The question “Why would I want a smartphone and what could I do with one?” has been asked here several times. Nobody, not once, gave up any suggestions as to the utility of such a device. Being unable to conjure up a use for one, I always refused the offer when Mr L made it.
Well, now I have one I can:
- Figure out when to take the dogs for a walk according to the Tide Tables
- Play games on the boat when I get tired of knitting
- Crush Candy
- Escape from rooms
- Solve puzzles
- Kill pigs
- Blend colours
- Navigate balls around mazes
- Find hidden objects
- Stack blocks
- …
- Read a book on the boat when I get tired of playing games – though my Kindle is now effectively redundant
- Take photographs when I am out and about without a real camera…
- …and edit and play with the images…
- …before uploading them directly to a variety of sites…
- ….and browse those sites to look at the images from other users
- Read the Guardian and The New Scientist at will
- Do a quick calculation
- Count my knitted rows…
- …or work out my tension (gauge)
- Time my baking or set an alarm for any other purpose
- Carry a shopping list that will not blow away in the slightest puff of Orkney wind
- Follow my own tracks with a GPS tracker
- Look up what stars I am seeing
- …and the ones I cannot see on the opposite hemisphere
- Listen to my entire music collection even when away from home…
- …or the radio
- Tell the time when my wristwatch has stopped yet again
- Carry the ferry timetable with me
- Check a map for directions
- Dictate notes
- Check the weather
- Skype
- or ICQ
- or Google Talk
- Keep up with subscriptions at YouTube (KnitPro and Simon’s Cat)
I can do just about anything other than to make a phone call, so long as I am within reach of a free WiFi point – like at home. I could even Tweet or post to Facebook but FB makes my brain bleed.
A Sim card is required and then a payment Plan. Trying to work out the best plan for my needs is proving to be a headache. Really all that I want is what I had before – a Pay as You Go calls-only top-up system. I really don’t want to get used to mobile Internet access. I’m happy to move my little legs as far as the library should I need access when I am in town, or pop into The Reel for a coffee and a connection. I just do not want to go on paying 25p a minute for calls as we are now doing on our Vodafone PAYG.
I really see very little need for Internet access on the go; 99.9% of stuff will wait until I am back at my desk. On the other hand, until this last week I could see no use for a smart device at all. Now I am strangely hooked. So maybe a PAYG scheme that includes some internet access?
Once more, I am in your hands, dear readers. I am sure most of you are far more savvy than I am. Can you advise me? We were looking at giffgaff, which is on O2 and only gives 2G coverage here. Vodafone similarly offer 2G. Orange have 3G up here. I need low cost but reliable calls. I do not text, nor do I want to. I might occasionally want to Google something or look up contact details on a website, that kind of thing. I hope not to get addicted to snapping pics and immediately sharing them. That’s sad.
Help me?
My husband finds Virgin cheap and reliable.
Your kindle isn’t redundant, just waiting for a sunshiny day when you can’t read the screen of your smart phone, or when the battery goes flat after too much GPS-ing. After draining the battery of mine in about 2 hours, I then went to find out how to improve battery life: basically, turn off everything you aren’t using, turn screen brightness down.
No ideas about tariffs – I’ve had a contract phone for years. I hate to think what it has cost me, particularly since I’ve lived in really bad reception areas for the last 5 years.