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New "I" pad / phones

71243

New member
Why is America seemingly obsessed , first with communication & second with having the latest & greatest [in] communication ? It seems every six months the newest , latest, greatest, is introduced and there is a flurry to obtain one. I don't get it? I'm not that important, & would not want to be...:scratch
 
I'm not a "technophile"

I have to tell you, the convenience of an IPhone is awesome. I love being in the middle of a phone conversation and send a text/e-mail to that person to answer a question or concern. Some of the apps are indispensable for me. One comes to mind, Metric/Imperial convertor. I pay my bills from my phone.

I have even taken video of a diesel engine that was running like crap and sent the video to the guy that built the fuel pump. While on the phone, he was able to confirm a bad pump build. I was in Ariviat, Nunavut at the time and he was in Winnipeg, MB.

Whether you like it or not, text messaging is the new standard of communication. You can quickly get your message out or respond when you can. The days of voicemail are numbered.

IPad? I have one, used it extensively when I first got it but now, I watch movies and read books from it. It's a convenience. I could live without it.

At all times though, I use my Bluetooth when driving and I always park myself for text/e-mail.
 
Why is America seemingly obsessed , first with communication & second with having the latest & greatest [in] communication ? It seems every six months the newest , latest, greatest, is introduced and there is a flurry to obtain one. I don't get it? I'm not that important, & would not want to be...:scratch

I'm in agreement with you on this, in most case's I havent seen a great leap in the technology to warrant the hype and rush to change. I dont get the "I'm not that important thing" your refering to.

I have been assigned one from work, Im not convinced of its productivity/cost ratio, of course Im only speaking of our business, as is obvious from the previous post it would appear in that line of work the instant collaboration inspired by the device may be quite a time saver, then again in the wrong hands its a crutch. Around my house when any phone rings, you better be out of the way or you will get trampled by the horde rushing to get to that phone. Even more annoying is when Im having a coversation with a colleauge and their cell phone rings and they just stop talking and pick it up and start talking. I've learned to live with this and just walk off; I love the funny looks when Im speaking with them and its my phone ringing and I refuse to answer it, I see the pain and angst in their face as I just ignore the ring and keep talking, you can see them twisting up inside wanting to answer the phone, makes me laugh.

As far as text messaging goes I have never seen anything like it, and just wont comment on it (in honor of my grandmother).
 
Label me as you like but since retirement I don't wear a watch & that pretty much sums it up for "personal" devices. My "contractor model" cell phone suits me just fine. I also have the "luxury" of a wife that has an I-phone permanently attached to her body at all times so I don't miss out on the big stuff-like GD's pictures...
 
... since retirement I don't wear a watch ...

Ditto. I retired 23 years ago.

My smart phone has two apps on it: Radar Now and Words With Friends, which I use to play with my grandkids (they love to beat ol' Grandad).

Just checked my data history: made/received four calls this month, sent/received 14 texts.

That's it for me, that is as connected as I want to be.
 
Well...sounds like I'm a techno-caveman :) compared to some of you. I don't need the examples set, and I suppose that is part of my quandary ? It just seems to me that constant newest this & that being introduced is a rip-off? In my honest opinion, I believe they [sit on] newer technology just to sell it later ? As far as the 'important' comment? I meant that I just live a simpler life I suppose ? As far as the comparison to motorcycles ....yeah I can see the comparo ?

It's just that I wonder how many ways do we need to make..basically a phone call?...

BTW I am not besmirching anyone at all....I just noticed yesterday another new-gotta-have....was announced , and they say there is a rush to obtain one ?......
 
My cell phone is so old youngsters think it's a radio, but they don't know what radio is? Go figure. Get two or three calls per year, wrong numbers. Can't figure the non-stop changes/improvements in motorcycles. Probably has more to do with sales than riding down the road. It has been suggested that some products are so useful/durable that unless discontinued, they would ruin the business that produced them, so, they were changed to less useful/reliable replacements, ergo, the corporation grinds on. Idea: the longer you keep and use a product the better.
 
Well...sounds like I'm a techno-caveman :) compared to some of you. I don't need the examples set, and I suppose that is part of my quandary ? It just seems to me that constant newest this & that being introduced is a rip-off? In my honest opinion, I believe they [sit on] newer technology just to sell it later ? As far as the 'important' comment? I meant that I just live a simpler life I suppose ? As far as the comparison to motorcycles ....yeah I can see the comparo ?

It's just that I wonder how many ways do we need to make..basically a phone call?...

BTW I am not besmirching anyone at all....I just noticed yesterday another new-gotta-have....was announced , and they say there is a rush to obtain one ?......


I have the iPhone 4S. I consider it a pocket-sized computer that can make phone calls. I'm still working and am constantly amazed at the functions available on this small device. I just wish Verizon had GSM so I could escape AT&T. If all I needed was to be able to make a call, I'd agree. The smart phone is here to stay. At the moment, my 4S is smart enough for me.
 
When I retired my staff bought me an Iphone. I sure do enjoy it, texting and face timing with family.

I relate to it different than my two grown girls do to theirs; if mine buzzes or rings I'm very content to check it later. They have to know right now who or what that call or text is about.

On trips I shut mine down and check it at the end of the day.

It sure is nice to be able to search the web for something when away from home.

Excited about the new Ipad mini? I am, I will be getting one with the upgraded screen.
 
This is an interesting thread. Each of us chooses how to engage with the world; the use of tech is no exception.

I'm a retired attorney. Decades ago, I realized that the places I spent my time (home, garage, office, courtroom, law library) all had clocks. I stopped wearing a watch. In the mid-oughties, I took a new job that required me to sometimes contact other professional staff while I was at the courthouse. My wife bought me a cellphone. I got used to it hanging on my belt, and found it very useful in my work environment. I rarely carried it other than during the work day.

At my retirement in 2011, I was surprised by another gift: a smart phone. I hadn't sought it, and certainly felt no need to have it. I have discovered, however, that carrying my calendar and contacts list with me is a significant convenience - previously, these items existed only on my home computer. The phone is a convenience, too, and I usually carry it...when I remember. I sometimes use its map function and flashlight, but that's about it. No games, no reading, maybe three texts a month to my kids or other younger people.

I read a lot, and while finding books on the road can be enjoyable (Mary and I like to visit bookstores in new cities and towns), carrying them can be a challenge because we also travel really light - we spent 5 weeks in Europe last summer with only daypacks. We traveled to Turkey and Africa earlier this year; I left the phone and laptop at home. But I bought a Kindle Paperwhite. The Paperwhite took some getting used to, but I very much appreciate being able to carry enough reading material in a device that fits easily into my purse. (I carry my pocket stuff - wallet, comb, etc. - in a hand-sized leather case. It's a purse. Want to make something of it? :laugh )

If I want to have a computer with me while traveling, I carry my laptop - it fits in my daypack, or the bike's saddlebags, but weighs pounds. Some folks like tablets for this purpose; they don't do it for me.
 
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I decided to get a smart phone when I was cool/popular enough to justify it.

So, I obviously still don't have one. I'm still using the free phone I got in 2009 only after I dropped my last phone that I had since 2004 in a Big Gulp from 7-11.

It's funny to note that most (although not this one in particular) technology rants blame the younger generations (which I am slowly escaping) and yet from my personal experience/observation, it's the 40-60 year old people I work with who are absolutely glued to theirs all hours of the day.
 
This has been a popularly viewed thread-
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?62316-So-I-bought-an-IPhone
Yeah, it's a computer that makes phone calls. It's also a great way to get a quick shot of the radar- among other things.
Latest and greatest is the way marketing is. If you enjoy and or need it, it's great.....if not there is Jitterbug.
btw, do any of you remember the last time you tried to dial a rotary phone?...and your finger kinda lost the coordination to make the call :D
OM
 
In this day and time, I guess I am a throwback. I retired in 2003 from a job that demanded I be available immediately all the times. I don't want instant availability now. I have an old free flip-phone because the family insists. I want to be disconnected from the world sometimes. That is one reason I get on my bike and ride through the mountains for hours. I am glad that most of my ride does not have cell service. If someone wants to get in touch with me and they don't take the time to call me, it must not be important.

Verizon has been trying to give me a smart phone for years to get me out of my $39.95 monthly cell phone bill. I think I will just stay disconnected and live my retirement in peace and quiet. I grew up without a telephone of any kind until the 4th or 5th grade and I had a party line until I was 24.
 
and yet from my personal experience/observation, it's the 40-60 year old people I work with who are absolutely glued to theirs all hours of the day.

I don't know. My last few years working I learned if I needed to get in touch with an off duty staff under the age or 30, don't call, don't email, just text and I would get a response within minutes.
 
An Advantage to Texting Over Calling

Ringing phones (or buzzing, or singing, or thumping, or whatever your phone does) seems to cause anxiety in folks. Hard to ignore and most people, myself included, seem to immediately jump to get the thing before it rings/buzzes/sings/thumps/whatever, one more time. I have found that the reaction of users is WAY more irritating to me than the actual phone itself. So ... I set my phone to silent mode and try to only use texting. That way I can read and respond at MY convenience, not the caller's convenience. Folks call once or twice, and when they cannot reach me, they either give up (wasn't important anyway?) or they text me. If they leave a voice message I ignore it. Did not take me long to train all my friends/family to use text more and phone less.
 
The advantage of text and email over phone calls is you can make them less intrusive to YOU. I can look at a text (or not), or read an email, and then decide if/when to deal with it.

With a phone call I can ignore it and it might go to voice mail, or it might not. And I might think it ought to be dealt with right away but to know for sure I have to answer the phone. And checking a text is much easier than checking voice mail.

However, cell phones don't work at our house. We have to go 25 miles south or 50 miles north to have cell phone coverage. But it is handy when we travel, except even then it isn't turned on while we are riding. It gets checked once or twice a day when we are on the road.

I carry it when traveling for my convenience - not anybody else's. It is handy to check radar, to check the weather forecast, to call a campground or motel, etc.
 
I have the iPhone 4S. I consider it a pocket-sized computer that can make phone calls. I'm still working and am constantly amazed at the functions available on this small device. I just wish Verizon had GSM so I could escape AT&T. If all I needed was to be able to make a call, I'd agree. The smart phone is here to stay. At the moment, my 4S is smart enough for me.

Come to Canada and buy an iPhone outright from Apple that is unlocked and works on any networks (GSM or CDMA based - now both types of networks are updated to and use SIM, or similar, cards).

My wife and I both have unlocked 4s iPhones and swap sim cards when we go to other countries, i.e. USA or Germany for instance. Then we get a pay as you go SIM card for that country. Waaaaaaaaay cheaper cell service doing that.

These are the carrier specs for each of the models from the www.apple.ca site for iPhone 5s


Model A1533 (GSM)*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25)

Model A1533 (CDMA)*: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25)

Model A1453*: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26)

Model A1457*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20)

Model A1530*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20); TD-LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40)
 
The modern smart phone has replaced the phone, pager, GPS, mp3 player, camera, note book, FM radio, in many cases computer, and so much more. The device is $500 of replace nearly $10K of equipment. Often for a subsidized price. The modern phablet can replace most technology in your life, and since the advent of cloud storage and ubiquitous connectivity you get along quite well. I have... get this... 16TB of cloud based storage at my house. That's not a mistake or typo. I run my own cloud services and they are legion. But it makes my life easier to have things digitized.

Yes, all of that, as long as, you buy the supporting phone/data plan at ~$100 per month. You buy the GPS at $200 with lifetime maps and traffic or a point-in-shoot camera at $150.....then you're done with the cost.
 
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