with my kiddo or driving. Actually I'm using Siri to make this post right now, which is pretty convenient. I also really like that do not disturb feature, which prevents the phone from ringing overnight and waking you up with a call or text.

I use my phone all day long to answer email and look things up. It's awesome. I will say though that its really easy to whip out and start checking GBCN or whatever all day if I have 2 seconds of downtime. I'm not crazy about how addictive it is that way.

[grover]

If you currently have a Verizon plan, check out walmart. We just got two new phones to upgrade ours (we got one smart phone and one smart phone capable phone that's not hooked up to data) for $1.05 each (plus $30 activation fee). This was cheaper than upgrading at Verizon. According to Walmart, these were not sale prices but their normal prices.

[Deleted]

Don't feel bad, I just got a smartphone about 3 months ago.

We have AT&T so I went with an iphone but got the 4S instead of the latest greatest version 5. We have 3 devices within our plan and one was in the upgrade period so I was able to get it at the reduced price. Our monthly bill is actually lower b/c he also converted us to the newer data plan.

I'm kicking myself for not getting it long ago; I just thought for sure it would hike up our bill a lot.

I love having internet with me at all times; mainly for looking up stuff while I'm at the grocery store, finding nearby stores, directions/gps, checking email, etc. I love the camera, texting, and several apps.

DO IT!!

[Pilsy]

Thanks, all!

[RandZB]

I switched from Android to an iPhone last January and I will never go back. I love it. Everything works all the time, nothing ever force closes, and I can sync it with my iPad. DH just made the switch after five years with Android and he is kicking himself for not switching sooner.

[whitemerlot]

I got the iPhone 4S when the 5 came out. I love it. I had a blackberry before- awful!

[Deleted]

I went from a 32 GB iPhone 3GS to an 8gb iPhone 4 (because it was only $99) and while my phone is still great, I cant store any music or videos on it. I have to download and delete pictures right away. It's such a pita. I'm getting a 32 or 64 next time bc I want my music on there.

[geneg]

I bought a smartphone just in March of 2012.  My previous phone was just that:  a phone.  Not even text.  I looked at a bunch of different phones (was going to go with Straight Talk, so had a lot of choices).  DH had an iPad, so he was happy with that.  I ended up with the top two being the iPhone 4s and the newest Galaxy.  And, honestly, the iPhone was more intuitive and easier for a smartphone newby like me to use.  So we went with the iPhone.  DH got one as well and he likes it.  And now I have an iPad, too.  We use them all the time, especially functions like Grocery IQ and calendar to help communicate and coordinate our schedules.  I also load it with audiobooks from the library and listen to them on my commute.

I'm not sure when I'll upgrade to a newer iPhone, but I can't until StraightTalk starts offering a nano-SIM.  But I do highly recommend a BYOP sim only plan.

Regarding size:  DH and I each have a 32G size.  So far, it's fine.  We take lots of pics, but don't store long movies or anything.  

[Deleted]

Feb 2, 2013 10:46:53 GMT -5 @iheartcosmos said:

I went from a 32 GB iPhone 3GS to an 8gb iPhone 4 (because it was only $99) and while my phone is still great, I cant store any music or videos on it. I have to download and delete pictures right away. It's such a pita. I'm getting a 32 or 64 next time bc I want my music on there.

I was this way with my 32GB iPhone 4 (and that's why I am on the 64 GB now). Worth every extra penny, I absolutely advise to get a phone with more (perhaps much more) space than you think you need. I am also not a person who needs to upgrade to the latest and greatest thing as soon as it comes out; the only reason I even upgraded to the iPhone 5 was for the extra space. I have it in an Otterbox case so I am hoping that I can keep it in good enough shape to last me 3 or 4 years.

[Deleted]

I went from a 32GB iPhone 4 to a 64 GB iPhone 5 because between movies and pictures and videos of my cats (but relatively few apps, no games, and no movies or anything), my 32 GB was just about taken up. I think I'd only ever buy the largest GB I can. It is worth the money to me.

[caligurl]

I have a Samsung Galaxy S2 and I love it. If cost is a factor for you, I vote Android and highly recommend the Galaxy phone. I don't use mine to store music but I use it for almost everything else (internet browsing, GPS navigation, banking/online bill pay, etc.) and I haven't had any issues. The camera is good quality for taking pics when you're just out and about and it is 4G so I have fast performance with network speed. I'm not a big apps person, I only download the apps that I need like my bank, PayPal, social networking, etc. I'm not really into games and "apps for the sake of having a ton of apps" so with that being said, I've had good experiences and good performance with the apps that I have. We have Apple and Android devices (we own a Mac and some ipods but DH and I both have Android smartphones) and since we're not very techy, we aren't that concerned about synching devices and using the cloud and all that so it works out well for us.

[Deleted]

iPhone - I love it. I have the 4s and honestly don't think the 5 is worth the money.

No service plan, but I would look on your local Craigslist for people in your area who will replace your screen. I've had to do it 2x . $69 each. But that us still cheaper than the service plan.

[Deleted]

Oh- I have a 16gb- I have a selection of my music on it and some videos. I take pictures off every 2 weeks or so, but that is a good habit anyway to prevent loss of photos. (iCloud does take care of that though. )

[dexteroni]

Definitely get the iPhone; it will be more compatible with all of your other Apple products, and IMO iPhone hardware and software are better designed than the Androids I've played around with. I would get the 32GB; apps can take up a lot of room. Between music, photos, videos, games, and other apps, my 32GB is actually at capacity; I had to delete some stuff to be able to fit Christmas music on it this past season. We'll definitely be getting the 64GB when we replace our phones this summer. But I keep a big music collection on my phone, so if you don't, then you should be fine with the 32.

I'm not even concerned that you aren't excited about it now, because you will be once you get it. Enjoy!

[Pilsy]

I am the proud owner of an iPhone now. Thanks, everyone!

[dexteroni]

Congratulations! Did you get the 16 or the 32?

[Deleted]

Yay!

[niq]

Feb 2, 2013 21:13:15 GMT -5 Pilsy said:

I am the proud owner of an iPhone now. Thanks, everyone!

Did you take the T-Mobile, pay full price plunge?

Welcome to the 21st century

[Pilsy]

I went with the 16. The lady at the Verizon store thought that was a good move for me, given the cloud stuff and the fact that I don't have much music, anyway.

Now, I'm paralyzed by the idea of committing to a case. Good grief! There are so many choices. I don't dare use my phone until I have a case, but I can't decide. Ugh.

[giantsgirl]

I'll be one of the few here who would recommend the andriod platform above the iPhone.  I have had both for almost 3 years now (iPhone for work, Android for personal) and the Andriod is my preference.  I have a Samsung Galaxy 3 and I really like it.  There is nothing *wrong* with the iphone, I just find the andriod easier to use (stupid stuff like having a standard back button and menu button in each app are things that I really like).  I also really like the huge screen on the Galaxy. 

[dexteroni]

iPhones are not all that fragile; go ahead and use it. I'm always knocking mine onto the floor or pulling it out from under a dog's paw on the sofa, and it still looks brand new. And I just have the bumper case and no screen protector. They're much sturdier than any other phone I've ever used.

[heygrey]

I've had my iPhone for all of 9 days... I knew I would like it since h had an iPhone and I have an iPad, but I love it more than expected.

The minimalist in me loves that its replaced so many one trick ponies - alarm clock, camera, paper maps, loose leaf grocery lists, entertainment (games, books, Internet while I'm waiting for an appt).

[Pilsy]

Thanks, dex. I think it will be going out for the Super Bowl tonight.

[dexteroni]

Feb 3, 2013 14:13:00 GMT -5 heygrey said:

The minimalist in me loves that its replaced so many one trick ponies - alarm clock, camera, paper maps, loose leaf grocery lists, entertainment (games, books, Internet while I'm waiting for an appt).

Me too! Back when I was carrying an iPod, a cell phone, a camera, and a Palm Pilot (ha!) I used to say "why isn't there one thing that can do all of this?" Now there is, and it's as good as I imagined.