Can you hear me? Can you hear me now?

[SteveinMN]

CathyA posted in another thread and that prompted me to write something I've been meaning to for a while:

I got this phone about 10+ years ago! My family can't believe I don't want more. Actually, I wouldn't mind having a somewhat smarter phone. I would like to see the weather coming when I'm out, and have gps, and be able to take pictures and..........and............and.....

I've recently seen news that the big carriers -- at&t, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon -- are starting to replace older transmission protocols with newer protocols like LTE. What this means in everyday terms is that, over the next year or maybe two, folks with considerably older cell phones may find their ability to make and receive calls deteriorate greatly or even become non-existent.

It's something to keep in mind as people soldier on with old phones that just work and fill their needs. The phones DW and I use, as relatively low-powered as they may be, are OK. But a 10+ year old phone? Might be time to look for at least a new-er one.


The other thing I've been mulling over is GPS. I love it. Even in town, it makes getting past non-continuous streets and odd numbering (hello, St. Paul!) much easier. However, many phones that offer GPS do so through data services on the cell towers you drive by. Which means 1) you have to have data services available (not always the case unless you're on an Interstate highway) and 2) you're paying for that data while you cruise mile after mile waiting for the GPS to give you the next direction.

That's why I've been thinking about going back to a good ol' satellite-based GPS. Because so many are using their mobile phones for GPS, the prices of standalone GPSes have plummeted. The GPS that used to cost a couple hundred bucks now goes for well under a hundred, even with "forever" map updates. And it works pretty much everywhere, unlike phone-based GPS, which can be of practically no use throughout some entire states. I don't care so much about having a separate device for GPS since I only rarely use it outside of the car, so it can stay there. And that means I can be less concerned with paying for data on my mobile plan and, to some extent, coverage, since any mobile phone made in the last several years, regardless of carrier, will (so far) connect to 911 services in case of a true emergency. Buy a $100 GPS and use it for three years (conservative estimate) and it's $3 a month. If I can save more than that by going with a different carrier that maybe doesn't have data everywhere I need it, that might be a better deal for us...

[catherine]

I have two GPSs.. one on my car (built in to the dash) and the other is on my phone. I love both. Sometimes I enter addresses on both and then pick the route I like the best. The one on the car is great because the screen is bigger and I can see it. But my phone is handy for walking and for being a good back up for my car GPS, which sometimes doesn't read addresses I put in for some reason. When I use DH's car (which doesn't have a GPS) I'm always looking for the map.

I have to admit to loving my phone. I use it for so many different reasons. It's definitely a very, very efficient device.

[ApatheticNoMore]

of course when they switched to digital t.v. I gave up owning a television ....

[creaker]

I have a GPS - mainly because I have an older blackberry for (and paid by my) work and I can't imagine paying for and carrying around 2 phones so that I can have the perks of a smartphone (my work disabled mapping in the blackberry).