# Anyone here still not have a smartphone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 17, 2025, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428 "2025-02-17T19:50:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2025, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/61 "2025-02-18T22:54:02Z")
And Watergate hearings were not boring as Aunt Junes vacay slides? You’re bird in this world, @Ulfreida, a bird!\* \*( I mean this in the nicest way) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2025, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/62 "2025-02-18T23:10:11Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Taking pictures and videos is a way of separating yourself from the present moment. Pictures of other people’s vacations was boring in the 1960’s and it’s still boring. I agree that it is not ideal to see your vacation through a camera lens. Nevertheless, even in the 70s, I used a camera to take photos. It is easier now with my phone but I am careful to only take a few photos and then put the phone away. Chronicling where I have been is mostly for me and not to share with friends and family (although I certainly do that too but, again, I am careful to keep it to a minimum). Usually friends are interested but only when it is a photo or two and not a 60 minute travelogue. For Christmas I bought Aura frames for my family. Nothing new about electronic picture frames but these allow you to share an account so family/friends can upload a photo right to your picture frame. This has turned out great since I can get pics from my family easily (and no one is sending anything inappropriate…you can delete photos you do not want). When sent as a text message the pics tend to get lost and forgotten over time. The photo frame is a great way to share family/friend photos easily. Back in the 80s they’d have to have the film developed, print a photo, mail it to me and I would have to buy a frame and find room for it. Not ideal. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2025, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/63 "2025-02-18T23:12:35Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > FWIW, most cell phones and cell providers allow calling via WiFi (you might have to check…I use Verizon and they allow this). I wondered how long it would take for someone to suggest this. 😉 You’re absolutely right. And if I were out and about a lot, going back and forth to work and so on, it would make sense to pursue such a setup. But I don’t. I work from home and venture out maybe once or twice a week. If that. I don’t have gigabit fiber options for internet, only satellite, and until quite recently, it was extremely miserly with bandwidth. So I am now thinking of converting my land lines to VoiP, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I don’t see the point of paying for monthly cell service if I’m only going to use it on rare occasions. I can accomplish almost everything I want on my laptop without adding that extra expense. Were I in a different life situation, I would probably feel otherwise, but for the life I live now, this works fine for me. I appreciate the suggestion, all the same! And I’m glad VoiP solved your cell coverage problems. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2025, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/64 "2025-02-18T23:13:59Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > And Watergate hearings were not boring as Aunt Junes vacay slides? They were not boring. They were riveting and frankly inspiring. Well, sometimes they were boring, like any hearings. But people got angry, people flat out lied and were called on it … there were heroes! it was a newspaper office so we were probably more more interested in public justice than a different kind of office. You don’t have to tell me about being a bird. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2025, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/65 "2025-02-18T23:24:35Z")
Yeah. It was news. I was not aware they were happening. I’ve seen bits and pieces on documentaries. I feel like those were high spots, tho’. Aunt Junes slides are terribly boring and not newsworthy, except to her favorite niece. In the end its your choice what to watch, look at, read or enjoy. On a device, or in RL. You have to choose what is important. You don’t like to photograph things and show/send them, that is okay. You don’t care to get peoples life updates, that’s fine too. Like someone said above, I, too, like to be in a state of near constant(or easily got) contact with my family. We have to drive so far back and forth. Everyone is on the go with busy schedules. I like to know when my daughter leaves work and where my Son is when he picks up kids from school. It’s a safety thing. I walk in the woods everyday, the idea that my phone will lead help to me if I go down is comforting. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2025, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/66 "2025-02-18T23:59:05Z")
The natural world is important and beautiful and it’s important we do not let it be exploited into oblivion but I am happy that I live in a world where most people are warm in the winter and cool in the summer, have readily available food and clean water and are unlikely to die of an infection. Technology made all that happen. To paraphrase a line in one of the Why Things Are books, anyone who wishes they were born a hundred and fifty years ago is either delusional or a member of British Royalty. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2025, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/67 "2025-02-19T00:00:11Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > So I am now thinking of converting my land lines to VoiP, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I was paying $65/month for ATT landline and switched to $2.50/month VOIP about 4-5 years ago. It works good enough for .04% the cost. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2025, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/68 "2025-02-19T21:44:14Z")
My first flip phone was a prepaid AT&T. I didn’t carry it with me. The phone was off and lived in the car glove box for emergencies. I took it out once in awhile to make calls while traveling. I never gave anyone the number because the phone was turned off most of the time. I was very resistant to carrying a phone. I had lived just fine for 40 years and used pay phones when needed. It took a couple years before I carried the phone in a belt holster. Setup contacts for my relatives and friends. Today I can’t imagine driving anywhere without my phone. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/69 "2025-02-20T12:08:14Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Today I can’t imagine driving anywhere without my phone. I work from home. I’m alone all day. I’m 64 years old. I have to traverse very steep stairs to get up and down from my office (its a loft). think stairs on a boat, not a ladder, but steep. Of course there are hand rails, but you must be careful. I always have my phone with me, just in case. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/70 "2025-02-20T13:07:57Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Today I can’t imagine driving anywhere without my phone. Yes, I strongly agree. As much as I ridicule “kids these days”, this is absolutely an obsession with me. But it just reinforces what I’ve already said – cell phones are important, but the “smart” features are mostly frivolities. The need to stay “connected” 24/7 is not a feature, it’s a disease. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/71 "2025-02-20T18:12:28Z")
OK, as long as this thread is current, I’ll post my only-slightly-offtopic question, if you don’t mind: Anyone know of a cellular service provider that has a pay-as-you-go / prepaid type of account that includes data and not just voice? I have T-Mobile but it’s voice only. I don’t want to switch to a monthly plan, I’m cheap and I don’t use the phone for much besides 2-factor authentication which I do over my WiFi, but it would be nice to be able to use Uber on occasion without first having to locate a free WiFi network I can join. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/72 "2025-02-20T19:08:49Z")
You can’t get a prepaid phone that has a data plan in the US? We have one we use for when we go to Europe and I just assumed you could get the same thing here. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/73 "2025-02-20T19:14:34Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > The natural world is important and beautiful and it’s important we do not let it be exploited into oblivion but I am happy that I live in a world where most people are warm in the winter and cool in the summer, have readily available food and clean water and are unlikely to die of an infection. Technology made all that happen. This is the Myth Of Modernism again. For a hundred thousand years or so, most people had these things most of the time. Before there were enough people to make wars, pass diseases around, need agriculture to survive, and enslave each other. Somewhere around the Bronze Age. At that point things went downhill. Gimme that Neolithic. Also, the natural world is not “important”. It is the only absolute essential. Everything else is insignificant. Everything else without exception. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/74 "2025-02-20T19:32:00Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > You can’t get a prepaid phone that has a data plan in the US? Well, that’s exactly my question. I don’t know the answer. I know that T-Mobile doesn’t offer one, I already asked. I’ve thought about contacting all the service providers I can think of and asking them, but I’m lazy. Figured someone in here might know. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/75 "2025-02-20T19:36:57Z")
I use an AT&T Go Phone, pay $100/year, with unspent annual funds rolling over from year to year. I can use it to call or text. I’m not a texter, but I know the option exists on the phone if I want it and I regularly receive texts on it. No contract, and they bill against the $100 for each transaction. $0.35/minute, I think. ETA: I also have a browse option, so that’s onboard, too. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/76 "2025-02-20T20:53:35Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Well, that’s exactly my question. I don’t know the answer. I know that T-Mobile doesn’t offer one, I already asked. I’ve thought about contacting all the service providers I can think of and asking them, but I’m lazy. Figured someone in here might know. Eh? Sure they do. [https://prepaid.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans?brand=TMOPrepaid](https://prepaid.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans?brand=TMOPrepaid) But like a lot of “modern” prepaid plans, it’s still set up as a recurring monthly charge, because, well, profitability. And consumers (mostly younger than this crew) generally don’t want low-data plans, even when budgeting. What I suspect you want/need is more like the Go plan @Aspenglow mentions, which still exist with a number of providers, though they’re becoming ever rarer. But you could easily get something like _this_ from Mint mobile. [https://www.mintmobile.com/phone-plans/12-month-plans/](https://www.mintmobile.com/phone-plans/12-month-plans/) A 12 month pre-paid plan for $180 one time payment and get unlimited talk and text with 5GB of data a month. One word of caution as a former Tech Support rep for T-Mobile… there’s a lot to argue about with the pricing of the major carriers. But if you get one of the pre-paid companies, one of the places they skimp on the most is customer service and tech support. If you’re comfortable trouble-shooting for yourself, the resellers are almost always a better value\* though, especially for the likely participants in this thread who do not want or do not need plans eligible for cheaper phone upgrades. -\* quibble on value. Absolutely dollar wise, but in extreme (please note the extreme) edge circumstances with limited access, resellers also get bottom priority, which can badly effect your service: hurricanes or other outage circumstances, major congestion (major sporting events/stadiums, cons and other events, etc). ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/77 "2025-02-20T20:56:15Z")
I should have been more clear. Taking care of the Earth is vital. We have to make technological improvement be in concert with nature and not antagonistic with it. But to say that people had air-conditioning and refrigeration and cures for preventable diseases a hundred thousand years ago is just crazy. Civilization was stagnant for tens of thousands of years because 100% of effort was to keep people fed and alive. It was only after agriculture was invented that people’s time was freed up to learn about the world and invent. I don’t like oil companies. I’m not a corporate apologist or something but to say life was better for the average person in the stone age is just crazy talk. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2025, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/78 "2025-02-20T21:20:08Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Civilization was stagnant for tens of thousands of years because 100% of effort was to keep people fed and alive. It was only after agriculture was invented that people’s time was freed up to learn about the world and invent. This is really not true, but it is certainly what most people believe. I’m not saying that human used to live in eden. But mostly what modern people imagine prehistory to be is not borne out by what evidence is available. We just want to believe we’re standing at some inevitable pinnacle as we climb out of the benighted past into the light. We don’t want to know different. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/79 "2026-06-12T17:29:50Z")
Bumped. An interesting theory: > **[Smartphones arrived just before the US fertility rate plunged. One study says...](https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/12/health/fertility-decline-smartphone-study)** > > The US fertility rate has been trending down for decades, leaving researchers and policymakers searching for causes that may help pinpoint solutions. There have been all kinds of theories, including soaring costs of childcare, the rise of birth... ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428/80 "2026-06-12T17:44:45Z")
Why is this a “problem” that needs a “solution”? The world is overpopulated as it is. If smartphones are the cause of a reduced birth rate, that would be the only good thing about them that I’ve ever heard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-still-not-have-a-smartphone/1014428.md?page=5)