Drinking the Kool-Aid and buying a smart phone.

[Ultralight]

It has been five years that I have been smart phone free.

But lately I have been really considering getting one.

Here are the reasons I want one:
1. I need GPS. My sense of direction is so horrible. I sometimes confuse my left and right hands. So you can imagine how bad it is for me to get across the city. I get lost a lot. It is very stressful. A GPS will eliminate -- like completely eliminate -- getting lost.
2. Right now I have a calendar on my wall. It is bulky. I think it'd be nice to just have one on a device.
3. I got rid of my cell phone five years ago. So I have never called an Uber or a Lyft. It seems like a cool service that could be very useful.
4. I can use it as an escape module at work. So people at work, who are mind-numbed or feeling isolated, get texts and such from friends and significant others. This seems to help them get through the day.
5. Obviously I am less likely to miss important calls.
6. When I was driving to IL for that job interview last month I was out in the middle of nowhere Indiana. And I thought: If I get a flat tire or two, I am going to have a looooooooong walk through a cornfield.

Can you all think of any other good reasons to get a cell phone that I have forgotten?

Here are the reasons I am still hesitant to get a smart phone:
1. It costs more than my home phone (which is about $28 per month).
2. I can get a bit addictive about texting.
3. And the cancer they cause. That is not good at all.
4. It is kind of cool to be the only person anyone knows who does not have a cell phone. I will miss that status!

Thoughts? Any other cons I should think about?

[bae]

I am spending several weeks in the UK right now traveling ultralight, and I brought just a good cell phone - no laptops or tablets. It is so handy, and with a small Anker power pack I am not running out of juice using it for GPS/nav purposes.

I have had many productive interactions with locals that would simp,y not have been possible without a smartphone.

[catherine]

I wrote this blog post "iPhone: How do I use thee? Let me count the ways" several years ago, so it's outdated in terms of the technology available, but here are some other reasons you may decide to drink the Kool-Aid.

https://silententry.wordpress.com/?s=iphone

[herbgeek]

You might want to look into an MVNO for your service. They resell the brand name services for less. Frugalwoods recently had a post about this, she gets her service for under $11 per month.

[Tammy]

Other ways it will appeal to you -

Books instead of real books
Alarm instead of alarm clock
Timer instead of kitchen timer
News instead of on tv
Email/etc instead of a laptop
Phone instead of landline
Calculator instead of a ... calculator
Camera instead of a camera
Video camera instead ...
I’m sure there’s more.

I’ve even watched movies on my phone.
One year I did our taxes on it.

[Ultralight]

Other ways it will appeal to you -

Books instead of real books
Alarm instead of alarm clock
Timer instead of kitchen timer
News instead of on tv
Email/etc instead of a laptop
Phone instead of landline
Calculator instead of a ... calculator
Camera instead of a camera
Video camera instead ...
I’m sure there’s more.

I’ve even watched movies on my phone.
One year I did our taxes on it.

Which make/model do you have?

[Tammy]

iPhone X. The smaller model. Expensive. But I do like it.

I would have bought an 8 or something older, but my husband bought this for me. He doesn’t ask - he just gets me what he thinks is best. He manages all of our technology and I manage all of our healthcare.

[ToomuchStuff]

The other way.

I have a candy bar style phone. I had a Nokia phone and when it died, I bought my second candy bar style phone (Samsung). I bought a replacement already, as it is a 4G flip phone (first one was 2G, current 3G) this one is closer to a Jitterbug.
My first bill was $100 for 1000 minutes, and my last fill was $45 plus tax, for the year. I would rather a separate GPS, a real book (cheaper then ebooks), a true computer (more stuff besides email).

[Zoe Girl]

I didn't know we had the left/right thing in common! I get mixed up often and use my GPS all the time. If that was the only reason I had a smart phone it would still be worth it.

I have an android one and am really happy with it. I can use the alarm while turning off the phone functions which is nice on retreats. I use audible app a lot to listen to books. It saves on book space and is great for when I am driving. The calendar is essential, I can put in the address of the event right then and also not get lost! I put in bill reminders that pop up automatically on the date which helps a lot.

You are still a serious minimalist, you get that credibility for owning less than anyone I know who is not a monk or nun.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I've only ever had a dumb phone. Left and right, yea GPS isn't actually going to help there, it's going to say things like "turn left at the next stoplight" and so darn it you'll still have to figure out which way is left. I do have to think for a minute to remember which hand is left or right, "what is the hand I write with?" I ask myself in order to orient myself (I'm right handed), but it's nothing GPS is going to solve, well it will send you back if you go the wrong way, but probably by means of giving directions about turning right and left!