# Things having a smart phone has greatly improved **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 7, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757 "2014-02-07T15:13:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/41 "2014-02-10T21:17:22Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Do you not read on the crapper either? Of course not. Not worth the effort to read a paragraph or two. And even if there was more time available, good grief. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2014, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/42 "2014-02-11T05:57:03Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > Taking shits. Do you wash your phone after using it in the john? If not, ew. > [@](#): > > Driving long straight aways where you only need to look at the road periodically. Pre-apply for your Darwin Award right now. > [@](#): > > Walking in crowds. Pay attention to people who are REALLY around you, for fuck’s sake! ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/43 "2014-02-11T06:06:32Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > GPS and turn-by-turn directions wherever and whenever with whomever? It’s a whole new world, I don’t even have to give people directions anymore. You have no idea. My secret shame is that I’ve always lacked the minimal sense of direction, and now I feel finally like a normal person. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/44 "2014-02-11T13:46:36Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Do you wash your phone after using it in the john? If not, ew. Never understood that reasoning. Someone once said to me “You take your phone into the bathroom with you? Gross, your going to put it on your face later!” to which I replied “Um, I usually take my face in the bathroom with me as well, should I stop doing that?” Should we also take a shower and wash our clothes immediately afterward? New shoes? Is there a market for disposable jewelery? Nope, try as I might I just can’t get worked up over that. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/45 "2014-02-12T19:35:31Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Of course not. Not worth the effort to read a paragraph or two. > > And even if there was more time available, good grief. If it’s an office toilet, I’m getting paid 40 pence per minute to sit on the pot. May as well eke it out a little, know what I’m saying? ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/46 "2014-02-13T21:45:53Z")
I’ve taken mine auto shopping before. With things like Edmunds to tell you the dealer invoice price of the car, Bankrate to tell you what loan rates you can get, and KBB to tell you what your trade-in is worth, the salesman doesn’t have much to work with. ---
**Author:** ![Happyasaclam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7c8e57/32.png) [@Happyasaclam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happyasaclam)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/47 "2014-02-13T22:23:48Z")
I wish to answer this question one day… Sadly stubbornness and finances prevent Other half from moving into the new old smartphone age. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/48 "2014-02-13T22:24:14Z")
Doing surgery (after the 4th or 5th stitch, its all automatic so you barely have to use both hands anymore) Playing football (much easier when you can get a live bird’s eye view of the entire field streamed to you) Having sex (look up tips and techniques for whatever position you’re currently in) ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/49 "2014-02-13T22:40:32Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Do you wash your phone after using it in the john? If not, ew. Agreed. Can anyone think of another item that is frequently used during defecation that is then pressed against your face? ---
**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:** [February 14, 2014, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/50 "2014-02-14T05:47:19Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Someone once said to me “You take your phone into the bathroom with you? Gross, your going to put it on your face later!” to which I replied “Um, I usually take my face in the bathroom with me as well, should I stop doing that?” Should we also take a shower and wash our clothes immediately afterward? New shoes? Is there a market for disposable jewelery? > > Nope, try as I might I just can’t get worked up over that. Your replies have nothing to do with the point. You don’t (usually) wash your face after using the john, or shower, wash your clothes, or get new shoes or new jewelry. People usually–and food handlers MUST–wash their hands because they can pick up germs. If you touch your phone in the john, your hands have contaminated it. If you then wash your hands, the phone is still dirty, and you can get re-contaminated by touching it, including touching it to your face. And anyone who borrows your phone can get contaminated. And if you borrow someone’s phone, you should wash your hands afterward. It’s not a huge thing, but it is something to consider. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/51 "2014-02-14T07:07:09Z")
Getting back to the general OP… [ol] [li]Reading (recreational). I can put a ton of ebooks on my iPhone and read them wherever, especially in places where there’s no wifi.[/li][li]Notes. Evernote has changed my life. I can type out a quit note on my phone, then later add graphics, edit it, and save it in whatever specialized notebook as necessary[/li][li]Grocery shopping.[/li][li]Listening to either music or podcasts[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/52 "2014-02-14T10:53:01Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Your replies have nothing to do with the point. > > You don’t (usually) wash your face after using the john, or shower, wash your clothes, or get new shoes or new jewelry. > > People usually–and food handlers MUST–wash their hands because they can pick up germs. If you touch your phone in the john, your hands have contaminated it. If you then wash your hands, the phone is still dirty, and you can get re-contaminated by touching it, including touching it to your face. And anyone who borrows your phone can get contaminated. And if you borrow someone’s phone, you should wash your hands afterward. > > It’s not a huge thing, but it is something to consider. I take my phone into the bathroom from time to time, and yes I do clean it afterwards. Outside the bathroom is an alcohol hand-sanitiser dispenser. I spray some on a paper towel and give my phone a good wipe. Double benefit - the alcohol gets rid of all the finger smears on the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/53 "2014-02-14T14:42:27Z")
What germs exactly are the phone picking up by being in the bathroom? Airborne germs? In that case your hole body must be infected every time you step into the bathroom and you should really take a shower and launder your clothes. If I’m like most people I enter the bathroom, undo the trousers, take a seat, slip the phone out of the trousers pocket, do phone stuff, slip phone back into pocket, finish business via hand and TP, go wash hands and exit bathroom. Where did my phone get infected? By being in the same 3 foot radius of a toilet? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/54 "2014-02-14T21:14:15Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Your replies have nothing to do with the point. > > You don’t (usually) wash your face after using the john, or shower, wash your clothes, or get new shoes or new jewelry. > > People usually–and food handlers MUST–wash their hands because they can pick up germs. If you touch your phone in the john, your hands have contaminated it. If you then wash your hands, the phone is still dirty, and you can get re-contaminated by touching it, including touching it to your face. And anyone who borrows your phone can get contaminated. And if you borrow someone’s phone, you should wash your hands afterward. > > It’s not a huge thing, but it is something to consider. The reply was precisely on point. If your phone picks up germs in the bathroom, then so does every other exposed surface. If you are only concerned about hands because they touch your junk, why wash the phone but not anything else you touched (clothes, jewelery, belts, etc)? It’s all just as “contaminated”. Washing your hands after borrowing someone else’s phone? I wouldn’t as a rule, but I can see why you might. Washing the phone after being in the bathroom? Germophobia, IMHO. It also seems that smartphones have given us a new topic to argue about! ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/55 "2014-02-14T23:13:37Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Just how rude people can be when you are socializing. > > Accidentally calling people when you didn’t mean to. You obviously need the “call confirm” App ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757/56 "2014-02-15T04:06:41Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I take my phone into the bathroom from time to time, and yes I do clean it afterwards. Outside the bathroom is an alcohol hand-sanitiser dispenser. I spray some on a paper towel and give my phone a good wipe. Double benefit - the alcohol gets rid of all the finger smears on the screen. Yeah you do… Sure… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-having-a-smart-phone-has-greatly-improved/680757.md?page=2)