| I've gone back and forth between smartphones and dumbphones a few times now. Each model and OS have a big impact on how dumb or smart a phone can be. Smartphone Pluses: It's nice to have a camera and a flashlight in my pocket all the time. Having the internet nearby is also nice for when I need to look things up. GPS is really nice. Smartphone Minuses: It's distracting, but you can and should customize your app preferences, notifications, etc. to your liking. The battery sucks. Dumbphone Pluses: Not very distracting. Forces you to be thoughtful in text messages, as they are laborious to write on a numpad. Good battery life and they are mostly replaceable. Though you should buy a few replacements and store them in your fridge as battery models are dropped from manufacture. Dumphone Minuses: Generally, not a good camera or screen to read/view from. Same with flashlight, but you can get a small one for your keychain anyways. Lack of apps and internet. Sometimes you really do want to have a stargazing app or know that one recipe. You can call 411 and ask them those questions as well, but it does cost money. No GPS. No real social media support, though you can send out updates to most social media sites, but getting back info is done through text message and that can be a hassle. Overall, you can do work-arounds, but they take time, knowhow, money, and are overall less optimal. Overall, I have a pretty locked down smartphone right now and it works ok. I'd like to have a better battery though. I don't think I'll be going back to a dumbphone as the 'social inertia' of smartphone usage is pretty high. |