Anyone go back to a flip phone?

[MattB4]

I use my smart phone to deposit checks mailed to me. Many years ago the bank allowed me to do that by computer but now it requires a phone app. Most flip phones in the price range I would buy a phone at lack either Android of Apple operating systems that the bank app will load to.

I never take photos with the phone. It is just too unhandy versus a dedicated digital camera that photos get uploaded to my computer. In fact with my little phone usage I only pay a annual amount of $60 to Red Pocket to have limited minutes and data each month. I rarely even get close to going through that. Phones are a tool and a not a life style to me.

Compared to the old land line cost of ~$30/mo (plus everything was long distance extra to call) the ~$5 per month of the cell phone has saved me a lot of money over the last 8 years.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I guess I'm a tightwad. We do pay a cell phone bill, but I consider it necessary as we have no landline. No charge for Netflix. It is paid by my cell phone company. We don't pay for OTA TV and don't have any other subscriptions other than internet service.
Years ago we had Directv and cut that money waster long ago.
I chuckle when I hear people say that they they are a cord cutter and then spend as much money on iptv subscriptions.

I did that once, the ex wife complained we lived paycheck by paycheck so I called every subscription we had and I cancels everything, while doing so I was stun to see every compagnie was willing to lower their price to keep me as costumer, I even saw some lowering theirs offer twice. Now the only subscription I have is internet and a smart phone (I always buy the phone up front).

 

[5030]

If it's PPV or a site that requires a subscription, I don't bother with it and we have a landline and candidly, it's handy, especially the answering machine. It' takes care of all the robo calls.

Not about to pay for anything where all you get is some clown's opinions.

Gee, maybe that is why we actually have spendable income all the time. We don't pizz money away on anything that don't benefit us.

That includes Rumble and Twitter as well and we never view Tik-Tok, ever.

 

[5030]

Far as I'm concerned, cell phones are a terrible invention because idiots abuse them and then get in vehicle accidents from distracted driving. I'd love to be a cop with a fat ticket book, I'd be writing hundreds of tickets for using a cell phone while driving.

 

[dougtrr2]

I had to get rid of my flip phone when they shut down the 3G networks. I switched to an iPhone to match my wife's. Some issues on the initial set up. Too many things out there requiring a smart phone. Decided not to completely fight it.

The biggest advantage for me was the free App called Strava. With it my wife can track my exact location on my bicycle rides. I ride 28- 108 miles on the Wabash trace and cell phone coverage is spotty at best. It gives her some peace of mind.

Doug in SW IA

 

[Rockbadchild]

Far as I'm concerned, cell phones are a terrible invention because idiots abuse them and then get in vehicle accidents from distracted driving. I'd love to be a cop with a fat ticket book, I'd be writing hundreds of tickets for using a cell phone while driving.

Wait to see until the incoming generation of kids who grew up (laterally) using a phone before they could even speak because '' it keep them quiet'' that will be something to see.

 

[sixdogs]

its crazy how the averaged consumer spend on entertainments a month, $80 phone bill, $16 nexflix, $15 disney plus, $10 spotify, $100 dish TV

That $320 a month $3840 a year its crazy... the average subscriber pays for five different subscriptions each month.

edit: I forgot $100 for internet.

Very true and a few years ago I dropped a bunch of stuff we were barely using. We don't miss it a bit and wish I would have done it sooner.

Best call was to rip satellite TV out, go with over-the-air and went back to doing things around the house/farm that needed doing. I was spending maybe $140 a month on mindless television and mostly for channels I didn't watch, paying for it and with the money going to things opposite my wishes and giving me a 20 page agreement to sign so I couldn't object.

It's now been maybe 5 years with numerous price increases so I'm ahead at least $8400! So, on those implements or tractor things I need--poof--they're free.

We read more, most chores are done, I'm up earlier and if I want TV things, my OTA has maybe 40 channels. My equipment is better cared for, more odd jobs that pay me and the dog and I go out for more rides. I've gone to dress-up dinners with the wife, BBQ more often and not under duress and my truck is refreshingly clean. We eat better and I can bake a killer good pizza from scratch that isn't full of salt and bad fats.

 

[Oaktree]

35 bucks a month and has been that for a long time I might add.

Seems kind of pricey for a "budget" carrier. How much do the mainstream providers charge per month?

My dad has a flip phone. Doesn’t have a clue what is going on in his 15 grandchildren’s life. Can’t get pictures on his flip phone. Oh well. Staying connected and making an impact on the life of young people must be a good thing. Maybe he didn’t have anything to contribute anyway.

I don't know your father, but it seems like kind of a stretch to say he doesn't care about his grandchildren because he doesn't have a smartphone. It could be argued that the grandchildren don't care about him since they refuse to communicate by any means other than text message.

I had to get rid of my flip phone when they shut down the 3G networks. I switched to an iPhone to match my wife's. Some issues on the initial set up. Too many things out there requiring a smart phone. Decided not to completely fight it.

The biggest advantage for me was the free App called Strava. With it my wife can track my exact location on my bicycle rides. I ride 28- 108 miles on the Wabash trace and cell phone coverage is spotty at best. It gives her some peace of mind.

I had never heard of that program until about a year ago when an acquaintance mentioned using it to track her bicycle riding. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY! that I would ever consent to being intentionally tracked. Bad enough that the phone itself, provider, OS manufacturer and who knows else can trace your every step without actually consenting to it.

Never say never, but I don't see myself getting a smartphone anytime soon. Yeah, I suppose it can do some cool stuff, but very little of it seems useful to me. YMMV. Personally, I'd just as soon ditch the flip phone and just stick with the land line but my wife gets worried when I'm out on the snowmobile alone so I keep it to appease her.

 

[5030]

Seems kind of pricey for a "budget" carrier. How much do the mainstream providers charge per month?

Huh? Unlimited, talk, text and other stuff I don't use and every cell phone provider uses everyone else's cell towers anyway.

Boost is as 'mainstream' as you can get as Boost is a wholly owned sub of Verizon.

Said before and will say again, the only true 'wireless' phone is a SAT phone. No cell towers, no subscription fee, you buy the phone outright (not cheap) and pay for each increment of air time and that ain't cheap either.

 

[5030]

Wait to see until the incoming generation of kids who grew up (laterally) using a phone before they could even speak because '' it keep them quiet'' that will be something to see.

Candidly, I don't care. I won't be here to worry or fret over anyway.

 

[jyoutz]

I cannot see how people do any business today without a smart phone. Phone books are non-existent anymore and the only way to find phone numbers for a business is to look them up online. If you’re not at home next to a computer, it’s impossible to find phone numbers without a smart phone.

 

[BlueKnife]

Me and my wife went a step further and got rid of the stupid cell phones completely. We use a landline at home.

We have a landline at home as well, but mainly because there is no cell service in our area. I have a smart phone with no sim card in it. It's primary purpose is for OnX (a topo map navigation app), camera and browsing while on WiFi, none of which require it to actually work as a telephone. I also have a flip phone that I will add minutes to a few times a year, usually if I'm going on a road trip. I spend most of my time in areas with no cell service, so paying for a phone consistently wouldn't make sense.

 

[tacticalturnip]

My dad has a flip phone. Doesn’t have a clue what is going on in his 15 grandchildren’s life. Can’t get pictures on his flip phone. Oh well. Staying connected and making an impact on the life of young people must be a good thing. Maybe he didn’t have anything to contribute anyway. There are a ton of good reasons to have an iPhone.

He could carry a flip phone and keep an iPad, desktop, or laptop at home with which to keep connected. Unfortunately, some folks wouldn't keep in touch with others if they were living in the same house.

You're there for your kids; you can't force him into the fold, but you can learn from their behavior, and as the kids get older- well, the absence of grandpa makes for informative conversations on the importance of mental health.

It sounds to me like you're doing the best you can to make up for his absence; as father's in this situation it's all you can do. My kids are fortunate enough to have my wife's father as an elder male role-model, I hope your children are just as blessed.

Sorry if this took a bit of a turn for the personal, your post just hit me rather hard.

 

[MossRoad]

Our "land line" is an old iPhone permanently plugged into a charger sitting on the old phone table in the dining room. It was $5 a month to add to our plan. Real land line was well over $50 per month. The only people that call it are telemarketers, my older siblings, and my mother in-law.

 

[tractortroof]

He could carry a flip phone and keep an iPad, desktop, or laptop at home with which to keep connected. Unfortunately, some folks wouldn't keep in touch with others if they were living in the same house.

You're there for your kids; you can't force him into the fold, but you can learn from their behavior, and as the kids get older- well, the absence of grandpa makes for informative conversations on the importance of mental health.

It sounds to me like you're doing the best you can to make up for his absence; as father's in this situation it's all you can do. My kids are fortunate enough to have my wife's father as an elder male role-model, I hope your children are just as blessed.

Sorry if this took a bit of a turn for the personal, your post just hit me rather hard.

Good post, my wife’s father is very involved and a good model. The impact that a grandfather can have is enormous. iPhones are a wonderful blessing, especially when you are not local, but even when you are, You can share life in a unique way. Pictures, events, encouragement etc.

 

[5030]

My dad has a flip phone. Doesn’t have a clue what is going on in his 15 grandchildren’s life. Can’t get pictures on his flip phone. Oh well. Staying connected and making an impact on the life of young people must be a good thing. Maybe he didn’t have anything to contribute anyway. There are a ton of good reasons to have an iPhone.

What Farcebook is for. My wife has it. I don't and don't want it either

 

[tacticalturnip]

Good post, my wife’s father is very involved and a good model. The impact that a grandfather can have is enormous. iPhones are a wonderful blessing, especially when you are not local, but even when you are, You can share life in a unique way. Pictures, events, encouragement etc.

My grandfather was the only reliable adult male in my life; had I not had him, Lord knows who I might be. I think the difficulty with technology is finding a balance, and it's a lot harder for some than others to achieve that.

 

[Oaktree]

I cannot see how people do any business today without a smart phone. Phone books are non-existent anymore and the only way to find phone numbers for a business is to look them up online. If you’re not at home next to a computer, it’s impossible to find phone numbers without a smart phone.

Maybe where you live, but we still get a phone book in the mail every year. Not sure who publishes it anymore.
I wish there was such a thing as a phone directory that had personal phone #s in it like the old days. If you don't know someone's cell # AFAIK there's no way to look it up.

My grandfather was the only reliable adult male in my life; had I not had him, Lord knows who I might be. I think the difficulty with technology is finding a balance, and it's a lot harder for some than others to achieve that.

The only grandparent I ever knew was my father's father. Paternal grandmother died when I was a toddler, never met either of my mother's parents.
As hard of a guy as my father was to get to know, he was an open book compared to my grandfather. It didn't help that he spoke very little English (despite having immigrated in the early 19-teens), my Russian wasn't much better. Fortunately, my father was a solid guy.

I grew up thinking old people didn't speak English. Much of my grandparents' generation in our town were immigrants...there was enough of a community where they could get by with the old language. It wasn't until I was almost a teenager and met one of my friends' grandparents I discovered otherwise.

 

[Oaktree]

Huh? Unlimited, talk, text and other stuff I don't use and every cell phone provider uses everyone else's cell towers anyway.

Boost is as 'mainstream' as you can get as Boost is a wholly owned sub of Verizon.

I'd never heard of them before. When I say "mainstream" I think Verizon, ATT, T-Mobile, etc. not the plethora of resellers.
So, if Boost is part of Verizon, what's the difference between the two, and/or reason for its existence?

 

[deserteagle71]

Maybe where you live, but we still get a phone book in the mail every year. Not sure who publishes it anymore.
I wish there was such a thing as a phone directory that had personal phone #s in it like the old days. If you don't know someone's cell # AFAIK there's no way to look it up.

Not here in Nevada. Last phone book I remember getting was really thin...mostly Yellow Pages for the businesses. Been at least 10 years since I had a landline; saw something on the news recently that ATT (who maintains all landlines in northern Nevada) is petitioning the state to abolish their landline contract because so few people use them anymore. If that's granted then there will be no more phones that are connected to a wire.

I've had a cell phone for many years. But a smartphone only recently. As others have stated above, it would be pretty difficult to get along without one now. Especially when traveling around Nevada as there are so few towns that are spaced 100 or more miles apart and there are no more pay phones anywhere. So whatever you do you have to get needed information via your smartphone.