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Entry bubble Standard vs. Smart Cell Phones

By: Ginger | March 05, 2010 | Category: General

I'm not the kind of person to be the first in line to buy the newest technology right when it hits the store shelves. I'm more of a “sit back, observe, and collect data” kind of a person. I like to let the masses do the leg work for me and then reap the benefits of getting lots of opinions on features and the pros/cons of the available products. It gives me time to assess what features I want, what features are available, and to consider what I am willing to pay.

Picture of woman talking on a cell phoneI have had a standard cell phone with an inexpensive pay as you go plan for years, but I must admit I am experiencing phone envy. Many of my friends and co-workers have purchased smart phones that have all kinds of nice features: listening to music, uploading pictures, managing a calendar, browsing the Internet, and using a small keyboard to text and email. I am evaluating whether a smart phone makes sense for me.

It would be nice to have a phone and those nice features in one device. However, I really don't use a cell phone that much. I work from home and I am usually at home. I don't have kids who need to be able to get a hold of me when I am out and about. I keep a phone in my purse for emergencies, but it is almost always turned off. Most people know this about me, so they never call my cell phone number.

Would my phone habits change if I had a smart phone? Maybe. My call volume would increase slightly, because I would be more likely to have a smart phone turned on, but I don't think my phone usage would increase that much. My current thinking is that it doesn't make much sense to get a smart phone and pay for a more expensive service plan, when I simply don't use a cell phone that much.

For now, I am keeping my standard phone; I will look at other wireless devices that have the features I am interested in, but don't require expensive phone plans. If you are going through a similar debate about a standard phone vs. a smart phone, here are some resources you might find useful:

If you have any suggestions or opinions you want to share, drop me a line.

| View Comments [15] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: cell_phones   ginger   mobile_phones   smart_phones  

Comments (15):

blue comment bubble Posted by Ginger's Biggest Fan! on March 05, 2010 at 09:10 AM EST

hi Ginger!
i just recently went from a prepaid plan with a basic phone to a "smart" messaging phone with a keyboard. If it were not for getting married and my wife using her cell phone enough to justify it, i would have stayed with my old plan. Now we get free calling to each other and unlimited texts. She likes to text me my "honey do's" before i leave work so I can stop and get groceries or do other errands on my way home. it makes sense. I miss the simplicity of paying $25 every 3 months, but it is nice that i can use my phone about anywhere, anytime, without counting minutes and watching the meter. To each their own.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Taylor on March 05, 2010 at 11:49 AM EST

It is a very confusing decision if you're not an avid cell phone user. As a 17 year old smart phone maniac, I am on mine 24/7. My phone has to be on the charger every single night due to the avid usage. I own an iPhone 3G and I love all of the features it provides me: all of my email in one spot, Internet, games, useful apps, etc.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Surgery Houston on March 05, 2010 at 02:45 PM EST

Once you get a smart phone you won't know how you ever lived without it.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Ann on March 05, 2010 at 06:10 PM EST

I feel exactly the same way - I still have a SBC Cingular phone I have had forever and only use it to contact AAA when I need help with my vehicle...

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blue comment bubble Posted by Sandeep Nath, Online Business Coach on March 06, 2010 at 07:12 AM EST

Hey I lost my phone recently and did exactly the same thing. Went to the store and asked for a phone WITHOUT everything. Inspite of that I have web access, texting, todos and a host of features. But I'll survive :-)

PS: Connect with me at http://SandeepNath.com

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blue comment bubble Posted by Ginger on March 06, 2010 at 11:57 AM EST

Hey Ginger's Biggest Fan, that whole smart phone "honey do" list, sounds like a reason for not getting a smart phone, to me! On the other hand, maybe I could follow your wife's lead and start sending my husband little text notes like, "You call that a clean toilet? Do it over!" LOL! Wow, I am totally digging that idea. Thanks, Ginger's Biggest Fan!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Jeevan on March 07, 2010 at 03:12 AM EST

Hey Ginger. I am from India. Read your post. Its excellent. We miss smartphones like iPhone and Google's Phone. I wish we could also have a change to get our hands on it.

Keep it up.


Jeevan (Insurance Planner)
http://www.licofindiainsurance.com/

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blue comment bubble Posted by Zealous on March 07, 2010 at 05:54 AM EST

Nowadays more and more people have started use of smart phones and get connected from anywhere. Smart phone comes with various applications you can use it like social networking or chatting even you get emails and reply immedialty. Compare to standard phone Smart phones became must have to gadget.

Visit me http://www.zealousweb.net

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blue comment bubble Posted by David on March 08, 2010 at 02:46 PM EST

If you dont want a smart phone but want all the other features get the new iPad or iTouch. They have internet capabilities with our without phone service. You can get 3G for the iPad for as low as $15 a month if you want to be connected all the time.

You can even get a pay as you go Skype account to work on your iPad or iTouch devises and still keep you standard cell phone.

Just a thought.

Good luck with what ever you choose as I love my iPhone and look forward to getting the new iPad.

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blue comment bubble Posted by JohnJ on March 10, 2010 at 01:14 AM EST

It's just a fade. Once you get it, you will never even use all the features that comes with it. Just like those people who purchase a fitness club membership but never even go and do work out. It's pointless if you ask me.


JohnJ
http://www.koistop.com

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blue comment bubble Posted by Ginger on March 10, 2010 at 12:24 PM EST

David, that is what I ended up doing. I bought an iPod and installed Skype on it. So, I am busy getting that set up with what I want on it.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Nelj Hero on March 14, 2010 at 04:20 PM EDT

For me it doesn't matter if it is standard or smart phones, what matters most is that it can be useful for texting messages and calling.

http://onlinesellingdomination.com/FreeSEOVideo.html

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blue comment bubble Posted by kristi on March 16, 2010 at 05:46 AM EDT

Great post and Well researched, well written and a very enjoyable read and I Just wanna say thanks you for the information you have shared.

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http://www.webartsense.com

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blue comment bubble Posted by Torry on March 22, 2010 at 11:44 PM EDT

I hear what you are saying. I have a very simple outdated phone and all my friends have fancy smart phones. Well, I don't know what I would really do with all those options that they have. I think most people simply are not using a whole lot of smart phone's capabilities. They just like fancy phones that look sophisticated. So I will stick with my simple phone for now.

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http://ezinearticles.com/?Cell-Phone-Lookup---How-to-Reverse-Search-a-Mobile-Phone-Number&id=3871764

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blue comment bubble Posted by blogplayer on April 12, 2010 at 11:39 PM EDT