Cell Phone or Smart Phone

I'm just curious because I'm beginning to feel like a cell phone dinosaur. I actually have a nice cell phone, but it's your standard cell phone with internet capabilities and all that jazz. However, everyone is so consumed with smartphones these days, Blackberrys and iPhones and the like that it feels like the phone part is almost secondary. So -- where do you stand in the technology war. Do you have a cell phone or a smartphone?

YOU feel like a dinosaur? i wish i could be. if it weren't for the AMPS-shutdown in 2008, i'd still have an ancient analog car phone for a cellular phone. those things lived forever, were built more rugged than the weatherproof Nextel, and got signal just about anywhere. and none of those features i can't get to work right.

The oldest i could go back to (without going to CDMA like Verizon and lord knows i've been through number porting hell once and i'm not going back!) was a Nokia 3595 GSM 1st gen phone. it's so old that AT&T wouldn't activate it with the new SIM cards they issue without jumping through hoops (and giving them my IT credentials so i'm not treated as a hacker or average user) but it works and has the same basic functions as a later model 5100-series so it works. and it gets better signal than others today.

It can still download JAVA apps and use the web browser which saves me a 2-mile trip to a hotspot to do the same so for a model over 10-years old it was far ahead of its time and still acts like a 5100-series with some extra menus. the newer phones require Edge to go online and we don't have Edge yet. just GPRS. and that wreaks havoc with new phones.

Heck i just got and old Nokia 5185i working on Page Plus Cellular. bye bye all those crappy new china-made color screened felgercarb!

Ah, how i missed my old Nokia 5100-series phones.

The problem is that carriers want everyone to have a newer model. for my needs all i want is a phone. what i want to use. not what they think i should use. Cingular/AT&T ditched TDMA cellies years ago and if it weren't for Page Plus i wouldn't be able to use my 5185i because it's not 'e911 compatible' but apparantly some MVNOs have no requirement there. thank goodness. i'm an old fashioned guy. cell phones, like computers, are tools. if it does what i want and does it well, until i actually want the extras i want to use what I WANT. not what they want.

It is natural for phone makers and carriers to encourage consumers to get the latest phone. But it really depends on your needs and requirements. If you just need a phone to just call and message people, it really isn't necessary to get a smart phone. If your work requires you to be contactable on the go, and you need to check your email or news frequently, then a smart phone would be perfect for you. With the many functions of smart phones, especially the ability to connect to the net and download stuff comes with extra charges.

There's a difference in 'encouraging people to upgrade' and 'requiring people to upgrade'

I don't like it when what i have works so well and then they just up and disable it from using their network. a little hacking and finding a third-party prepaid is the only way to overcome it.

I like what i use and i don't understand why people force me to upgrade to something i clearly don't need. I don't believe in 'product lifecycles' and just because my technology is obsolete doesn't meant it's useless.

Originally Posted by DTVuser2009

There's a difference in 'encouraging people to upgrade' and 'requiring people to upgrade'

I don't like it when what i have works so well and then they just up and disable it from using their network. a little hacking and finding a third-party prepaid is the only way to overcome it.

I like what i use and i don't understand why people force me to upgrade to something i clearly don't need. I don't believe in 'product lifecycles' and just because my technology is obsolete doesn't meant it's useless.

Just like the digital transition, I believe the same can be applied to the transition to digital networks for cell carriers. More efficient, less energy used, and better quality. How can anyone not be a proponent of that?

Because unlike the digital phone transition, i can still use my old TV; i only needed a tiny set-top box. nothing big about that.

You tell me which is better? my 'obsolete' nokia is tough, is heavy and built so well it's been dropped, ran over, in water, and still works, and it gets a far better signal than a new phone. the ringtones are loud and easily heard (no music and just loud, high pitched rings) and the menu is more user-friendly and in large easy-to-read mono letters. it still supports two way texting which i don't get into often and caller id and voicemail. as i can see it, that's all a PHONE should be.

I'm perfectly happy with it. i see no reason for someone else to force some new tech i don't need down my throat.

I got my old phone working so that's beside the point.

But unlike the clearly misunderstood (at the beginning) Digital TV Transition, i can still keep my old VCR and TV. i can easily hide the set-top box inside a cabinet (like my home-built retro '60s multiplex replica) and it's as if it never happened. so that's really no comparison, as cell phone carriers disabled support for a vast majority of legacy equipment. no converter to make them useable.

Besides, efficiency and 'green' means absolutely nothing when we are phased into throwing out otherwise useable tech in the garbage just because it's a few years old. now that's not any better for the environment to keep filling up landfills with garbage is it?

I was raised in a mentality to NEVER throw something away unless it's irreparably broken. never upgrade until the need arises.

with the way people have fast forwarded into a throw-away society, the second of the three r's of Recycling is forgotten. Reduce, REUSE Recycle!

Originally Posted by DTVuser2009

Because unlike the digital phone transition, i can still use my old TV; i only needed a tiny set-top box. nothing big about that.

You tell me which is better? my 'obsolete' nokia is tough, is heavy and built so well it's been dropped, ran over, in water, and still works, and it gets a far better signal than a new phone. the ringtones are loud and easily heard (no music and just loud, high pitched rings) and the menu is more user-friendly and in large easy-to-read mono letters. it still supports two way texting which i don't get into often and caller id and voicemail. as i can see it, that's all a PHONE should be.

I'm perfectly happy with it. i see no reason for someone else to force some new tech i don't need down my throat.

I got my old phone working so that's beside the point.

But unlike the clearly misunderstood (at the beginning) Digital TV Transition, i can still keep my old VCR and TV. i can easily hide the set-top box inside a cabinet (like my home-built retro '60s multiplex replica) and it's as if it never happened. so that's really no comparison, as cell phone carriers disabled support for a vast majority of legacy equipment. no converter to make them useable.

Yes but purchasing a converter box for your old TV costs about as much as buying a new phone.

Your argument could be applied to the digital transition again in regard to reception. There are many that have argued that reception was better with analog television, yet many others have received better reception with digital. Just because you received (or perceived receiving) analog better on your cell phone doesn't mean that all analog cellular transmissions were received better than digital.

it's not just about reception. they added built in GPS tracking (which, even though the idea is supposed to track only when you dial 911, it is always transmitting one's location every few minutes---privacy lost there) and not to mention most new 'cheap' phones are throwaway technology. the phone is more likely to fall apart before the battery reaches its end of life.

That's more tech tossed out. the phrase 'they don't make em like they used to' is true. i'm a mechanic. you know how many new phones, even expensive ones )such as the RAZR and Samsung SYNC) i went through? a ton. a lot of money lost, a lot of useless throwaways. and more garbage.

There's a reason that most of my tech is old and beyond obsolete. my computer? Compaq Presario 600MHz AMD and 128MB RAM and it was made useable with Linux. my TV? don't even try to start. my clocks? all from the 1970s or earlier.

my car? 25 years old and running. the only major repair? a driveshaft. that's it. on new cars repairs are beyond expensive, insurance is higher, and things are complicated and fall apart more often. i'm old fashioned because old stuff lasted longer and was easier to repair.

I could never fully adapt to a 21st century lifestyle. i may have a few new things, very few, but the few new things i have i either hardly use or make sure they're something which i know can/will last. and i keep the receipts. i don't toss something out because it's old. that's a bad society to adapt to.

As an American, NO ONE tells me what i should own. it's MY Life. if i want a PHONE, i will get that. a PHONE. not an MP3 player, or music tone capable color screen PDA wannabe. they don't make simple, old monochrome cell phones.

There's another benefit to having older tech. sometimes people don't toss it and sell it or donate them to thrift stores. where do you suppose my fancy Samsung HD tuner came from? $5 at St. Vincent De Paul. my TV? $10 Good will.

Old tech is cheap to buy and easy to find parts for and cheaper to replace

Orrymain wrote: ..."So -- where do you stand in the technology war." ...

Julie and I have cheap AT&T pay-as-you-Go-Phones, and regarding technology, the photos attached pretty well answer that question.
Jim

LOL I love it! My question is -- is that for show or does that antique work? :}

Originally Posted by Orrymain

LOL I love it! My question is -- is that for show or does that antique work? :}

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Orrymain,
It's a Stromburg-Carlson and in 'stock' form, it wasn't compatible with Ma Bell's system (impedence mis-match) so I took the handset and network from an AT&T model 500 (plain-jane) rotary dial desktop phone, installed them and bingo, it works perfectly! It's quite a conversation piece ... (pun intended!)
Jim

Those Stromburg Carlsons are nice. I have a very good condition Black Western Electric Model 500 with a metal rotary dial....the bell sounds fantastic.

The previous model the 302 (I believe) was very nice as well, it's the classic Lucy phone.

I was going for more of a 50s-60s-70s look than a 30s and 40s.

The model 500

Oldphones.com

Originally Posted by EscapeVelocity

Those Stromburg Carlsons are nice. I have a very good condition Black Western Electric Model 500 with a metal rotary dial....the bell sounds fantastic.

The previous model the 302 (I believe) was very nice as well, it's the classic Lucy phone.

I was going for more of a 50s-60s-70s look than a 30s and 40s.

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EV,
Yes, my SC wall phone is pretty special: it can be mounted as seen in the photos or side-mounted on the leg of a desk or on the end (side) of a workbench because the dial assembly can be rotated 90 degrees.

Regarding your Model 500, you can speed up the dial return rate by removing the spring on the governor and re-bending it so it is tighter. In fact, I have a couple spares already bent (somewhere) and I'll send you one. Remind me. You can cut the return rate by about 60% and Ma Bell's equipment won't have any problems reading the faster pulses. Any faster, and the contact point in the phone bounces and the pulses become irregular.

I won many 45 rpm and LP records from radio stations with my 'speed dial' in the 60s and 70s. Touch-Tone (ESS-5) didn't come to my exchange until the mid-70s and I was stuck on Panel-Pulse.

Thanks for the very interesting link! I looked under rarities and the first item listed is a pink Model 500 for sale for $160. I happen to have my sister's identical phone! I have a large carton full of new parts for old phones. When I was a teenager a friend and I used to go 'dumpster-diving' at various Bell locations, primarily to find free wire for longwire Ham and Shortwave antennas. He found a ten-button touch-tone phone on one occassion. That has to be a rarity too.
Jim

Originally Posted by O-O

Yes but purchasing a converter box for your old TV costs about as much as buying a new phone.

With a two year contract. Besides those that demand the lastest, the cellular companies want us on contract, not month to month.

Like my neighbor showed me her new free phone. I said free with a two year contract.

But maybe two year contracts aren't as bad as they were for cell phones. After all, with what other company will you go for service? ATT, Verizon, Sprint, and that's about it in most of the country now.

But I too have thought the same thing. I had a Nokia 5100 from 1999 to 2006, and still on the original battery! I traded it in when Cingular bought the old ATT, and they canned TDMA. I bought a Motorola E815 because it seemed simple. It has been a good rugged phone. But now I can't find batteries for it very easy.

I wish the E815 had java, but alas it doesn't. But still I can access web sites I really find useful, such as weather and news. The screen is too small to do much. It won't load large images, but then again the plan I have allows me on the web for $5.99 a month, using my minutes which are unlimited at night and weekends.

The battery is now 3 years old and I need to find a new one I guess before it's impossible. That is the other problem. At one point everyone carried a Nokia 51xx series, and accessories were everywhere for years. Now there are at least 50 or more phones new introduced a year. There is no way to keep accessories on the market more than a couple years. So the phone will still work, but you can't get a new antenna, battery etc. I may have to upgrade though I am sure this phone will work for another 3 years.

Beware the Ides of March...

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Piggie wrote: ... "But now I can't find batteries for it very easy." ...
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Piggie,
I have a nice 1960s VOM from Lafayette Radio and it uses a very peculiar battery for the resistance/ohm function. I looked everywhere and asked everyone I know if they had any idea where to find a replacement battery. One suggestion was to try Tandy/Radio Shack. I first thought "fat chance". Bingo! I was astonished at the variety of batteries and battery packs they can order from their hive. I hope this helps,
Jim