Free pube too!

Welcome to the dumb-phone crew 8) I never left dumb. I stuck just before they went smart, so half decent camera etc.

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nd has snake

Hello aching thumbs 😀

I don't know as I'd want to give up my "smart" phone, but I'd cheerfully swap it for something, well, phone-sized. This arms race for ever bigger "phablet" devices makes my shit itch. Give me something with the power of my HTC One but the size of a 3310 and I'd be all over it.

There's absolutely zero chance of my getting rid of my smartphone, I have far too many things I use it for, in particular as my satnav for work, as well as camera, ebook reader, etc; but as a balance it can sit unused in my pocket for long periods*, unless I've got a long period waiting around, at which point the 640-odd books I have in iBooks alone come in very handy, as happened this morning when a car I was expecting to pick up around 7.30-ish didn't turn up until 11.00!
I don't bother with earphones while working, I've got a BT earpiece in, and I need to be able to hear what else is going on.
*In particular regarding social media!

I think that's a big part of the problem. It's not the device, it's people exercising self-control. I've seen people scramble like the building's on fire when their phone rings. I carry a phone for my convenience, not everyone else's.

I've got a smar****ch now which relays alerts to my wrist. At first I worried it'd make me more "dependent" on the tech, but the opposite has happened; I get an alert, can simply go "oh, it's Facebook, I'll read that later" but can respond quickly to things that are actually important.

I find myself far too distracted by my smartphone. It's an iPhone 5s, it's pretty and it does LOTS of stuff, but I reach for it all too readily.

I miss the days of my old Nokia 6310. That thing was amazing, the battery lasted about a week with normal (calls and texts) use. If there was something like that that did email (text-based, at least), could do basic text www access for Google searches while out and about, and could deal with Whatsapp messages in some capacity, I think I'd probably revert. Maybe if it also had a half-decent camera too...

But CZ, you can take the moral high ground, and be a hero. 😆

@Cougar, have you set up different sounds for different alerts? (Can you?)

I find if I get the new email sound, or the new generic app notification sound (Twitter, mainly, but most other apps make the same noise), I tend to think "I can leave that 'til later" but it's only if I get the Whatsapp ping or my new SMS / iMessage sound that I think "I should probably check that".

I think that's a big part of the problem. It's not the device, it's people exercising self-control.

[quote=Cougar ]I don't know as I'd want to give up my "smart" phone, but I'd cheerfully swap it for something, well, phone-sized. This arms race for ever bigger "phablet" devices makes my shit itch. Give me something with the power of my HTC One but the size of a 3310 and I'd be all over it.

Get a "compact" phone then. I sometimes wish mine was a bit bigger, but with good eyesight and small fingers I cope. It's great to just have a normal phone size lump in my pocket though. OK, so it's a bit longer and wider than a 3310, but half the thickness which more than makes up for that. Sony Z1C here - other makes are available, but Sony probably do the best small phones (Samsung compact phones seem to have lower spec).

As discussed above, there's no real advantage to a dumb phone apart from battery life (though I suspect if you use a smart phone like a dumb phone that would also be OK) - just turn off the alerts if you don't want to be disturbed and stop playing with it.

Im still using a Nokia 3310. People laugh at me, then after I tell them I charged it up a couple of weeks ago they stop.

Someone also mentioned that I must have loads of free time as Im not constantly distracted by it.

I am not into/on social media so my smartphone doesn't distract me that way. I'd never give it up now, the ability to look up anything at anytime is far too handy, the camera is more advanced and capable than I'll ever need, and the gps is a godsend.

@Cougar, have you set up different sounds for different alerts? (Can you?)

I haven't tried, TBH. I usually just have the phone set to vibrate, I got bored of custom ringtones and the like.

Get a "compact" phone then.

When I last looked, all the "compact" phones were crap. Granted, it was about three years ago when I got the One (M7). They did a One Mini at the time, which was about half a centimetre smaller and half the tech spec.

I was put off Sony because, again, "at the time" they seemed to be poor at pushing out OS updates.

This arms race for ever bigger "phablet" devices makes my shit itch

One of the main reasons I still use an iPhone 4S. Good size for me. I'd go to the SE at a push.
Really don't need anything bigger. (Extra battery-life would be good though)

[url= https://www.nokia.com/en_int/phones/nokia-3310 ]The New Nokia 3310[/url]

As above - self control. My phone gets used for all sorts of cool stuff, that I actually like.

BTW do you guys know you can turn off FB notifications?

I'd not want to give up my smart phone, that said it's pretty much always on silent and I've set it so most apps don't have permission to give me notifications.

I use it mainly for surfing the net, Google maps, camera, texts and calls, but it's a full on mobile computer when I want it to be.

[quote=Cougar ]When I last looked, all the "compact" phones were crap. Granted, it was about three years ago when I got the One (M7).

Well the Sony ones weren't crap then (I think mine's older than that) - same tech spec as their larger ones, which in general is pretty excellent. Granted there may be other reasons to dislike Sonys, and OS updates is certainly one of them - no official Marshmallow release for mine, though I seem to be surviving on Lollipop.

edit: though it appears your M7 is also still on Lollipop!

I never went 'smart' in the 1st place, don't need it. 🙂

Cougar - Moderator
I think that's a big part of the problem. It's not the device, it's people exercising self-control.

Yeah, I do agree with this. I'm not saying dumb phones are [i]better[/i]. Just better for me.

I fully admit that I don't think I could be trusted with one. And I'm not even on social media. I'm bad enough with a laptop, carrying it from room to room, constantly on vice/stw/wikipedia/youtube. If I had a smartphone I'd be doomed. It'd be like giving up smoking but carrying round a pack of twenty in my pocket. And tbh, judging by the amount of people glued to the things, they're a pretty powerful addiction. Recent road-trip with a friend: might as well have gone on my own as they were staring into their iPhone for 350 miles (I was the driver).

BUT, I do still like the battery life, the cheapness which means I'm not precious/worried about it. The size which means I can shove it in my pocket to irradiate my ballbag. And most of all, I NEED real buttons 🙂

[quote=jambourgie ]Recent road-trip with a friend: might as well have gone on my own as they were staring into their iPhone for 350 miles (I was the driver).

Thanks for clarifying what wasn't necessarily a given!

and we wonder how trump got voted in... 😆

edit: though it appears your M7 is also still on Lollipop!

It is. I've not found anything that it won't run yet though, and when I do I'll probably hit XDA.

https://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one/general/marshmallow-roms-international-htc-one-t3378023
https://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one/general/nougat-roms-international-htc-one-m7-t3524060

constantly on vice/stw/wikipedia/youtube

I have a mate who boasts about not having a smartphone 'I can text and make calls, why would I want anything else' he says, then asks me to bring up the football scores on my phone.

I think there is an element of it being an issue with me/my personality. I do find it compelling.
I'm also a bit younger than most people on here, and the people I spend time with do almost everything through phones. I get about 250 messages a day through various chats etc

I think the saddest thing about that confession is that you've counted them.

I have a self-control issue with mine, I can't leave it alone.

I've thought about a digital detox, but it's not practical. The closest I get is the few hours a week I'm on my bike - yeah it's in my bag ready to call for help (never happened in 12 years) and doing the Strava thing, but I leave it the hell alone for a couple of hours.

OP will be living in a mud hut and hunting animals with a stick whilst wearing a rabbit skin in no time at all.

I use 2 phones. I take the smartphone when I know I'll be away from other sources of the internet for a long time - train journeys, working away etc.

I take my dumbphone (JCB) with me always - it's my 'phone'. The smart phone is an entertainment device - I don't even know the number.

Annoyingly I have yet to fathom how to get rid of the Facebook app off my phone (not logged in) Play and Facebook both tell me gleefully when the app has been updated!

frustratingly it seems it is an intrinsic part of the Sony build for my phone.

Otherwise I like, Whatsapp, weather updates (ahem) Strava... the Camera and a few other odds and sods as well as the calling bit (to phone mum)
At home I try leave it alone.. doesnt always work..

If it was preinstalled you can't (easily) uninstall it. I have the same issue with 7music (whatever that is). You can disable updates for it though.

You don't want a smartphone, you play music, but you miss the camera and whatsapp, yet you can still get on the web and you want people to FB message you?

Maybe you should stop trying to be STW-luddite-lite and just admit that you quite liked your smartphone? 😉

While Smartphones are great, [url= http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/science-technology/nokia-with-broken-screen-is-best-phone-of-all-time-2013040464681 ]this is very true[/url]

So, that MobiWire phone - when you text, do you have to press the buttons multiple times to get the right letter?
Like 44-33-555-555-666 6-88-6 for "hello mum"
😆 I'd soon be stamping on my 79p purchase.

I carry a phone for my convenience, not everyone else's.

Nicely put

Personally I'd quite like to go back to some sort of feature phone style. Something like a touchscreen T28 running android (well, ideally Windows phone but let's keep this realistic!) but with a physical keyboard on the lower half - I'd buy that and so would a good few dozen others.

Can't think why it hasn't been done...

So, that MobiWire phone - when you text, do you have to press the buttons multiple times to get the right letter?

I would assume - hope, even - that it had T9 at least.

Personally I'd quite like to go back to some sort of feature phone style. Something like a touchscreen T28 running android (well, ideally Windows phone but let's keep this realistic!) but with a physical keyboard on the lower half - I'd buy that and so would a good few dozen others.

Count me in. Get thee to Kickstarter.

While Smartphones are great, this is very true

True story: my wife's old nokia fell out of her pocket on a ski holiday, was later driven over by a snowplough which mashed the case and screen, and was then found by a lift operator en route to work the next morning and returned to the local pub.

We picked it up two days later, still switched on, still working.

Sadly, now swapped for an iPhone.

[quote=DaveyBoyWonder ]OP will be living in a mud hut and hunting animals with a stick whilst wearing a rabbit skin in no time at all.

I do go bikepacking sometimes, yes

How do you know when someone [s]is vegan[/s] [s]does Crossfit[/s] [s]does triathlons[/s] gives up their smartphone?

They tell you.

[i]I would assume - hope, even - that it had T9 at least.[/i]

It wha..?

T9 = predictive text, my last couple of dumb phones both had that and it worked very well, even if I prefer a smartphone and self discipline.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=T9

Although not without my smartphone, Ive burned through my data cap for this month, so have switched off the data connection. This I quite like, stops me thinking about all the internetty bobbins while out and about, only using my online presence when back at home. Haven't had to charge the thing for three days either.

On an iPhone, you know can turn mobile data and wifi off, rendering your phone as a well, phone that can be used as a phone and send (predictive) texts?

Could have saved you 79p perhaps.

Saved me £200 by sending it back to Amazon. It is also the equivalent of driving a total shonker of a car. You're not worried about breaking the screen/having your Audi scratched by a trolley in Waitrose carpark. It's the ultimate Bangernomics phone.

One of my favourite cars was my £240 Volvo 940. Broke a window? Gaffa tape. Not sure how far back to reverse? Just back it up til it stops against something. Someone trying to pull into you in your lane? Hold the line.

I can use self control on my smart phone and make the battery last for ages. Easy. I don't turn the sodding thing on for weeks at a time. Happily left it at a school over the summer holidays. Only time it gets switched on is when I venture to a big city such as Hereford 😆 and the wife and I go shopping in separate directions. I have no idea why I spent 40 quid on one when my little Nokia worked perfectly even after several trips through the washing machine. It came out of the tumble drier after a wash and dry in my jeans. Still switched on. I have no idea where it is at a moment. Might be at the school I am currently working at, my dads car or mine ??? It'll turn up.

Someone trying to pull into you in your lane? Hold the line.

😀

I know that one. They always lose their nerve.

I know that one. They always lose their nerve.

Until the reason they're doing it because is they haven't seen you.

Nah. They've made eye contact. They're trying their luck.

I don't know as I'd want to give up my "smart" phone, but I'd cheerfully swap it for something, well, phone-sized. This arms race for ever bigger "phablet" devices makes my shit itc

I've seen enough people say this now that I can't believe there's not a market for it. My current phone is on its last legs and it's the absolute max size I'd want (and larger than I'd ideally want) but there's nothing about that's small enough. I had a HTC Hd Mini previously which was a perfect size.

I couldn't get rid of my smartphone really. It's replaced too much other stuff, it just wouldn't be practical.
I no longer own a laptop or PC, it's my only way of getting online, and it works for everything that I need to do online.
I don't have a camera anymore (use phone camera for work every day)
I don't have a satnav (Use google maps all day every day at work)
As I'm not office based, I use my phone for all work related stuff, communication, appointments, client files, pricing, quotes etc etc.
All my music is accessed via my phone.
Audiobooks via phone (get through 6 books a month ish)
Fitness tracker/Map my Run most days
YouTube kids TV to entertain the little one when out and about and he gets bored.
Remote control for Apple TV as the little silver one went missing after a week and hasn't been seen since.
Etc etc.

Just too much stuff to buy and carry around every day if I had a dumb phone instead.

Well that's me getting very pointed ads on STW now 😆

I ordered a Nokia 216 a week or so back and then cancelled the order - the main reason I wanted it was because I currently have a Windows phone which is, well, useless. It was lent to me long term but I now need to return it and source something else, and I really haven't missed all of the apps on my previous android - all I need are calls, texts and FB messenger for uni stuff. Wanted buttons as I like buttons.

Cancelled the order as the phone didn't have WiFi connection, and have been wondering why I did that ever since - it's not as if FB Messenger and the odd google search will chug through my data package (2gb or whatever) in a month...

If you just want a communication device, Blackberries have a lot going for them. You can pick them up dirt cheap on ebay and my package is £7 a month. WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook apps all available, decent keyboard and battery life. You can use the internet in an emergency. Apps I appreciate when I am with my wife and her phone are Wayz and the London Bus App.

Been there, done that, still prefer my Lumia 640

Can live without stuff but some of the stuff is actually useful. Car diagnostics, caravan leveller (spirit level, it's not a Motorola Razr ffs) tied into my onedrive so if I take a picture I can access it within seconds, onenote makes life easy etc.

Yes I could live without but I dont really want to. Even better its not a stupid size and my idiotness hasnt killed it beyond a chipped case.

I absolutely love my iphone. No apologies for being on it all the time. It's the one thing outside of my family I couldn't do without. As an antisocial misanthrope it is my window on the world.

Tried a smart phone a few years ago and hated it. Too cluttered with factory installed apps you can't delete, poor battery life, too easy to mess things up if you fumble picking it up. The day I went out for a road ride with it in my back jersey pocket and forgot to lock the screen......... Well, it must have taken me a couple of hours to correct all the settings that had changed in the time it spent jiggling across my spine.

I've looked at upgrading my little Samsung e1200 and there are some good 'half way house' phones being made that have good cameras and interwebability and GPS but still use proper buttons that click when you press them. They're just not sold in the UK.

Tried a smart phone a few years ago and hated it. Too cluttered with factory installed apps you can't delete, poor battery life, too easy to mess things up if you fumble picking it up. The day I went out for a road ride with it in my back jersey pocket and forgot to lock the screen......... Well, it must have taken me a couple of hours to correct all the settings that had changed in the time it spent jiggling across my spine.

Bundled apps are manufacturer-dependent, same as buying a PC. I think there's two on my HTC I don't want and can't get rid of (7Music and Kid Mode).

You can set the screen to auto-lock after a period of time, so chalk that one down to user error.

You can set the screen to auto-lock after a period of time, so chalk that one down to user error.

I think I had done but it was a hilly ride and it was a long time before that 'time-out' was reached.

That phone is now used once or twice a week for Strava and nothing else.

EDIT: When I remember to charge the bloody thing.

I think I had done but it was a hilly ride and it was a long time before that 'time-out' was reached.

I make a point of blipping the power button before I put it away. This automatically arms the pin lock if you inadvertently wake it up again.

EDIT: When I remember to charge the bloody thing.

That too is user error. (-: It's part of my routine when I go to bed; TV switched off, laptop locked, fire off, check doors are locked, put phone on charge, etc.

I reverted to a £12 PAYG from Tesco a while back, only take it out when I'm in the wilds and I've never looked back. I'm still active on social media (tablet at home) and in no way a luddite but I find when I'm carrying a phone I'm always waiting for it to go off; it makes me subconsciously jumpy.

I love my big smartphone, although it took a while.
I like the big screen for photos, navigating and reading.

Discipline is key to not letting it rule you. When at work, I leave it in the van.
Going out with friends? Switch it off and stick it in your jacket. It's not that hard.

I think the smart phone is genius...It's my diary, my satnav, emails, food diary, MTB navigator etc, it's a handheld life organiser..I'm not glued to it (not on Facebook etc) so in no way gets in the way and is turned on silent when family time/meals etc.

One of the better techno inventions of late imo.

EDIT: When I remember to charge the bloody thing.

That too is user error. (-: It's part of my routine when I go to bed; TV switched off, laptop locked, fire off, check doors are locked, put phone on charge, etc.

With my little e1200 when I get down to 2 bars charge I know I'd better plug it in sometime in the next two or three days.

One of the main reasons I still use an iPhone 4S. Good size for me. I'd go to the SE at a push.
Really don't need anything bigger. (Extra battery-life would be good though)

iPhone SE really is a tiny amount bigger than a 4S for quite a lot more grunt - happen to have both on my desk was curious when you said that how much differnce there was. 4S is now the van jukebox and satnav.

Having had the SE as a work phone for a while now I reckon it is a near perfect mix of functionality, battery life and size. Tougher than the 6 onward chassis too, that or I'm more careful than most of our workforce (I requested an SE as I have a personal 6 plus and figured that was enough for anyone).

When at work, I leave it in the van.

Where do you work? I could do with a new phone.

Some folk still cling to the bizarre notion that phones are for making phone calls - so for them I can see that a smartphone is a waste of money.

Personally voice calls probably account for less than 1% of the time I spend "using the phone".

I've seen enough people say this now that I can't believe there's not a market for it.

Apple tried to tap into that market with some success with the [url= https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_SE ]iPhone SE[/url] mentioned above, which is basically the guts of the larger 6S (138.3mm x 67.1 mm) but with the smaller 5S screen and body (123.8 mm x 58.6 mm).

Battery life is not an issue for me as long as it gets to the end of the day (which it always does). I just plug it in by the bedside every night. The least problematic aspect of modern life. I don't think things would be improved if I didn't have to charge it overnight.

iPhone SE really is a tiny amount bigger than a 4S for quite a lot more grunt - happen to have both on my desk was curious when you said that how much differnce there was.

Yeah missus has a 5S (which is SE size) and I don't find it too bad, but definitely prefer the 4S size overall. Something I can easily use one-handed and put in the front pocket of my jeans without castrating myself or bending it when I sit down. 🙂

Some folk still cling to the bizarre notion that phones are for making phone calls - so for them I can see that a smartphone is a waste of money.

Quite. They're PDAs really, we only really call them phones as that's what they originally were before all the PDA functionality was drip-fed into them. I suppose it's marketing too; your average person-in-the-street would scoff at buying a PDA, but a mobile phone, hey, that sounds handy.

When at work, I leave it in the van.
Where do you work? I could do with a new phone.

A relatively civilised part of the country.

On charging, I recently got a new Oneplus with dash charging. It's ace. Plug it in for half an hour and it's good for the day.

Haven't charged my phone since originally posting. Is on 2 out of 3 bars

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yourguitarhero - Member

Haven't charged my phone since originally posting. Is on 2 out of 3 bars

I've got a similar looking Samsung (which is a piece of shit, but has sudoku) which I have to charge so infrequently I have come close to running out of juice on more than one occasion. It's easy to forget when you only have to plug it in every couple of weeks.

Pfffft... I just carry around [url= http://amzn.eu/1CGF51H ]this handy little 20,100mAh battery pack[/url] and I can stay charged for nearly a whole day. Sometimes. 😉

(Mini PSA: It is on a lightning deal at the moment. worth buying!)

It's easy to forget when you only have to plug it in every couple of weeks.

Habitually putting my phone on to charge ever night means never having to [i]remember[/i] to charge my phone.

It does amuse me to see so many people with smartphones in front of them, an umbilical cord snaking its way to the now necessary battery pack in a bag.

Reminds me of something.....

[IMG] [/IMG]

miketually - Member

Habitually putting my phone on to charge ever night means never having to remember to charge my phone.

I frequently spend nights away from home ( 8) ), it's nice not to have to carry a charger.

I frequently spend nights away from home ( 8) ), it's nice not to have to carry a charger.

Meh. When I go away I'm happy to go to the enormous effort of packing a small plug if it means I'll have instant access to email for work and travel docs, GPS to find my way about, video calls to my family, YouTube/iPlayer etc for hotel room entertainment and Singletrack for my arguing fix.