Are cell phones getting TOO complicated?

[Magnum357]

I have had a new cell phone for about a couple of months to replace the one I had before and I can not beleive how complicated it is to use then my old one. Does anyone else here agree that maybe some of this stuff is a tad over complex? All I use it for mostly is to just call someone. Not trying to be negative, but I didn't realize I need a degree to just run the darn thing.

Sorry to offend any cell phone enthusiests.

[GrantDawg]

I would make a longer response, but I can't figure out to make my phone allow it.

[CraigSca]

Jitterbug!

[QuikSand]

[jeff061]

Depends on the phone. For all the hate I give Apple, smartphones were trending towards being complicated messes before the iPhone came out. Now I think they are relatively simple for how much they can do. At least IOS, Android and WM7 based phones.

[Radii]

I'm at the lower stakes tables, as it were, by choice. All I use my phone for is to call people and send the occasional text, so I spent maybe $50 on a phone that provides those services to me. No touchscreen, limited web capabilities that I never ever use anyway, no apps, just a basic, cheap, working phone.

The option is out there, embrace it if that's all you need!

[JAG]

Maybe you just have bad luck.

[Rizon]

Originally Posted by Radii

I'm at the lower stakes tables, as it were, by choice. All I use my phone for is to call people and send the occasional text, so I spent maybe $50 on a phone that provides those services to me. No touchscreen, limited web capabilities that I never ever use anyway, no apps, just a basic, cheap, working phone.

The option is out there, embrace it if that's all you need!

Me too.

[MrBug708]

You can get one of those types of phones for free you know. Why pay 50 dollars?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

There are still plenty of simple flip phones available. The people that don't need all the extra features should just stick to those phones.

[cuervo72]

My current phone: Samsung SGH-c417 Available through Cingular Wireless - Softpedia

[Draft Dodger]

I don't really use one at all. We do own a simple tracfone that I'll grab for trips, bike rides, hikes, etc, but it's rarely used.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

You can get one of those types of phones for free you know. Why pay 50 dollars?

In part b/c I probably don't know all the alternatives, in part b/c i wanted a specific pull out keyboard as I was texting a lot more for awhile so the ones presented as the free ones under my contract weren't right for me.

If I can walk into my local AT&T store, get my discount b/c I haven't' bought a new phone in a few years, maybe pay more than I need but walk out 30 minutes later with exactly what I want, working, with no additional hassle, I'm a happy camper.

[Autumn]

This is what I use. I find it sufficient for my needs and not overly complicated:

[MJ4H]

I use a simple messaging phone with some smart phone capabilities, but don't use them. I refuse to pay the ridiculous amounts for 3G data plans until it is much cheaper and much faster. I have used others' phones and it is certainly not worth the money to me at this point. Not even close.

I have an ipod touch that I can use for apps and the like, and lots of places have wifi these days. I just use that and I'm perfectly fine.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Autumn

This is what I use. I find it sufficient for my needs and not overly complicated:

I'm with you

[Scoobz0202]

If anything, its how simplistic the iPhone is that is making me want to sell it and go back to Android.

[Daimyo]

My mom used to be like this to the point that she insisted the "call" button had to be green so she could figure out which button to use to answer calls. I got her an iPhone 4 last summer and now she can never go back.

Thank goodness for iOS and Android... not much worse than a hardware company trying to make a usable OS.

[Drake]

I'm like Radii and Rizon. I've got a basic phone that I use (rarely) for calling/texts. My kids have smart phones. At some point I looked at all the cool shit their phones could do and realized that I had no interest in it. I mean, I recognize that it's cool, but obtaining that cool isn't worth the learning curve to me. It's not how I want to spend my time.

I've come to realize that the fact that my dad can't keep his PC working is part of the same phenomenon. I get PC's because I came of age with them. My dad didn't, and really doesn't want to "get" them. I thought for years it was because he just refused to understand the PC, like he was being willfully obstinate. Now I understand that he just doesn't really care about it enough to invest any time in it to get the PC to do some of the cool and wonderful things a computer can do.

That's where I am with cell phones...and I think that's just part of getting older. It's not that you couldn't keep up with the technology. It's not even that you don't understand the technology or how it can be useful/interesting/fun. You just don't want it and don't see where it would make your life appreciably better, so you just sort of tune it out.

ETA: Wanted to add that I think this is especially true when you're talking about spending a few hundred on your phone plus two years of $70-100 a month in service fees to make the thing fully functional. When you're spending that kind of money, you feel compelled to invest interest, to learn how it works, so you get your money's worth. It's the same reason I always tune my TV to baseball on my Directv, even when I'm not planning to watch television. I'm paying $200 for the MLB Season Ticket, so I ought to be using it, by God. Sometimes it's just better to say, "I'm not going to spend $3000 over the next two years for something I'm not sure I really even want."

[Shkspr]

People own cell phones?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Have had this conversation several times recently. I like my several years old little flip just fine. If I open it then I say hello. If I close it I either said goodbye or hung up on you. And none of the smart phones to date have really managed to duplicate the cool Star Trek communicator feel (although there's a couple of efforts due in the next year, or so I read).

On the newer/better phones the camera functions can be handy I think, but not something I'd use very often either. I've got a specific purpose I'd like to have fully functional web access for a few weeks out of the year but the cost of data plans to meet that need is outrageous vs the importance of it to me & since reasonably priced unlimited plans are apparently extinct then that's a non-factor for me too.

On the odd end of the spectrum would be my wife, who spent years bordering on being dangerous to herself & those around her on a p.c. but somehow manages to be reasonably savvy with her Android. She can't figure out how to add apps but those that me/my son install she works just fine.

[samifan24]

There are feature phones (aka non-smart phones) available on every carrier. You can also go prepaid on Verizon, AT&T or Sprint and pay as little as $25/month for service with no contract. It's just a matter of knowing what's available and what's the best fit for you.

[Suburban Rhythm]

[jbmagic] What worse-- not have smartphone or person who doesn't use smartphone to capabilities? [/jbmagic]

I have a Samsung Galaxy S phone (Vibrant on T-Mobile). So does Mrs. SR.
While we aren't tech morons, I am positive we aren't using the phones to the fullest of their capabilities. We have a ton of apps, some functional things but mostly games, etc. We do email alot from them. So, maybe we are using 50% of the features.

Is that more or less offensive to technology snobs compared to someone who doesn't even want bothered with a smartphone or iphone?

[GreenMonster]

EVO 3D here and it rocks. I am a cell phone geek though. There a plenty of low feature phones to pick from, but if you could use your smartphone or Xoom like I do, I am sure you would be happy. Smartphones are almost as easy to use as PC's and people have no problems with vids, pods, music, twitter, etc on computers, its pretty much the same. The question is do you need all this stuff.

Smartphones are not more complicated than PC's and most people do fine. If you want to make you smartphone complicated unlock and root your phone, load a custom ROM and kernal to it, while overclocking it. That's not easy stuff.

[Noop]

I find women to be too complicated to be honest. I wish more of them were like cell phones but alas they're not.

[rjolley]

Not sold on the Evo 3D. My Evo is still running strong. I may just keep it until the next generation of the best phone ever comes to Sprint.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Radii

In part b/c I probably don't know all the alternatives, in part b/c i wanted a specific pull out keyboard as I was texting a lot more for awhile so the ones presented as the free ones under my contract weren't right for me.

If I can walk into my local AT&T store, get my discount b/c I haven't' bought a new phone in a few years, maybe pay more than I need but walk out 30 minutes later with exactly what I want, working, with no additional hassle, I'm a happy camper.

Some of it is probably related to AT&T pre-installing a bunch of crapware on your phone. If you get an iPhone, they aren't allowed to do that. So all you have is the Apple UI which is really easy to use.

If you have a non-Apple smartphone, there are technical ways to remove the crapware and start with a basic Android UI.

If all you want is a phone with a keyboard to text, I'd look at getting a Sharp Kin from Verizon. I think you can find one on the open market for $50-100.

[Radii]

I have a Pantech something or other w/ the keyboard that I like, I bought it two years ago now. The phone I had before this one I had for about 5 years, I'm expecting at least that much time out of this one. I'm set!

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Radii

I have a Pantech something or other w/ the keyboard that I like, I bought it two years ago now. The phone I had before this one I had for about 5 years, I'm expecting at least that much time out of this one. I'm set!

That is what I have (my note earlier was a joke, btw). I love it. The sliding keyboard, and a sliding number board so I don't have problems dialing numbers. It is time for upgrading, but I don't think I will. I don't believe they make this type of phone anymore, and I just don't want to switch. Forget "smart phones." Too much money a month.

[stevew]

I wanted to get my daughter a cheap phone and it was nearly impossible. It is only 10 bucks a month to add her onto our Verizon plan. In the store they didn't even have but one or two non smartphones. I found a pantech jest online for free after searching. Too much of a hassle IMO.

And Verizon moved to metered data this week. 2gigs/ month is easy to blow through if you stream some podcasts.

[Mota]

My 7 year old picked up an iPhone and had it figured out pretty much instantly without any help. Seems that IOS is pretty straight forward. I got a Samsung Corby and I hate it.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

I'm looking at cell phones. They frighten me. Don't have a clue what I want other than I don't want to pay a lot, need voicemail & the ability to check it. Damn I feel old.

[korme]

If you're looking for a simple, easy to navigate/use smartphone, go Blackberry Curve. Blackberry is the shit for simplicity, and the keyboard is awesome.

I ugraded to Droid a few months back, and while I like all of the touch screen capabilities and apps and what have you, I'd never make the move until they got a Blackberry-esque keypad like they do with my Droid Pro.




Also, just a tip, complaining about the technology of new phones is being like the guy who doesn't know how to use a computer in 1991. You all sound like Buccaneer.

[jeff061]

Yeah, if the Droid Pro was out when I bought my last business phone I would have jumped all over it. Instead I got stuck with some shitty HTC WinMo.

[Logan]

I was refusing to leave my Blackberry keyboard until I saw the magic of Swype on the Droid X (which I also thought was bullshit when they ran ads for it)

Threads like this make me think back to an old, old one from around here. Same thing I think when I see some of our older people here posting about using Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Just one question after a week with 'em... - Front Office Football Central

[stevew]

I have a Motorola ES400 which is pretty much a ruggedized version of the Droid Pro. It's my work phone and I love the keyboard.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Magnum357

I have had a new cell phone for about a couple of months to replace the one I had before and I can not beleive how complicated it is to use then my old one. Does anyone else here agree that maybe some of this stuff is a tad over complex? All I use it for mostly is to just call someone. Not trying to be negative, but I didn't realize I need a degree to just run the darn thing.

Sorry to offend any cell phone enthusiests.

I feel the same way about calculator watches. JUST SHOW ME THE TIME NOT THE QUADRATIC EQUATION.

WHAT THE FUCK.

ps. I knew there was no way Draft Dodger or cuervo owned a cool phone.

[DanGarion]

I disagree.

[vex]

No.