Please tell me it's worth the cost to get a smartphone!

[Tokie]

We ditched Verizon and a monthly bill of $80.00 month (with no texting) and are quite happy with our Net 10 pre-paid phones. No monthly fees, texts are 3 cents, and calls are 10 cents a minute. We are saving a bunch of $. Our service is t mobil, and is just fine. tokie

[OakLeaf]

I don't have one yet, but DH has an iPhone, and he uses it all the time for weather, stock quotes and traffic updates.* It's also really, really nice to be able to use a search engine to find a business, etc., when you're in town and wanting to accomplish another errand rather than having to go home or find a WiFi hot spot to look them up. He has a standalone GPS, but for finding something on-the-fly rather than pre-programming it, it's a lot quicker to use the iPhone than find something in the GPS.

Or just simply to be able to look up a phone number when you're not at a WiFi hotspot, to make a phone call, without having to pay $1 for 4-1-1 (or going through the interminable ads on Free411 and then getting the wrong number anyway ).

It's also nice that he doesn't have to have to haul around both a phone and a PDA. Standalone PDAs are nearly impossible to find now. Really, the only one I'm even aware of any more is the iPod Touch, and I don't consider that a workable PDA since it doesn't have a useful alarm. I have to set separate alarms on my basic phone. If the alarm on my ancient Palm hadn't died around the same time as someone gave me my iPod Touch as a gift, I'd probably still be using the Palm.

On a short trip (one or two nights) it's perfectly adequate to leave your laptop at home. That's a huge bonus right there. Again, the iPod Touch or whatever standalone PDA you use now probably has the same browser and email capabilities as long as you have WiFi.

I wouldn't consider any smartphone but the iPhone and the Motorola Droid, just because of screen size. More of an issue for my aging eyes, maybe . But I've felt that way for at least ten years, way before smartphones with big screens ever came out. It's a lot of why I've stayed with a standalone PDA all these years, rather than get a Blackberry or Treo.

The downside, other than the cost, is that you don't have to haul around two devices - and so you do have to haul around one large one in situations when you'd normally leave your PDA at home, like running or cycling. An iPhone is a big stonkin' brick to have to stow in my SpiBelt.

DH's experience confirms all the AT&T network problems you've heard about with the iPhone. Out in the country, connectivity can be weak and 3G service isn't available in a lot of places ... in even a small city like Columbus, Ohio, network traffic can make it just interminably slow.

My contract with Verizon is up next month and I still haven't made a decision. But I'd have had an iPhone the last time my contract with Verizon came up for renewal, had I not dropped my old phone in a portajohn three weeks before the iPhone 3G came out.


____________________
*Before you say anything - when he uses it for traffic updates, it's when I'm in the car and working the phone - or if he's on the moto, when he's at a gas stop. He doesn't surf and drive/ride, I promise!

[ny biker]

Thanks Oak!

re: iphone call quality, while the power went out at work the other day, we had a teleconference scheduled with a group of clients and other developers who were located all over the country. Our phones were out, so we went into the conference room and the manager called in from his iphone. Over the course of a 90-minute call, with the phone just sitting on the table, the call was dropped 3 times. I was pretty surprised -- it's not like we were moving in and out of areas with varying cell coverage.

For Verizon, you should definitely look at the HTC Incredible. The screen is big and the reviews really are great. Also I'm hearing that LG is going to introduce a Verizon smartphone soon, like maybe this month, and it will have slide-out keyboard which I know some people prefer. I think the LG phone will be called the Ally, but I'm not 100% on that.

Here are some links on the Incredible:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...001160_pf.html

http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/...fightContent.0

http://phones.verizonwireless.com/htc/incredible/


It's interesting that your husband still uses a separate GPS -- I have a Garmin and I figured I would wind up giving it away after getting the new phone. But I'll wait and see how I like the gps features of phone. It would definitely be handy to have access to google maps, but Garmin's "what's nearby" feature is superior, at least around this area.

Another thing is the texting, which I don't do much of now (I only just unblocked texting on my phone last month). But it's inevitable that I'll need to communicate that way more, since it's the only good way to get in touch with some of my relatives. A big chunk of the higher monthly fee will go toward unlimited texting, including pictures and videos.

I do think having web access on my phone will also make me more comfortable do bike rides alone in more areas than I ride now. I have no family to call if I need help when I'm far away from home or car, so currently I need to look up phone numbers for local cab companies in advance and put them on my cue sheet before I leave home. It would be nice to be able to know I can just look up something like that as needed, no matter where I am. And I keep coming back to that ride last year when I got caught in the unforecasted rain storm and had no idea where I might find a public building where I could take shelter for a few minutes. There were schools and stores not far away, I just didn't know that at the time...

BTW a couple of weeks ago I was out with some folks, and one of them was able to watch a major league baseball game live on his iphone. All I could think was, how cool would it be if I could watch the TdF live on my phone when I'm not at home. It might not (probably is not) available now, but someday...

Oh and I just saw your ps and remembered -- my car is bluetooth enabled, but my current phone is not. I avoid talking on the phone while I'm driving and will continue to do so, but there are times (like when I'm stuck in endless traffic on a long trip) when I need to call ahead and tell someone how late I'm running. So a phone upgrade to take advantage of the bluetooth is long overdue.

[maillotpois]

I wouldn't give mine up for (just about) anything.

It is absolutely essential for my work. I am out of the office several days of the week, yet I am always able to respond to client emails. I am still able to respond when I am on vacation. Sure, that may not be what everyone wants to be able to do - be always available even when on a trip - but I run my own one-woman business in a highly competitive field. Being accessible and responsive is hugely important.

It's also very helpful for the work I do with TNT.

It's so nice not to be gone all day and return to 75 + emails which all need a response. I will have dealt with most of them by the time I get back and they can be filed away.

I have had a smart phone with email for over 10 years. I started with an early Palm version and now am on a windows mobile version. I toy with the idea of getting the iPhone, but I don't know for sure that it would sync with my Microsoft Outlook, which is critical.

[Crankin]

I don't have an I Phone, but DH does. We have never had any problems with dropped calls/ATT. We use the GPS function, if we are in my car (no GPS), but he still has both of his Garmins and doesn't intend to give them away.
I guess if you need to be in contact with clients all of the time and don't want to wait to do emails, it's worth it. Neither of us text, although DH will respond if he gets one from someone at work.
I have a small flip phone with a camera that i don't use. I have tried to figure out how to un-enable the text function, since if I get one, I have to pay for it. My dentist sent me a text (drumming up business) and unless I responded to it that I didn't want to get texts, it would stay on my phone...
I am like Marni in regards to all of this stuff. I have a feeling, if I had an I Phone, I would just be on TE all of the time! In my job, we can't send any information through email (confidentiality), so it wouldn't do me any good there.

[Ana]

Google also offers a free 411 service (1-800-GOOG-411).

[Kano]

I have had a smart phone with email for over 10 years. I started with an early Palm version and now am on a windows mobile version. I toy with the idea of getting the iPhone, but I don't know for sure that it would sync with my Microsoft Outlook, which is critical.

FWIW, iphone does NOT sync with Outlook 2010 yet, but then, the 2010 version is still in Beta, which probably has something to do with that.

I DID have it set up to sync with the Outlook 2007 calendar function. iTunes tells me it will sync with the contacts, e-mail, etc. in outlook too. I don't remember if I did any of the other sync functions with outlook 2007.

I think that with a subscription to "Mobile Me" the iphone and your outlook stuff will keep synced all the time via the "cloud" -- I'm not sure how that works!

Karen in Boise

[maillotpois]

Kano - thanks!

[VeloVT]

nybiker, if you do get the Droid Incredible, please give us a review as I am due for an upgrade from Verizon and seriously considering the Incredible. I have a Blackberry Pearl currently and I have found the smartphone capabilities useful. For instance, my parents and I visited my sister in California in January. My parents both "thought" they remembered how to get from the airport to her office, but neither of them really did, so they kept driving around in circles, bickering and getting lost. Annoying. So I pulled out my phone, fired up Google Maps, typed in the business name, and my phone automagically gave use directions from our current GPS location to her office. On the same trip, I also wanted to call someone to keep an eye on my house, but I didn't have the number in my address book, so I was able to search the internet for him, highlight the phone number in the search results and automatically add it to my contacts. I also use it for email, and I sync my phone calendar with Google calendar (which I use a lot). I use the notes application to keep track of important information, and I have occasionally used the voice-notes application for things like remembering where I was parked in large garages (hospitals, hotels, etc).

Also, foursquare & twitter .

[Irulan]

FWIW, iphone does NOT sync with Outlook 2010 yet, but then, the 2010 version is still in Beta, which probably has something to do with that.

Iphone 4 syncs with Outlook 2010 just fine, I've been doing this since Xmas.

Have you been able to play music in your car?

I can't do it with my brand new Droid Incredible and DH can't do it with his iPhone. He explained it to me just a little bit ago - the jack in a phone, unlike the jack in an iPod, is for a combined microphone/headphone, so it takes a different plug from the stereo cable that you can easily find in male-to-male. Cables are apparently available but kind of expensive. I suppose we could fabricate one pretty easily with parts from Radio Shack.

I use my iPhone 4 as a music player just fine through the male/female auxiliary jack in my car. No problems here. The cable cost $7.95 at Radio Shack. It is the same kind of plug as earphones.

As for cost, we have a family plan. Once we got the phone ( upgrade, saved a lot of money) it added exactly $15/month plus fees to our plan. I discovered right away that I didn't need the unlimited plan. You only need that if you are streaming Pandora, streaming Netflix etc.

One can be a smug Luddite all they want (I have an answering machine, who needs a smart phone) but they are very useful tools, aside from the fun stuff. I'm sold.

[GLC1968]

One can be a smug Luddite all they want (I have an answering machine, who needs a smart phone) but they are very useful tools, aside from the fun stuff. I'm sold.

You ain't kidding! I've been a smartphone hold out for years. I even work for a company that makes parts for smartphones and yet, refused to give in. I hardly ever used my dumb cell phone - why would I even need a smarter one?

Two weeks ago, I got an iphone 4. Granted, it's paid for by my work, so I'd probably not have ever bothered otherwise but I am convinced. Seriously. I have NO patience for technology that doesn't work (again, pretty funny considering that I'm an EE by trade) and this thing has seriously impressed me. I absolutely LOVE it. I don't update facebook on it, I don't text, I don't take and share photos or face talk with anyone...but I definitely use the GPS, the browser, the email, and many of the apps. I never would have expected to say this, but I seriously LOVE my iphone! I love that now when I run I can take ONE device. It's my watch, my gps, my phone and my music (if I want it) - no need to carry a bunch of other little things. I will take it on my bike with me as well once I'm riding outside again.

It plugs into our new surround sound system, so I can play my music through our TV/stereo in the house (while it charges). It will plug into our new car (once it arrives) so that I can play my music or talk hands-free (while it charges). It plugs into my little stereo thing in the kitchen so that I can listen to music when I'm cooking, cleaning or canning (while it charges). It's so simple and yet so powerful.

My only question for myself is: Why did I wait so long?

[Crankin]

Still a Luddite....
Don't play music, don't use GPS, don't need or want to check email when I am out and about, don't text. Take pictures with a camera (a nice one), but I have no idea how those pictures get into the computer...
I'm not being sarcastic, really, but I can't really think of any reason I would get a Smart Phone. Perhaps it's because in my field, we don't and sometimes can't (because of confidentiality) use technology much in our work.
I keep asking myself why so many people feel the need to be in touch all of the time. I often watch people on the train and count how many are using some kind of electronic device. It's just interesting, to contrast that with how many are reading, not on an I Pad or Kindle.
Just a comment and casting no judgments on anyone.

[owlice]

Really, the only one I'm even aware of any more is the iPod Touch, and I don't consider that a workable PDA since it doesn't have a useful alarm.

Ummmm, the iPod Touch does have alarms; I use them all the time! Both the Clock and the Calendar (built-in) apps offer alarms. I use the Calendar app to remind me to take my weekly vitamin D supplement, that I have an upcoming doctor's appointment, the kid has a dental appointment, and the like; I use the Clock app to wake me up, remind me to feed the meter, go to a meeting, and so on.

I used to set alarms on my phone, but the iPod Touch is so much easier to set alarms on, I use that for all alarms instead.

[OakLeaf]

How do you get it loud enough??? Mine is so faint I can't even hear it most of the time.

[ClockworkOrange]

Oh, my turn, my turn.

I got an Apple iphone 3 last weekend and it is fabulous. It was a belated birthday pressie under the circumstances with the ol' broken back.

Being able to wake up and check emails in bed, or check out ebay etc brilliant, for my situation at the moment. That said, I can be anywhere and keep in contact with my friends.

Must confess to love all the different Apps you can download (that's applications, I only found that out last week).

For weeks I said I did not need one and what was the point but I gave in just to keep my partner happy and am I pleased that I did.

She is just sooooo sexy:



Clock