Smartphones vs dumbphones

[worth]

I've been fantasising of buying a new flagship smart phone as my nexus 4 broke a year ago and I've been using a bottom of the line Samsung Galaxy Trend S7392 smart phone which has been an absolute nightmare. It's made for developing markets like India and Vietnam, but I wouldn't wish this phone on my worse enemy. It's just far too underpowered to do anything really.

I've been traveling and it is my only connection to the internet 98% of the time.

When i return home I'll have my laptop, and I'll likely get a job that has me during behind a desk all day. So I started thinking that maybe a smartphone is not the way to go, and rather I should go back to a dumb phone.

Has anyone made the switch back or maybe just never got a smartphone in the first place? I think it might be nice to be disconnected from the internet. Im going to try it out on one of my old Sony Ericsson phones from 2007 for a couple wells when I get back. Am I crazy?

[Flames89]

I have thought how it may be good for me to take a phone break. Somehow figure out how to move my sim card into a dumb phone for like 2 weeks just to break the addiction for a while.

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by worth

I've been fantasising of buying a new flagship smart phone as my nexus 4 broke a year ago and I've been using a bottom of the line Samsung Galaxy Trend S7392 smart phone which has been an absolute nightmare. It's made for developing markets like India and Vietnam, but I wouldn't wish this phone on my worse enemy. It's just far too underpowered to do anything really.

I've been traveling and it is my only connection to the internet 98% of the time.

When i return home I'll have my laptop, and I'll likely get a job that has me during behind a desk all day. So I started thinking that maybe a smartphone is not the way to go, and rather I should go back to a dumb phone.

Has anyone made the switch back or maybe just never got a smartphone in the first place? I think it might be nice to be disconnected from the internet. Im going to try it out on one of my old Sony Ericsson phones from 2007 for a couple wells when I get back. Am I crazy?

Yes.

[rbochan]

I have an LG flip phone that almost indestructible unless I throw it against a wall or something. Talk and text is all I need or want. I have zero desire to watch a video or anything else on a 5" screen.

[maidestone]

Keep your smartphone. Just turn off WiFi and data and it is now a dumbphone which can become a smartphone again anytime you want.

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by rbochan

I have an LG flip phone that almost indestructible unless I throw it against a wall or something. Talk and text is all I need or want. I have zero desire to watch a video or anything else on a 5" screen.

Yeah we have a similar old school flip phone, and I think you could run it over with a car and the thing would still work.

Up until last spring/summer, we had never had a smart phone, ever. It was fine. With it now, I find all it really does it make some stuff a bit easier - maps/directions for how to get to a place, bluetooth in the car, able to put a show on for a long drive so our kids don't fall asleep, etc.

[Sliver]

I don't like how large phones are now and manufacturers don't seem motivated to make any flagship phones small because nobody minds carrying around a phablet for some reason inexplicable to me. Like you, I've thought about going to a dumb phone and even Googled around for "smallest phone in the world" etc.

What brings me back to needing a smartphone that is, unfortunately, large, is the insane amount of crap I can get done on it. I need a smartphone to:

• Capture great photos and videos of my kids
• Map to destinations (I drive around a bit with my job, taking kids to their friends' houses, etc.)
• Music - I stream from RDIO while I work out and drive, plus when I'm in the garage, at parties, etc.
• Email
• Bank

I like a smartphone to:

• Browse the net
• Watch videos

Probably a bunch more, but that's just a few off the top of my head. Unfortunately, dumb phones suck at all of the above. Especially photos - I can't imagine not being able to take good quality photos at any time of the day or night with no hassle/extra equipment.

[worth]

Don't you have aZ3 sliver? Do you find it too large?

I have a k850i at home that takes a sim so I'm gonna test it out for a couple weeks and see how it does. Or rather how I do without being connected. Then decide if I go for the new flagship or stick with the brick.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by worth

Don't you have aZ3 sliver? Do you find it too large?

I have a k850i at home that takes a sim so I'm gonna test it out for a couple weeks and see how it does. Or rather how I do without being connected. Then decide if I go for the new flagship or stick with the brick.

Yes I have a z3. I don't find it too large but I do wish it was smaller. I like the z3 compact a lot but that's only available on Bell and I'm on Telus.

[Galakanokis]

http://www.eweek.com/mobile/why-dumb...the-world.html

I don't really have any input either way. I have found my phone usage has declined rapidly in the past 6 months to a year. I still need it for work but i use it less and less for other connected activities. Phone, text, email and camera that's about it. I don't sync notifications for anything else. It's become handy again and not an accessory or a necessity.

[Street Pharmacist]

I look at my phone probably thousands of times a day. Kills my productivity

[Barnes]

Can't remember which comedian said this but it's so true. Every time I see someone on a flip phone nowadays, I imagine they just put a hit out on someone and will hang up, break the phone in half and throw it in a river.