[Closed] Got rid of my smartphone

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.

Yeah, but without a smartphone and with public phone boxes no longer being a thing, how on earth do you find <ahem> entertainment when away from home for the night?

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

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

Perhaps he didn't intend to spend the night away, but was whisked off his feet by a Hot, nubile Scandinavian lady??

Just saying like 😉

He's on STW - yes I'm sure that's the answer

I come here to remind myself what not to grow into.

which particular role models did you have in mind?

I think as long as I can still wheelie and don't own a diesel VAG I should be ok.

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

But then you have to make sure you've got at least x days left on your phone - otherwise you do have to take one. I always need one so I never have to think about it. My bags are always packed with toiletries and chargers all ready to go.

Plus I use the chargers for bike lights and GPS as well 🙂

But then you have to make sure you've got at least x days left on your phone

😆
It literally lasts weeks, depending on sudoku use.

My bags are always packed with toiletries and chargers all ready to go.

Yeah, but you're all grown up with a family and a proper job and responsibilities and stuff.
I've avoided all that so I can still afford to be recklessly spontaneous.

And the good thing is that the space you save by not packing a charger gives you room for your tickets, maps, books, and your Walkman and tape collection 🙂