Curiosity about smartphone ownership
Leatherhead
Possibly a Idiot.
I don't buy a new phone unless the old one breaks to the point of being non-operational, so 4. Despite having a PDA in 2002, I didn't get my first smartphone until 2006 when I had to get rid of my dumbphone.
I came to smartphones late, simply because for work I am always at a computer. At home my laptop is just a room or two away. Why would I need the thing?
But then, my old cell phone provider screwed up. My wife and I both had dumbphones, capable of almost nothing, but one month they hit us with a massive data charge. Now, maybe it was an error on their part, maybe it was one of us poking the wrong buttons and doing something that used a bunch of data. Either way, it wasn't intentional use on our part. We asked for them to cancel the charge as a mistake, thinking that our decade and more of being customers would count for something. Ha!
They refused. We asked again more sternly. They still refused.
We checked, and a provider with better coverage would give us smartphones and reasonable data for less per month than our usual phone lines, much less the data charge. So, we switched providers, and I ended up with a smartphone.
Now, of course, my wife's work has changed, and she would find it very hard to operate without the thing.
I'm not quick to pick up new phones - when the battery dies, or there's some technical problem, I eventually get around to getting a new phone.
But then, my old cell phone provider screwed up. My wife and I both had dumbphones, capable of almost nothing, but one month they hit us with a massive data charge. Now, maybe it was an error on their part, maybe it was one of us poking the wrong buttons and doing something that used a bunch of data. Either way, it wasn't intentional use on our part. We asked for them to cancel the charge as a mistake, thinking that our decade and more of being customers would count for something. Ha!
They refused. We asked again more sternly. They still refused.
We checked, and a provider with better coverage would give us smartphones and reasonable data for less per month than our usual phone lines, much less the data charge. So, we switched providers, and I ended up with a smartphone.
Now, of course, my wife's work has changed, and she would find it very hard to operate without the thing.
I'm not quick to pick up new phones - when the battery dies, or there's some technical problem, I eventually get around to getting a new phone.
Ralif Redhammer
Legend
For the longest time I had a cheap and durable Nokia. I dropped that thing so many times and it still kept going. Then I got a cheap Tracfone. Only a few years ago did I get a proper smartphone.
My thinking was that all I needed was to be able to text people and make calls. But I certainly changed my tune after getting an iPhone. For someone with a bad sense of direction, the GPS alone is worth the price of admission.
My thinking was that all I needed was to be able to text people and make calls. But I certainly changed my tune after getting an iPhone. For someone with a bad sense of direction, the GPS alone is worth the price of admission.
Ryujin
Legend
Went back and changed my vote because I've only had 4 personal smartphones (3 additional company smartphones). If I'm not at work, I don't have a company phone turned on. They don't pay me for on-call work, which is strictly defined and enforced.
I only bought my first personal smartphone in 2016. I quickly upgraded to another shortly afterward, selling the original for what I paid for it (US$50.00). I would still be using that second phone now, if Microsoft hadn't dumped Windows Phone. I found it far better/more intuitive than any of the stuff that I had to support at work. It still works great but when applications started to be deprecated, I couldn't really keep going with it. Pity.
I only bought my first personal smartphone in 2016. I quickly upgraded to another shortly afterward, selling the original for what I paid for it (US$50.00). I would still be using that second phone now, if Microsoft hadn't dumped Windows Phone. I found it far better/more intuitive than any of the stuff that I had to support at work. It still works great but when applications started to be deprecated, I couldn't really keep going with it. Pity.
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