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Smartphones for someone who doesn't like smartphones
jothki
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm currently using a flip phone, and I love it. I can call people, and have them call me. I can receive text messages, and send them with enough difficulty that I don't feel obligated to put much effort into them. I can set alarms and appointments. I can leave it sitting around for weeks without needing to charge it. I can hold it out in front of me and drop it onto a hard surface, simply to prove the point that I can.
However, the one thing that I can't do is easily sync those appointments somewhere where they will be safe if the phone is lost. I'm considering being given a smartphone as a gift for the sole purpose of being able to do this. Beyond that, I have very little interest in anything else a smartphone would have to offer. Possible exceptions include maps if one ever becomes relevant, and maybe checking email. I have no interest in media functionality, and I have a better portable device for gaming.
What sorts of things should I be looking for here? I'd basically like the phone to resemble a slightly smarter flip phone as much as possible. A tiny profile is good, and durability is good. Is there anything like that that's generally available? Do I even need a smart phone to get what I want, or are there non-smart phones that can sync with online calendars?
However, the one thing that I can't do is easily sync those appointments somewhere where they will be safe if the phone is lost. I'm considering being given a smartphone as a gift for the sole purpose of being able to do this. Beyond that, I have very little interest in anything else a smartphone would have to offer. Possible exceptions include maps if one ever becomes relevant, and maybe checking email. I have no interest in media functionality, and I have a better portable device for gaming.
What sorts of things should I be looking for here? I'd basically like the phone to resemble a slightly smarter flip phone as much as possible. A tiny profile is good, and durability is good. Is there anything like that that's generally available? Do I even need a smart phone to get what I want, or are there non-smart phones that can sync with online calendars?
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I don't think you want an iphone, that seems to be too far into the smart phone arena, but there are some pretty decent smaller android phones that would probably be good phones for you.
The galaxy s5 mini might be right up your alley, but really, any of the android phones would work. The mini is about $250.
you could look at blackberries, maybe? When you say you want it to 'resemble a flip phone,' it's not really clear what you mean
ed: evidently android does still make a couple flip phones essentially to cater to the notalgia market, so maybe one of those?
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
http://mobile.pcmag.com/reviews/52316-kyocera-duraforce-at-and-t?origref
This is a tank of a phone and all the bells and whistles of a not bleeding edge smartphone. AT&T as well.
I think the best bet jothki is to head to the AT&T store and just browse their smartphone selection and find one that you like. There are definitely touch screen android phones that fit the flip phone form factor.
Put your calendar in Google, Outlook, iCal or any number of other calendaring services and your appointment data should be retrievable from another device.
You will not find a smart phone that doesn't require the touch screen for core functionality.
http://www.vertu.com/us/en/home
but they are ridiculous horseshit affordable only to pop stars
get on the touchscreen train, pops
I wouldn't need a data plan at all, since syncing would work fine with my home wireless. The form factor is less of an issue if I just throw it in a backpack, and the batteries will last longer if I disable cellular communication and keep it turned off 99% of the time.
Since I don't care at all about power, I could probably grab an older model for really cheap, too.
Edit: ...and that would just be a PDA. Any suggestions there?
I'll throw my hat in and say maybe just take the plunge, you may end up enjoying it. Before I picked up the iphone 4, I used a razr v3 for like 6 years. And now, I can't go back.
That said, I am a smartphone convert. You may find that you really like them. The ability to ask google "where the hell am I?" if you're in an unfamiliar town is pretty great.
I use a 2nd generation iPod touch as an alarm clock and appointments reminder; it sits in airplane mode almost all the time and only needs to be charged about once a month. While charging it, I turn on wireless so it can sync any changes to my calendar. (I don't make a lot of changes to my regular appointments)
It is really astonishing how long it will last if you're not turning the screen on often and not running the wifi radios.
Holy crap, I forgot PDAs were a thing...
Writer for Pushstart Magazine.
Can i ask why battery life is so important to you? Just because? Because while i would love for my phone to have a long battery life, I'd rather it use that electricity on more features throughout the day, because i can charge it every night anyway. Unless you're looking for something to go hiking with, I'm not sure you need to make battery life such a high priority.
Otherwise you're talking about a good old gps.
You need cell phone service activated to use GPS for a two reasons :
- cell based internet downloads portion of the maps for speed and memory reasons
- cell and GPS radios both use the same chip, switching to airplane mode disables both of them
I see you're being tempted already by all these awesome features, and it only gets worse.
Try this and see if it works:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/copilot-gps-car-navigation/id504677517?mt=8
Just be warned though, this is really subprime compared to something like google maps w/ cell phone instead.
last time I used it there was a cool feature that would beep at you when you went over the speed limit. except you could set a buffer, so it'd only beep if you went more than 10 over our whatever. I liked that.
A sizable chunk of my job is selling smartphones to old people who have never used one, or are using a super outdated one only grudgingly. feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. you can't really go wrong with any modern Android or iPhone as long as you stay out of the super budget <$200 range.
Hmm, I currently have cellular data turned off in the settings, for obvious reasons. I'll try turning that on and seeing if the maps application works better.
If you're in a city large enough to have a TripAdvisor map, the TripAdvisor application will download maps and work with zero cellular or wifi connectivity. I used it to get around Beijing and Shanghai with a cheap Walmart android tablet. That's dependent on the GPS hardware working, of course, so your experience may be very different based on your particular bit of hardware.
I tried out that Copilot application, which did let me permanently download a map of the entire US. That should serve my needs if I can't get anything on the default program where I'm located.
This won't do turn by turn navigation though.
Quoting scrubs: Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrooong.
Google does, in fact, have functionality for downloading offline maps, going into airplane mode, activating only gps, and getting turn by turn navigation.