Reliance on Cell Phones

[Sue J]

The iPod Touch was basically an iPhone that did everything but make phone calls. Which is what killed it eventually.

Exactly, which is why I liked it. It has a decent camera, can browse, text, FaceTime, play music, YouTube and use plenty of apps including ER.org. But only on Wi-Fi. When you leave WiFi it has its limits. I had an old flip cell phone for calls and I could also text. My phone had a very cheap legacy plan, pay once and pay again when you use it up, whether it’s next month or next year.

So for many years I had no monthly payment for cell service and the iPod Touch had all the other functions.

Now I’ve joined the masses with a spiffy new iPhone and yes, it covers all the functions that I used to do, and more. My favorite function is shopping with Scan and Go and paying with Apple Pay. I feel so “modern”!

But now I have a monthly bill ($70/mo for DH and I together) and unlimited everything. It sure is shiny!

 

[steelyman]

I still use my iTouch and was thrilled to learn it works as a phone with VoIP (Ooma for me). Great device so RIP with its demise.

 

[Bunker]

Ha ha, great thread, sound like my Mom (76 y/o).



A cliche used by all previous generations, no doubt, but I really do feel lucky to have grown up in the shouldering period generation without cable and a 1,000 channels on the idiot box, and no internet.



Totally 80s middle-class in So-Cal, we had 1 tiny black and white TV with rabbit ears and round UHF antenna. Spent my time out fishing, hunting, shooting, at the beach, riding bikes with my buddies, zero parental supervision in sight. I'd disappear for days alone, on my bike, rifle/shotgun and a tent, my dog, water canteen, a couple cans of Chef Boyardee Spaghetti Os with a John Wayne can opener, to fill in the gaps between rabbit, quail and bluegill on the fire. Now days probably wind up on the side of a milk carton, helicopters, dogs, and half of Homeland Security out searching for me. LOL.



Military career and several years in civilian-land before leaving work behind at 44 y/o. Now 53, 10-years out of the mainstream, definitely feel I've fallen behind the tech power curve, starting to resemble my parents, and that'll likely get worse as the years go by.



Amusingly ironic that I rarely, if ever, use my phone to actually call anyone, and nobody, apart from my Mom and the Robots, calls me. Have really gotten on board with the QR Code Scan-to-Pay App stuff, which fits my long-standing penchant of not carrying a lot of cash around in my wallet. So feel like I, and folks in and around my age, came up in the sweet spot, riding the wave out of the no-tech years to where we are now.

 

[Koolau]

Ha ha, great thread, sound like my Mom (76 y/o).



A cliche used by all previous generations, no doubt, but I really do feel lucky to have grown up in the shouldering period generation without cable and a 1,000 channels on the idiot box, and no internet.



Totally 80s middle-class in So-Cal, we had 1 tiny black and white TV with rabbit ears and round UHF antenna. Spent my time out fishing, hunting, shooting, at the beach, riding bikes with my buddies, zero parental supervision in sight. I'd disappear for days alone, on my bike, rifle/shotgun and a tent, my dog, water canteen, a couple cans of Chef Boyardee Spaghetti Os with a John Wayne can opener, to fill in the gaps between rabbit, quail and bluegill on the fire. Now days probably wind up on the side of a milk carton, helicopters, dogs, and half of Homeland Security out searching for me. LOL.



Military career and several years in civilian-land before leaving work behind at 44 y/o. Now 53, 10-years out of the mainstream, definitely feel I've fallen behind the tech power curve, starting to resemble my parents, and that'll likely get worse as the years go by.



Amusingly ironic that I rarely, if ever, use my phone to actually call anyone, and nobody, apart from my Mom and the Robots, calls me. Have really gotten on board with the QR Code Scan-to-Pay App stuff, which fits my long-standing penchant of not carrying a lot of cash around in my wallet. So feel like I, and folks in and around my age, came up in the sweet spot, riding the wave out of the no-tech years to where we are now.

I'm virtually your mom's age. Imagine what WE saw as the world changed! My family was a "late adopter" for TV. We didn't have one until I was 10. We got 3 whole channels.

Yeah, I recall age 11, slinging my .22 over my shoulder and riding out of town with a buddy or two to plink old cans, etc. Now of days, a kid would be tackled to the ground and sat on or have the SWAT team called on him.

I recall saving up (literally) pennies to buy something I wanted.

A Coke was a luxury - split 3 ways with two sisters.

A night out was car-load-night at the drive in with a sack of home-popped popcorn.

But easy availability of Cell phones came just about the time we got OUR kids. THAT was our impetus for getting one of the early ones - just after bricks. We never wanted to be (or wanted them to be) out of contact. By their childhood - much had changed. It wasn't the same care-free world I grew up in. Cell phones meant that (for the most part) we were never out of touch with our kids. That was worth the price of a cell phone - eventually two. YMMV

 

[Deuce]

It seems to me that some people don't like change and fight it every inch!

 

[John Galt III]

I'm in league with the guys here who don't like to be forced to give up a perfectly working device, AND spend hard earned money on a new unwanted device, simply for higher profits. Fortunately I have an old candy bar phone and a samsung flip phone that both still work as intended.

 

[ERD50]

In my view, there are at least 3 kinds of people in this thread:

1) People complaining about some aspects of cell phones *AND* are techno-phobes in general.

2) People complaining about some aspects of cell phones but are *NOT* techno-phobes in general.

3) Some people commenting on #1 and #2, but can't tell (or don't distinguish) the difference.

-ERD50

 

[sengsational]

^ As I was reading through the thread, I noticed the same thing. Saying something negative about how the technology is being leveraged against consumers, whether it's being overly snoopy, or being overly greedy by planned/force obsolescence doesn't even partially lead to the conclusion that one is a Luddite, IMO.

 

[BasketCase24]

Preliminary caution: I use technology often, sometimes just for fun, mostly to make our lives easier.

I dispute the first assumption, that a cell phone is required for many of these activities. We have an Apple-centric home, and we use iPads for many of the tasks the original poster listed, not the iPhones. We try to keep the iPhone apps only those used while traveling (Waze, AAA, etc.) and the "home management" apps on the tablets.

We have one old iPad that just stays in the house, so when we have visitors they can use it for home functions if we are not home.

 

[Midpack]

^ As I was reading through the thread, I noticed the same thing. Saying something negative about how the technology is being leveraged against consumers, whether it's being overly snoopy, or being overly greedy by planned/force obsolescence doesn't even partially lead to the conclusion that one is a Luddite, IMO.

Exactly. Some are against cell phones entirely, which could fall into the Luddite category - technology. Others have issues with the quantity and pervasiveness of apps essentially, which isn't the same issue - privacy and/or access. I got blasted for commenting on the former, by someone who falls into the latter camp...

 

[albundyz]

well, I agree with the original post. Cell phones have been a huge boon for business people. I understand that. I'm 71 and retired. Yes, my friends tease me about my cell phone, but for a retired person, I don't really need it unless my car breaks down or I'm carpooling with someone. We have home phone service thru Ooma, works great. I'm home a lot.

Walmart near me, used to have these little boxes that would read the bar code of the item and give you the price. They're gone. I asked a Walmart worker, they said "that info is avail on your smartphone". why?

I'm a baseball fan, my friends always point out that you can get instant scores while you're out of the house. Know what I found out? The final score when I'm out...... is the same as the final score when I get home.

I buy minutes, costs me about $6 a month.

 

[JoeWras]

Walmart near me, used to have these little boxes that would read the bar code of the item and give you the price. They're gone. I asked a Walmart worker, they said "that info is avail on your smartphone". why?

Easy answer. Because they are building a profile on items that you, albunyz, are interested in.

With the magic boxes, they had no idea who liked what. Now they know. And they know a lot about you, very likely your approx age, and a lot more. So not only can they build a profile for albunyz or JoeWras, but they can also build a profile for our age group, our region, and probably a bunch of other stuff you don't want to think about too much.

To me, this is the core of what bothers me about "Reliance on Cell Phones". Sengsational summarized it very well a few posts back.

I love the phone for most things. But there's also a certain love/hate relationship when looking at the bigger picture.

 

[Sue J]

I really do appreciate all the wonderful things our cell phones can do. I love technology. In 2018 our son added us to his plan and gave DH an older iPhone because we were frequently having our grandson with us and our son wanted to keep in touch with us all the time. Lots of texts, pics and videos, perfect for us grandparents! We paid him once a year for the additional cost to his plan.

DH keeps his phone with him all the time, unless he's left it in his car or lost it in the house (I'll just call him!) and he has a 5 way text conversation going with his 4 siblings.

I'm one of those who occasionally needs a day without my devices. Sometimes two days. It's not just the cell phone and the iPad, it's the internet in general. Too much breaking news, social background noise and tragic events. I'll find out about it eventually, I just don't need it all at once, right now.

As for what the cell phone is perfect for, its SHOPPING! How did I shop before this? I now take a pic and send a text to DH - Do you want some of this? Do we have enough of these already?

 

[Skitso999]

It is possible to buy a bluetooth keyboard for a cell phone (if it has bluetooth), to allow one to type on a larger keyboard. for as little as $10.
making the typing easier.

So, I also prefer to use an external keyboard when being forced to text back to some irritating person, but it is painful to get it reconnected every time.

I can't hardly stand having the stupid cell phone with me at all times, and typically dump it in the kitchen every time I get the chance, or leave it in the car so I'm not annoyed by it. Back in the 90's these types of things were referred to by the normal people as "electronic leashes". That is still the case in my opinion.

And, about being a Luddite...
if these stupid things worked every time, both cell phones and bluetooth keyboards, then I wouldn't complain about them every time I try to use them. I don't believe that's being a Luddite.

 

[aja8888]

78 + years old and I have an Android Motorola. Not 5G and not concerned about that.

I use it for:

-Phone calls
-texting (I use voice text when ever I can)
-email checking
-Checking the weather
-Syncing with my Charge 5 Fitbit (love the stat graphics)
-Controls my sprinkler system - I like that too!
-Checking the stock market (it's been bad lately)
-Syncs with my Omron blood pressure tester - keeps a record of my BP for my doc to see
-Works as an alarm clock when I travel
-has a calculator that is handy
-"Callsblacklist" software (free) stops spam calls and texts dead in their tracks
-Waze software is what I use for navigation when I travel - real good stuff!
-Google calendar is good for keeping track of stuff you need to keep track of.

I really don't use the device to surf the web as small screens are not for me. I have a Chromebook for that.

I do not use the phone to interact with my financial sites.

Battery on this Moto G Power lasts three days.

You don't have to be a geek to take advantage of all the things you can do with a smart phone and you can spend less than $200 to get a decent one like I did.

DW has an iPhone 6S+ and it's all she needs. She also has an iPad.

 

[Alan]

Seems to me there are 10 types of people in this thread.

Those who understand binary and those who don’t.

 

[Cobra9777]

We went to a lavender festival today. Navigated to the farm using Google Maps and Android Auto. We gained entrance by showing our barcode tickets on my phone. Took some great photos of alpacas. Sent one to the kids on Hangouts, which generated the idea to take the grandkids at some later date (they can "walk" the alpacas). Paid for several purchases using Google Pay on our phones. Who knew lavender beer was a thing? Also booked a future candle-making class and added it to both our calendars. DW "checked-in" on Facebook using the lavender farm page. There was a Korean BBQ food truck. I used Google to search some of the menu items before making a selection. Later, we used Google Maps to navigate to a nearby farm store that our daughter had told us about. Found a few products we wanted for the garden and used Google Lens to quickly compare online prices. Navigated home with Google Maps.

I'm all-in. YMMV.

 

[meierlde]

And that is just another part of the effort to force constant turnover of phones by not making them backward compatible. I call BS on the claim that it is necessary.

The problem is that cell phones run on software that has hidden bugs, once you get out out of the period when patches are offered it becomes vunerlable to the exploits, (Just like personal computers do). That is perhaps as big a concern, if you buy a pixel phone you might get 3 years of upgrades, others 2 or so.

 

[meierlde]

So, I also prefer to use an external keyboard when being forced to text back to some irritating person, but it is painful to get it reconnected every time.

I can't hardly stand having the stupid cell phone with me at all times, and typically dump it in the kitchen every time I get the chance, or leave it in the car so I'm not annoyed by it. Back in the 90's these types of things were referred to by the normal people as "electronic leashes". That is still the case in my opinion.

And, about being a Luddite...
if these stupid things worked every time, both cell phones and bluetooth keyboards, then I wouldn't complain about them every time I try to use them. I don't believe that's being a Luddite.

Now days if your phone is close to your windows 10 or greater, phone link software with an android phone you can see notifications and send and receive text messages. It is also possible with the software to make calls if you can get the bluetooth to work.

An alternative is there is an app named scrcpy that puts the phone in a mode where if the usb cable from the phone is plugged into the computer, and you have the adb software you can have the phones screen and keyboard echo on the pc https://www.section.io/engineering-education/controlling-android-phone-using-scrcpy/

 

[Qs Laptop]

We went to a lavender festival today. Navigated to the farm using Google Maps and Android Auto. We gained entrance by showing our barcode tickets on my phone. Took some great photos of alpacas. Sent one to the kids on Hangouts, which generated the idea to take the grandkids at some later date (they can "walk" the alpacas). Paid for several purchases using Google Pay on our phones. Who knew lavender beer was a thing? Also booked a future candle-making class and added it to both our calendars. DW "checked-in" on Facebook using the lavender farm page. There was a Korean BBQ food truck. I used Google to search some of the menu items before making a selection. Later, we used Google Maps to navigate to a nearby farm store that our daughter had told us about. Found a few products we wanted for the garden and used Google Lens to quickly compare online prices. Navigated home with Google Maps.

I'm all-in. YMMV.

Nicely done!

 

[target2019]

Seems to me there are 10 types of people in this thread.

Those who understand binary and those who don’t.

I signed up for Binary 101, but it was a Level 5 course.

 

[Deuce]

The problem is that cell phones run on software that has hidden bugs, once you get out out of the period when patches are offered it becomes vunerlable to the exploits, (Just like personal computers do). That is perhaps as big a concern, if you buy a pixel phone you might get 3 years of upgrades, others 2 or so.

Apple usually will keep a device updated for about 5 or 6 years.

 

[explanade]

Have really gotten on board with the QR Code Scan-to-Pay App stuff, which fits my long-standing penchant of not carrying a lot of cash around in my wallet. So feel like I, and folks in and around my age, came up in the sweet spot, riding the wave out of the no-tech years to where we are now.

Your information is more secure if you use NFC payments like Apple Pay or Google Pay.

They use biometric authentication which is secure and transmit a temporary credit card account number to the merchant and the credit card issuer approves the transaction instantly.

The QR code payments, require you to install additional apps and register your real credit card with them and then you have to open the apps and have it generate a QR code.

 

[Midpack]

Your information is more secure if you use NFC payments like Apple Pay or Google Pay.

They use biometric authentication which is secure and transmit a temporary credit card account number to the merchant and the credit card issuer approves the transaction instantly.

The QR code payments, require you to install additional apps and register your real credit card with them and then you have to open the apps and have it generate a QR code.

We use Apple Pay as often as possible because the merchants gets a token and that's it (they don't get your CC number), more than physical credit cards. We won't use any payment system that requires another app. YMMV

 

[Katsmeow]

So, I also prefer to use an external keyboard when being forced to text back to some irritating person, but it is painful to get it reconnected every time.

I have Logitech MX Keys Keyboard. There are special buttons on it for each device. If I hit "1" then the keyboard is connected to my Desktop. If I hit "2" then it is connected to the phone. If I hit "3" it is connected to my notebook. I have another Logitech Keyboard (smaller) that also does this. There is no pain in doing the reconnection. Literally, I just hit the key and that's it.