# Are You A Cell Phone Nut Case? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 9, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922 "2009-11-09T18:17:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/41 "2009-11-10T14:23:55Z")
you missed a category … See I have a cell phone to do phone calls, and it is also a PDA so I can read ebooks, otherwise I would have to carry around 2 electronic devices. I rarely use the camera function [other than to take a brief clip of mrAru dancing with the cat one morning, solely for amusement purposes of course=)] and unfortunately to get a phone I can read books on, and use as a phone is pretty much limited to pda type cell phones, which have all teh crap on it I dont use, and unfortunately also do the email internet stuff I can do without. I need the ebook function because my main entertainment sitting in doctors waiting rooms is reading, and ebooks dont weight anything, and I can cram a couple hundred into my phone which means I dont have to try and carry a bag of books and walk on crutches at the same time. I can just slip the phone into my pocket, and gimp on my way mostly unencumbered. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/42 "2009-11-10T14:32:13Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > The music player, GPS, calendar, camera, browser, stopwatch/timer, and flashlight are just gravy. You found a flashlight app for BB? Is it a Storm? > [@](#): > > I’m not anti-smartphone, but you don’t need a phone to find your way home. They have technology that costs 100 bucks and has no extra monthly charge called “GPS navigation”. True, but I like not having to carry another device. I’m not using Verizons GPS service so no additional monthly charge for GPS. I just downloaded the GARMIN application. It was a one time fee of around $100. I also like to have the GPS when in a hotel room when traveling. Sure, you could carry your car GPS around with you, but this way, I always have it. It’s also nice to be able to use it as a modem for my netbook. Again, no additional charge. Just the base data plan. eta - Oh yeah, aruvqan, it’s great as an ebook reader as well. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/43 "2009-11-10T14:46:00Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > You found a flashlight app for BB? Is it a Storm? 8900, but this should work with any of the models with the LED flash on the camera. 1. Start the video recorder app. _Don’t_ hit ‘record’. 2. Hit the space bar to turn on the flash. Voila: flashlight. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/44 "2009-11-10T14:46:47Z")
I’m really not a technological Luddite, but I have no clue what ‘3G’ is or why I should care (although all those folks in the adverts insist that it’s something essential) and most of the smartphones I can think of leave me cold. I’ve got a company supplied Blackberry, and although it allows me to phone, text, surf the web and take photos, it is a decidedly mediocre compromise in the performance of all of those tasks. Trying to read the Dope on the damn thing is particularly painful. I much prefer the user interface of the iPhone, but the company doesn’t do iPhone’s and I can’t be arsed to spend my own money on one. I still keep my personal phone (an unassuming LG flipphone) and much prefer it when I need, you know, a phone. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/45 "2009-11-10T14:48:00Z")
Why carry a cell phone and a PDA if one device will do both jobs? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/46 "2009-11-10T14:50:23Z")
I use it to make calls. In fact, it probably wouldn’t bother me if the device didn’t even have a viewscreen. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/47 "2009-11-10T14:51:08Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > 8900, but this should work with any of the models with the LED flash on the camera. > > 1. Start the video recorder app. _Don’t_ hit ‘record’. > 2. Hit the space bar to turn on the flash. Voila: flashlight. Thanks. I’ve used it that way. Though it would be nice to have something more direct. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/48 "2009-11-10T14:53:16Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > This, so much. And it’s utter horseshit that they “can’t find something that’s just a phone.” Plenty of free phones lack most features. And while there many not be many phones that have zero features at all, it’s not like it kills you to have a camera that you never use. **Lynn Bodoni** already noted the problem with cameras and recording devices being verboten in some offices for security reasons. I don’t know if anybody makes a phone with some of the other useful things one might want (e.g. GPS, ebook reader) and omits those. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/49 "2009-11-10T15:14:21Z")
It’s not at all hard to find basic phones without any advanced features. Finding phones with some advanced features but not a camera is harder but not impossible. For example older Blackberry phones like the 8800 have GPS but no phone. In general phones are available in an astonishingly wide array of features,form factors, operating systems and so on. There is no probably no other consumer product with this kind of diversity. The problem, if it exists at all, is more at the carrier end. And even there I think it’s generally possible to buy an unlocked phone without a subsidy and use it with a carrier. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/50 "2009-11-10T17:44:14Z")
I have a pay-as-you-go extremely basic _mobile_ just in case the car breaks down far from home and I have to call the AA for a tow. Since my only regular long drives are back to the folks for Christmas and the odd family occasion (weddings, funerals…) and I drive a Mercedes. I guess my entry ought to be that I have a cell/mobile phone but I only use its paperweight function. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/51 "2009-11-10T17:55:14Z")
I’ve had my ten dollar GoPhone for almost two years now. I dropped it last month and it quit working for a few hours, then went right back to perfect. I buy a 15 dollar card every month and I’m good for emergencies. That and using it to keep up with my daughter when we go shopping is the only use I have for them. I hate texting so much I finally told my daughter not to send me anymore. I guess I’m getting old. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/52 "2009-11-10T18:02:40Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Why carry a cell phone and a PDA if one device will do both jobs? 😕 There can be weird situations. My employer (the federal government) will not let me sync my email to a private handheld device. It supplies me with a Blackberry for that purpose, but for cost reasons, that Blackberry is data-only, with no phone plan. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/53 "2009-11-10T18:06:44Z")
I have two cell phones and I couldn’t tell you the number of either. One lives in the glove box and another in my saddlebags in case the car or bike breaks down. I travel a lot of rural roads and at odd hours; in the case of an emergency or problem they are how I get help. Basically they replaced the old FM I used to carry. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/54 "2009-11-10T18:18:14Z")
This seems like a good thread to ask this: For those who do a LOT of websurfing on the phones, how much does it cost a month? I’m interested in getting an iPhone, but I suspect that the data plans would set me back about $1200 or more a year and I can’t justify that. FYI I live in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/55 "2009-11-11T04:26:40Z")
I have a prepaid phone just for emergencies. An iPhone or something like that would be cool and I could afford it, but I really don’t need one and for me it would just be an expensive toy, so I just can’t bring myself to get one. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/56 "2009-11-12T18:46:37Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > It’s not at all hard to find basic phones without any advanced features. Finding phones with some advanced features but not a camera is harder but not impossible. For example older Blackberry phones like the 8800 have GPS but no phone. In general phones are available in an astonishingly wide array of features,form factors, operating systems and so on. There is no probably no other consumer product with this kind of diversity. The problem, if it exists at all, is more at the carrier end. And even there I think it’s generally possible to buy an unlocked phone without a subsidy and use it with a carrier. I’ve found that if I go to the phone store, they’ll have the fancy phones, but if I want a basic phone without all the bells’n’whistles, I’ll have to order it and wait. In fact, that’s how I got my last phone…I browsed in a couple of phone stores, didn’t see one that I liked, couldn’t get the rep to order one, and the rep kept trying to sell me a plan that I didn’t want or need, so I walked out and ordered online. And yes, I complained about the reps online, too. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/57 "2009-11-12T18:48:39Z")
Oh, and yes, I did need a plan with one particular company, as my husband and daughter have an all-you-can-yak plan with this company. Since my daughter doesn’t have a landline, only a cell, I wanted her to be able to call her mother without spending her minutes. I still have minutes left over, most months. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/58 "2009-11-12T21:13:46Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > This seems like a good thread to ask this: > > For those who do a LOT of websurfing on the phones, how much does it cost a month? > > I’m interested in getting an iPhone, but I suspect that the data plans would set me back about $1200 or more a year and I can’t justify that. > > FYI I live in Canada. US$30 a month on Verizon, over and above my $40/month voice plan. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/59 "2009-11-13T14:32:45Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > I voted with the “I make/receive calls” crowd, but I will admit to texting a few times per week. Same here. Plus the occasional photo. And I do have one game (Tetris) that I play occasionally. So on a “nut case” scale where 1 = “what’s a phone”, 3 = “calls only”, 8 = fond iPhone user and 10 = “clip my toenails and walk the dog”, I guess I’d be a 4 or 5. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922/60 "2009-11-13T14:42:17Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Same here. Plus the occasional photo. And I do have one game (Tetris) that I play occasionally. > > So on a “nut case” scale where 1 = “what’s a phone”, 3 = “calls only”, 8 = fond iPhone user and 10 = “clip my toenails and walk the dog”, I guess I’d be a 4 or 5. Oh, I should add: part of the reason I am happy with such a low-end phone (and mine’s a nice enough one - the original LG ENv with the full keyboard) is that I do carry a separate PDA, and I have a separate music player (iPod). Each of these devices does a very very good job of its intended purposes, arguably better than a consolidated device. When the PDA finally dies I’ll probably have to switch over to an iPhone or similar (and even then I’ll lose one major function, Quicken that talks to my desktop). But I guess I’ll be around 8 on the scale then. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-cell-phone-nut-case/516922.md?page=4)