Do any HNers reject smartphones? | Hacker News Reader

Do any HNers reject smartphones?

8 pointsmuxxa16 comments

I'm currently the happy owner of a Nokia 5130 (2008). The phone is virtually indestructible, fulfils my needs and battery can last for days on end.

I briefly owned an Android phone (1 month), but found myself on twitter etc. constantly, and find myself much happier without it. I also got my hands on an early OpenMoko but didn't get around to hacking it.

I've attended mobile conferences, and fully understand that a 'smart' phone is going to be the primary way that the majority of the worlds population will experience the internet. I design my webapps 'mobile first' (borrowing phones for testing), and yet I've no desire to carry one around in my pocket.

Another offputting factor with purchasing a smartphone is that there is so much innovation that it's always easier to defer the decision (previously it was the prospect of the Nexus4.. now it's the promise of a Ubuntu smartphone).

Anyone else in the same boat? Am I a luddite?

I carried around a Nexus 7 for a couple of weeks, then returned it for a refund. I've never owned a smartphone.

Compared to my Mac, I found it harder to do productive work on the Nexus 7 and easier to slip into time-wasting and even "addictive" behavior. By "addictive" behavior, I mean behavior that has a sense of desperation or out-of-control impulsiveness to it. When my life is going very badly, I get "addictive" about online chess playing and Netflix viewing, and that was harder to avoid on the Nexus 7 than it is on my Mac.

I never liked smartphones, exception maybe to Sybian.

I really hate a phone that makes harder to dial (I want a phone damnit! not a PDA that can dial when the dialer app don't crash).

Also I hate touch screens, specially when I have to do typing on them, or to play games.

That said, I work with smartphone games for almost 6 years already, and I own a Xperia Play for almost a year... Granted, the Xperia Play has a gamepad, and I play mostly gamepad games with few exceptions. But I only own it because I needed to finally own a smartphone to continue working, because I was unemployed (yes, for about 4 years I worked with smartphone games and apps without owning one and actually hating them).

As a game device and PDA, I like Xperia Play, as phone... no (because it is actually quite hard to make it work properly as a phone).

Had iPhones for years. Started working from home (solo) and found it ridiculous to spend ~$100 a month for basically a few hours of talk time and ~250Mb of bandwidth (I was always on wifi).

Added up the lifetime cost of the phone (based upon a two year contract) and ditched it. I bought a 3G iPad Mini (which has no contracts) and Skype. I simply toss it in the bag when I am away for long durations. If there isn't wifi, I buy one month of cell service ad-hoc ($30). Nearly everyone I text has an iOS device, so I can use iMessage or FaceTime. If not, I can call them up via Skype.

I actually enjoy being disconnected when I am out of the house around town.

I've never had a smartphone, and do not look forward to the day when the good old fashioned flip-phone is obsolete.

Several comments have already stated my reasons for not having a smartphone: battery life (3-4 days, easy), relative ruggedness, form factor, time management, and the fact the thing works--it does one thing, and does it well when I need it to.

One other reason is privacy. While my flip-phone can still be tracked by the phone company (GPS disabled, but tower pings), I don't have various companies tracking me through their apps. And, unlike a certain popular smartphone brand, I can remove my battery.

No, you're not a luddite.

I'm kind of in the same boat... I really dislike using any kind of touch-based smartphone as my primary phone, so I still have my Nokia N86 (2009) with mostly the same virtues as the 5130 but more moving parts so it will someday break.

I really like having tactile feedback and being able to use the phone with one hand - plus my phone is a flip phone and has the last calls in memory, so with a flick and one button press I can call the last person called, usually without seeing.

The lack of tactile feedback on touchscreens is something I hate, I WANT my phones to have at least a few buttons.

That's something Nokia does right, for example I love the camera buttons on my Nokia and the current Lumia series.

I also strongly dislike the current battery life of most smartphones, that's something else that weighs heavily against them.

What I do have is an Android phone as sort of a "mini-tablet", with 3G connectivity, but not phone use (though I can call in an emergency), which I do carry around mostly for the Maps function and Internet use.

I would say you're mostly alone. But I wish I were with you. I typically just waste time on my phone. GPS is what I consider the deal breaker to be on 'dumbphones' for me. Google navigation probably won't come in a device I would feel good about purchasing and just leaving in my car.

Yes, the lack of a map has bitten me a few times.. especially getting to an event where I've been lazy about properly noting the exact directions.

I did for some time, and still don't use the "smart" capabilities of my phone very much. I got a smartphone when I changed carriers to Sprint and found that, with a data-enabled plan for my wife, it made no sense to stick with a regular phone since I was paying for data anyway.

My argument against having one in the past was that, for large portions of my day (at work or home), I was never more than about 10 feet from an internet connected computer, and didn't need an extra device for the unconnected parts of my day. I still don't see my phone as a primary computing platform, and likely never will - it is, at best, a convenience that replaces the pad of paper I used to carry around to make notes/observations.

One other comment.

If anyone watches the tv show NCIS, you'll notice that while others use smartphones, Gibbs uses what looks to be a ruggedized no-name flip-phone. Maybe a Motorola government model.

While the character is portrayed as a luddite, it's more likely the character persona sticks with the things which he knows works.

I use an LG flip phone (generic $20 model) running Java. No touchscreen to smudge. Has survived being dropped in different bodies of water. My 4 year old has not managed to destroy it. It does not feature a case. Oh, and it holds it charge for about 5 days.

I'm in a similar boat. I got the cheapest GSM android phone I could find. I have data switched off and don't download any apps.

I do enjoy using it as an mp3/podcast player for runs and train rides. Also, I switch on the data whenever I'm lost and need the GPS.

Yes, I avoid them because I am afraid I will kill myself by walking off a cliff or getting in a car accident while trying to look at an email, text, or cat looking cute while doing something stupid...

I'm only my first SP - iPhone 4 - and the only reason I keep it is so I can stream music from SiriusXM. If a lesser device would do this, then I would dump it in a second.

Yep. I have a 'smartphone/player' which sites at home, only used for testing.

I use an LG 'dumbphone' daily, with physical buttons and no internet.

It makes sense to avoid smart phones if you feel they're hogging up your time.

You're not alone.

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