AARoads Forum

The title says it all... how attached are you to your mobile device such as your smart phone or tablet? Is it to the point that you half-jokingly refer to it as your electronic leash? And, do you even have a landline anymore whether it be plain old telephone service (POTS) or a VoIP adapter? If you've gone mobile only, how long has it been since you made the decision?

And, what apps are you using on your mobile device? Note that for many of this apps, this is in addition to the desktop versions of the application/website, not instead of. Somehow, it's much easier to look at the month-view of a calendar on a larger screen such as your desktop or laptop instead of your smartphone screen.

Since I'm starting this thread... I've been landline-free since 2003. Because of the calling areas at the time and where I was living, it was more cost-effective to use my mobile that landline because my friends were in the "local toll" calling areas that were beyond my local calling area. My first smartphone was a "Droid" phone through Verizon which was a college graduation gift to myself, and also Verizon, at the time, was not carrying the Apple phones. I don't regret the decision in going the Android route.

A quick on my media: Yes, I self-host my stuff on a server at home. I have a extensive physical media collection in CDs, DVDs, BluRays, and 4K. All of this has been converted to digital media files (yes, downmixed to stereo) and stored on a Plex media server at my home so that I can access it where ever I have Internet access. Thank goodness I have a unlimited data plan through my mobile provider.

Anyways, here are my go-to applications:

• Personal organizer (Online calendar, contact list) - My life resolves around my digital organizer.
• Password Manager and Two-factor authentication (2FA) security device - Whenever possible, I have 2FA on all of my accounts whether it be for work or personal use. For some of these accounts, the texting of the code is not available for security reasons.
• Audiobook Player - All of the publishers have eliminated tape/CD options for audiobooks in the past few years, so new releases are now digital-only. I acquired a extensive collection of audiobooks over the years, and am able to stream them through the AudioBookShelf service on my server for playback on the Bluetooth in my car or away from home. My secondary choice is through Overdrive/Libby and Hoopla, both of which are available through my local library for free.
• Music Player - I have a wide variety of soundtracks and classical music which I have transferred from CD, and again play through my car. I don't subscribe to a music service beyond the occassional free trial.
• Navigation aid - Yes, I use Google Maps to provide directions in the DFW Metroplex, plus I have a tracking function to know where my 84 year old mother phone is at when we go out.
• Guide to local restaurants and attractions
• Finance Manager - Keeping track of my accounts
• Camera (both still and video) - The pictures/videos are automatically uploaded to my server.
• Weather applications including local radar
• Streaming Radio Stations - I use an application to stream WRR (local classical music station) at a better quality than over-the-air as well as Classic FM in London. In addition, there is KEC56 which is the local weather station.
• System monitoring for my own server

So, you can say that I'm fairly attached to my electronic leash... because the functionality goes beyond a mobile phone.

Poll answers don't make much sense to me.

I have a mobile phone (2nd gen iPhone SE) and a laptop (2022 MacBook Air). For my needs, I don't really need anything else (not even a desktop or TV). I use my two devices for a lot of things, so I guess I'm pretty attached to them:

- Calendar
- Note-taking for classes and sermons
- Work/school assignments and papers
- Music streaming
- Internet/Social Media
- Gaming
- Camera
- Banking/Taxes
- Navigation

Quote from: ZLoth on October 03, 2025, 02:56:52 PMThe title says it all... how attached are you to your mobile device such as your smart phone or tablet?

If I accidentally dropped it down a storm drain I wouldn't try all that hard to get it out.

If a pack of rabid grizzlies took my phone I might fight one or two in hand to hand combat.  Fighting three or four is probably taking things a little inordinately far.

I would probably also give my phone for a Klondike bar.

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 03, 2025, 03:14:43 PMIf I accidentally dropped it down a storm drain I wouldn't try all that hard to get it out.

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 03, 2025, 03:16:47 PMIf a pack of rabid grizzlies took my phone I might fight one or two in hand to hand combat.  Fighting three or four is probably taking things a little inordinately far.

Fortunately, everything is backed up on my phone, so if the phone was lost in the drain, it's time for a new one. I would just issue a remote wipe on the phone.

And, if grizzlies wanted my phone, it's probably because of either the Bear In The Back Seat, Bear Bloopers, or That Bear Ate My Pants audiobooks.

My phone is essential for my hotspot, as my laptop doesn't generate its own WiFi and I work from "home" while away from home quite often. However, with regard to apps and storage, pretty much everything is on my laptop.

I am not physically attached to my phone. I can let go of it at any time.

I am attached.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 03, 2025, 03:31:25 PM

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 03, 2025, 03:14:43 PMIf I accidentally dropped it down a storm drain I wouldn't try all that hard to get it out.

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 03, 2025, 03:16:47 PMIf a pack of rabid grizzlies took my phone I might fight one or two in hand to hand combat.  Fighting three or four is probably taking things a little inordinately far.

Fortunately, everything is backed up on my phone, so if the phone was lost in the drain, it's time for a new one. I would just issue a remote wipe on the phone.

And, if grizzlies wanted my phone, it's probably because of either the Bear In The Back Seat, Bear Bloopers, or That Bear Ate My Pants audiobooks.

Trouble is that to backup anything requires in be somewhere with cell service.  Generally I'm more careful with my phone if I'm coming back from somewhere remote with a haul of new photos.  More so if it is something exotic like Chowchilla Mountain Road was. 

I have neither a landline phone nor a smartphone.

The last time I had a landline phone was before moving to Wichita to 2008.  And I certainly don't refer to my dumbphone as an electronic leash.

Beyond phone calls, text messages, and the contact list, the stock apps I use are these:
alarm clock
calculator
camera & photo gallery (not very good quality)

Not sure how I should have voted. I still live with my parents and my mom still uses our landline, but I've never used it and have no intention of ever using a landline.

My household had a landline until a couple of years ago. We eventually got nothing but spam calls on it. By that point, everyone in our household had smartphones, so we just got rid of it.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 03, 2025, 03:31:25 PMFortunately, everything is backed up on my phone, so if the phone was lost in the drain, it's time for a new one. I would just issue a remote wipe on the phone.

I wouldn't say it's "backed up" (i.e. I have no comprehensive backup) but anything important on my phone is either a copy of something on my desktop, or it's something I already sent to my desktop. So most of what would be lost are things like photos taken because I'm too lazy to write something down, screenshots of something I sent to a group chat, etc.

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 03, 2025, 09:31:46 PM

Quote from: ZLoth on October 03, 2025, 03:31:25 PMFortunately, everything is backed up on my phone, so if the phone was lost in the drain, it's time for a new one. I would just issue a remote wipe on the phone.

I wouldn't say it's "backed up" (i.e. I have no comprehensive backup) but anything important on my phone is either a copy of something on my desktop, or it's something I already sent to my desktop. So most of what would be lost are things like photos taken because I'm too lazy to write something down, screenshots of something I sent to a group chat, etc.

My photos are backed up in Google photos. Probably the biggest loss for me would be my Google maps timeline and my contacts.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 03, 2025, 02:56:52 PMThe title says it all... how attached are you to your mobile device such as your smart phone or tablet? Is it to the point that you half-jokingly refer to it as your electronic leash? And, do you even have a landline anymore whether it be plain old telephone service (POTS) or a VoIP adapter? If you've gone mobile only, how long has it been since you made the decision?

And, what apps are you using on your mobile device? Note that for many of this apps, this is in addition to the desktop versions of the application/website, not instead of. Somehow, it's much easier to look at the month-view of a calendar on a larger screen such as your desktop or laptop instead of your smartphone screen.

Not at all.  I hate the thing and barely use it.  Most of the time it sits with its batteries dead at home.  The main reason I haven't gotten rid of it is to park the phone number in case I want to upgrade the phone.  But I have felt this way for a couple of years and haven't gotten around to it yet.  And sometimes I need to text my kid that I'm outside the door of their apartment building and they can let me in.

Yes, I have a landline, broadband, and a computer with a big screen and full-sized keyboard and mouse.

Quote from: Rothman on October 03, 2025, 03:01:47 PMPoll answers don't make much sense to me.

I'm 100% human.  I think.

At least 75%.

I still have landline-looking phones on my desks at home, although they're VOIP rather than landline, because I still prefer that form factor.   It's simply more natural to me to pick up a handset or tap the speakerphone button, rather than look around for where I last set my cell phone, and remember what gesture is required to answer or whether the cell phone will need to be put to the side of my head or be on speakerphone in the current implementation of Android.

One of the nice things about using a VOIP service is that I can set the number to ring both my desk phone and my cell phone.

In terms of apps being used on my cell phone, the primary ones I use these days are:

- Microsoft Authenticator, as my employer is doing 2FA to connect to corporate resources through Microsoft's ecosystem, so I have to interact with Authenticator push notifications on my phone more often than I'd like.

- "Sleep as Android", not for sleep tracking, but because it's smart enough to adjust my morning alarm time based on what's on my calendar (my team at work is in the UK and India, so I occasionally have very early morning meetings)

- Tasker and IFTTT (not actively, but a lot of my home/personal automation is driven by Tasker/IFTTT)

- Google Wallet, as I've embraced paying for purchases by tapping with my phone, rather than pulling a card from my wallet

- Google Maps
- Edge
- Kindle

- Outlook, for work email/calendar
- Nine and aCalendar, for personal email/calendar   (I miss the days when my company would let us bring our own email/calendar clients on our cell phones)

- Android's stock camera and photos app

- Amazon Music
- Audible
- Podcast Addict....although I don't use these three apps as much as I used to, since I spend a lot less time in the car these days than pre-pandemic (I used to spend one week each month in Montréal, and one week each month in Memphis)

- Teams, for work calls/messaging when I'm away from my office at home
- Google Messages, for personal messaging

I still remember as a small child I would think that the kewlest thing that I could possibly have was a handheld gizmo ('now called a 'tablet') that would have a weather radar readout.  This was the time of the original Star Trek episode reruns on local TV and the most sophisticated electronic anything in the average house was a vacuum tube powered hand point-to-point wired analog color TV set.  Think a bigger than desk drawer sized rat's nest of components and wiring and about 35 separate tubes.  You constantly wondered how it even worked and it needed a service call at least a couple of times every year.  after about 10-15 minutes of thinking how one would achieve that (under those conditions), I gave up and went on to other hings.  This happened several times.

Now we've got that.

Mike

From 1979:

I think I should clarify that I don't hate the hardware of mobile devices. It's cool having so much technical capacity in such a tiny little package. What I hate is the software. Android sucks and iOS is worse. The user interface design is woefully inconsistent, unpredictable, and limits you from doing things that the developer thinks you ought not to be able to do. Worse, every single app is just a platform for money-grubbing rather than focused on actually providing a useful service to the user. And if a piece of software is more interested in making money than helping me do whatever I need to do, well, I for one just won't play ball.

imagine having a landline at home in the big 25 🥀

Quote from: LilianaUwU on October 04, 2025, 06:30:18 PMimagine having a landline at home in the big 25 🥀

If it's already there I can understand keeping it, but I don't think anyone at my college had one. They will probably be functionally extinct by 2050.

One thing that was kind of nice about a landline is that you didn't have to keep "the phone" on you at all times; when there was a call it'd ring every phone in the house at once, and you'd just grab whichever one you were closest to (or whichever one was closest to where you wanted to be while you talked on the phone).

By the 2000s, we had four phones hooked up to the landline: the main one in the kitchen (a white indestructable wall-mount that was probably made by Western Electric), the cordless one (which had a base unit in my parents' room that you could use the speakerphone on even if the cordless handset was somewhere else), one in my room (which I mostly used to check whether it was okay to use the dialup), and one in the garage.

I've missed calls from my wife because I left my cell in the bedroom to charge and couldn't hear it from my office.

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 04, 2025, 10:11:03 PMOne thing that was kind of nice about a landline is that you didn't have to keep "the phone" on you at all times; when there was a call it'd ring every phone in the house at once, and you'd just grab whichever one you were closest to (or whichever one was closest to where you wanted to be while you talked on the phone).

By the 2000s, we had four phones hooked up to the landline: the main one in the kitchen (a white indestructable wall-mount that was probably made by Western Electric), the cordless one (which had a base unit in my parents' room that you could use the speakerphone on even if the cordless handset was somewhere else), one in my room (which I mostly used to check whether it was okay to use the dialup), and one in the garage.

I've missed calls from my wife because I left my cell in the bedroom to charge and couldn't hear it from my office.

I have my phone charging by me at all times, in the same space that I am using my computer and almost always have it in my pocket when I'm doing something else, so I never miss calls.

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on October 04, 2025, 10:54:11 PM

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 04, 2025, 10:11:03 PMOne thing that was kind of nice about a landline is that you didn't have to keep "the phone" on you at all times; when there was a call it'd ring every phone in the house at once, and you'd just grab whichever one you were closest to (or whichever one was closest to where you wanted to be while you talked on the phone).

By the 2000s, we had four phones hooked up to the landline: the main one in the kitchen (a white indestructable wall-mount that was probably made by Western Electric), the cordless one (which had a base unit in my parents' room that you could use the speakerphone on even if the cordless handset was somewhere else), one in my room (which I mostly used to check whether it was okay to use the dialup), and one in the garage.

I've missed calls from my wife because I left my cell in the bedroom to charge and couldn't hear it from my office.

I have my phone charging by me at all times, in the same space that I am using my computer and almost always have it in my pocket when I'm doing something else, so I never miss calls.

My charger is in the bedroom so it can charge while I'm sleeping. Problem is sometimes I forget to charge it before bed, so I plug it in and go have a day, and sometimes I forget to retrieve it.

I could charge it in my office, but the charger in here is usually occupied by a more important device, like my headphones, drawing tablet, or weed vape.

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 05, 2025, 12:16:43 AM

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on October 04, 2025, 10:54:11 PM

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 04, 2025, 10:11:03 PMOne thing that was kind of nice about a landline is that you didn't have to keep "the phone" on you at all times; when there was a call it'd ring every phone in the house at once, and you'd just grab whichever one you were closest to (or whichever one was closest to where you wanted to be while you talked on the phone).

By the 2000s, we had four phones hooked up to the landline: the main one in the kitchen (a white indestructable wall-mount that was probably made by Western Electric), the cordless one (which had a base unit in my parents' room that you could use the speakerphone on even if the cordless handset was somewhere else), one in my room (which I mostly used to check whether it was okay to use the dialup), and one in the garage.

I've missed calls from my wife because I left my cell in the bedroom to charge and couldn't hear it from my office.

I have my phone charging by me at all times, in the same space that I am using my computer and almost always have it in my pocket when I'm doing something else, so I never miss calls.

My charger is in the bedroom so it can charge while I'm sleeping. Problem is sometimes I forget to charge it before bed, so I plug it in and go have a day, and sometimes I forget to retrieve it.

I could charge it in my office, but the charger in here is usually occupied by a more important device, like my headphones, drawing tablet, or weed vape.

Fair enough. I don't have an office, my desk is in my room so I do everything in the same place.

Quote from: kphoger on October 03, 2025, 03:59:43 PMBeyond phone calls, text messages, and the contact list, the stock apps I use are these:
alarm clock
calculator
camera & photo gallery (not very good quality)

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 04, 2025, 06:22:52 PMevery single app is just a platform for money-grubbing rather than focused on actually providing a useful service to the user

Please explain how the calculator app on my phone is a platform for money-grabbing.

Quote from: kphoger on October 06, 2025, 09:36:07 AMPlease explain how the calculator app on my phone is a platform for money-grabbing.

It reinforces tipping culture.

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 04, 2025, 10:11:03 PMOne thing that was is kind of nice about a landline is that you didn't don't have to keep "the phone" on you at all times; when there was a call it'd ring it rings every phone in the house at once, and you'd just grab whichever one you were are closest to (or whichever one was is closest to where you wanted to be while you talked on the phone).

....

Fixed that. There are several reasons why we maintain our landline (though it's over Verizon fiber optic rather than traditional copper wiring), aside from all of our relatives already having had our phone number. The phones are more comfortable to hold and use than a mobile phone. Ms1995hoo also really dislikes the idea of having to carry her mobile phone on her at all times in case someone decides to call. There's also the convenience of relatives and others not having to call "the correct number" to reach one of us. (Caller ID does mean that I sometimes don't answer if certain of her relatives call—I just yell "it's your brother" or similar.) And we can both join a call without having to use speakerphone or some other "three-way calling" type feature—if the other of us needs to join a call, we just pick up one of the other phones and click the button to "break in."

At one point I did consider the idea of an adapter I saw in a catalog that lets you connect your mobile phone to your conventional household phones (I don't remember whether it worked only with cordless phone sets that use a base station, but I suspect that was the case). But I couldn't find the details on how it would work if you had multiple mobile phones in the house.

Quote from: kphoger on October 06, 2025, 09:36:07 AMPlease explain how the calculator app on my phone is a platform for money-grabbing.

I've never used your phone, so you'll have to mail it to me so I can answer this.

Quote from: 1995hoo on October 06, 2025, 09:58:08 AM

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 04, 2025, 10:11:03 PMOne thing that was is kind of nice about a landline is that you didn't don't have to keep "the phone" on you at all times; when there was a call it'd ring it rings every phone in the house at once, and you'd just grab whichever one you were are closest to (or whichever one was is closest to where you wanted to be while you talked on the phone).

....

Fixed that. There are several reasons why we maintain our landline (though it's over Verizon fiber optic rather than traditional copper wiring), aside from all of our relatives already having had our phone number. The phones are more comfortable to hold and use than a mobile phone. Ms1995hoo also really dislikes the idea of having to carry her mobile phone on her at all times in case someone decides to call. There's also the convenience of relatives and others not having to call "the correct number" to reach one of us. (Caller ID does mean that I sometimes don't answer if certain of her relatives call—I just yell "it's your brother" or similar.) And we can both join a call without having to use speakerphone or some other "three-way calling" type feature—if the other of us needs to join a call, we just pick up one of the other phones and click the button to "break in."

At one point I did consider the idea of an adapter I saw in a catalog that lets you connect your mobile phone to your conventional household phones (I don't remember whether it worked only with cordless phone sets that use a base station, but I suspect that was the case). But I couldn't find the details on how it would work if you had multiple mobile phones in the house.

For me this problem is solved by my relatives never calling me. (Actually, nobody calls me other than my wife right when she gets off work; this means I don't actually answer the phone when it rings at any other time anymore, because what are the odds of the person actually being someone I want to talk to? If they made a cheaper plan where I could still text and use cell data but not the actual phone stuff, I'd probably sign up for that.)

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 06, 2025, 10:01:33 AMIf they made a cheaper plan where I could still text and use cell data but not the actual phone stuff, I'd probably sign up for that.

I'd bet there are a lot of people who'd do the same.  I'm kind of surprised there aren't any such phones on the market.

I don't understand people who want to talk to people via a mobile phone exclusively by text message and refuse to do voice calls.

I get the privacy thing; not many people want to risk others listening in on a voice call. Still, I find the texting thing only convenient if I'm trading a short message or two with someone else. That's fine. But if the short exchange tries turning into a full-blown conversation I'm going to stop responding back. They can call me. I can talk far faster than I can type messages on a phone screen. I usually have other things to do. That work gets disrupted if I have to pick up my phone every 30 seconds to read some person's message. With an actual voice call, I can hold the phone to my ear with my shoulder or put the phone on speaker and still be able to get things done. Frequent texting is just a pain in the ass.

The stuff reminds me of the AOL Instant Messenger app from a long time ago. I think I had that app on my computer for maybe a week before I deleted it. I'd be working and this chat window would jump up on the screen in front of what I was doing. There were settings for minimizing it so it wouldn't constantly jump in the way. Still, the damned app would be pestering the hell out of me. People were going nuts with that app back then.

Quote from: Bobby5280 on October 06, 2025, 12:25:22 PMI don't understand people who want to talk to people via a mobile phone exclusively by text message and refuse to do voice calls.

I get the privacy thing; not many people want to risk others listening in on a voice call. Still, I find the texting thing only convenient if I'm trading a short message or two with someone else. That's fine. But if the short exchange tries turning into a full-blown conversation I'm going to stop responding back. They can call me. I can talk far faster than I can type messages on a phone screen. I usually have other things to do. That work gets disrupted if I have to pick up my phone every 30 seconds to read some person's message. With an actual voice call, I can hold the phone to my ear with my shoulder or put the phone on speaker and still be able to get things done. Frequent texting is just a pain in the ass.

The stuff reminds me of the AOL Instant Messenger app from a long time ago. I think I had that app on my computer for maybe a week before I deleted it. I'd be working and this chat window jump up on the screen in front of what I was doing. There were settings for minimizing it so it wouldn't constantly jump in the way. Still, the damned app would be pestering the hell out of me. People were going nuts with that app back then.

For me, it's about not always having a lot of dedicated time to have a conversation, so I can reply at my convenience. My son is only 3, and does not understand that if I'm on the phone, I can't be playing with/talking to him.

Quote from: Bobby5280 on October 06, 2025, 12:25:22 PMI don't understand people who want to talk to people via a mobile phone exclusively by text message and refuse to do voice calls ... if the short exchange tries turning into a full-blown conversation ...

The thing is, though, that situation only happens to me on rare occasions.  And I'd say at least 70% of them are with my sister, who never answers the phone when I call her anyway.

Quote from: Bobby5280 on October 06, 2025, 12:25:22 PMI don't understand people who want to talk to people via a mobile phone exclusively by text message and refuse to do voice calls.

Sometimes I'm doing something else while having the conversation and don't want to talk. And sometimes I just don't feel like talking out loud.

Quote from: Bobby5280 on October 06, 2025, 12:25:22 PMI don't understand people who want to talk to people via a mobile phone exclusively by text message and refuse to do voice calls.

I like being able to edit a message for clarity (and to not sound like an idiot) before the recipient sees it. I have a lot less control over that on a voice call.

I hardly ever actually text on the phone, though; most of the time I will try and get the person to communicate over an app that has a desktop version, so I can use a real keyboard.

Quote from: Bobby5280 on October 06, 2025, 12:25:22 PMI don't understand people who want to talk to people via a mobile phone exclusively by text message and refuse to do voice calls.

Beats actually having to have an unwanted conversation.

I will say I am far more self-conscious about texts as they can be read going forward forever by the person you text, while if you say something stupid it's often forgotten quickly and there is usually no permanent record of it.

Quote from: kphoger on October 06, 2025, 11:05:24 AM

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 06, 2025, 10:01:33 AMIf they made a cheaper plan where I could still text and use cell data but not the actual phone stuff, I'd probably sign up for that.

I'd bet there are a lot of people who'd do the same.  I'm kind of surprised there aren't any such phones on the market.

I was going to rebut this with a modern PDA I heard about, but apparently this thing can actually make calls, though it looks incredibly silly (https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/gemini-pda).

My phone is just an extension of my hand at this point. I definitely need it for some of my day-to-day tasks, and wouldn't dare try to do something complex like a trip without it.

In the past week, I've used my phone to:
- Navigate around a major transit blockage
- Rent an e-bike
- Check on ferry departures
- Coordinate with friends for meetups
- Ordered food ahead of time because drive-thru lines suck
- Gone to several sporting events that require a phone ticket
- Take a lot of photos

Quote from: Molandfreak on October 07, 2025, 12:01:09 AM

Quote from: kphoger on October 06, 2025, 11:05:24 AM

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 06, 2025, 10:01:33 AMIf they made a cheaper plan where I could still text and use cell data but not the actual phone stuff, I'd probably sign up for that.

I'd bet there are a lot of people who'd do the same.  I'm kind of surprised there aren't any such phones on the market.

I was going to rebut this with a modern PDA I heard about, but apparently this thing can actually make calls, though it looks incredibly silly (https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/gemini-pda).

That thing is basically exactly what I want out of a phone!

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 07, 2025, 02:26:06 AM

Quote from: Molandfreak on October 07, 2025, 12:01:09 AM

Quote from: kphoger on October 06, 2025, 11:05:24 AM

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 06, 2025, 10:01:33 AMIf they made a cheaper plan where I could still text and use cell data but not the actual phone stuff, I'd probably sign up for that.

I'd bet there are a lot of people who'd do the same.  I'm kind of surprised there aren't any such phones on the market.

I was going to rebut this with a modern PDA I heard about, but apparently this thing can actually make calls, though it looks incredibly silly (https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/gemini-pda).

That thing is basically exactly what I want out of a phone!

Looks cool, but not sure how much advantages a phone keyboard would have over typing on the screen because the keyboard won't be big enough for me to type like I do on a computer, so it would sort of defeat the purpose of this new keyboard.

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on October 07, 2025, 02:36:10 AM

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 07, 2025, 02:26:06 AM

Quote from: Molandfreak on October 07, 2025, 12:01:09 AM

Quote from: kphoger on October 06, 2025, 11:05:24 AM

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 06, 2025, 10:01:33 AMIf they made a cheaper plan where I could still text and use cell data but not the actual phone stuff, I'd probably sign up for that.

I'd bet there are a lot of people who'd do the same.  I'm kind of surprised there aren't any such phones on the market.

I was going to rebut this with a modern PDA I heard about, but apparently this thing can actually make calls, though it looks incredibly silly (https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/gemini-pda).

That thing is basically exactly what I want out of a phone!

Looks cool, but not sure how much advantages a phone keyboard would have over typing on the screen because the keyboard won't be big enough for me to type like I do on a computer, so it would sort of defeat the purpose of this new keyboard.

You can actually feel where one button ends and another begins, even on a small keyboard. Having used phones with smaller physical keyboards than that, it makes a huge difference.

Texting? Usually, I reserve that for non-time critical items. If it's important, then it's a voice call. The funny part is that, while voice recognition is a thing for typing on the phone, I never use that. Dunno why.

I do have my phone linked up to my computer so that I can send/receive text messages from my computer. Google Messages also had a web-based version as well.

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on October 07, 2025, 02:36:10 AMLooks cool, but not sure how much advantages a phone keyboard would have over typing on the screen because the keyboard won't be big enough for me to type like I do on a computer, so it would sort of defeat the purpose of this new keyboard.

One of my PDAs had a built-in keyboard.   I was more accurate using it than I am with an on-screen "keyboard".

I HATE tapping messages out on a screen or trying to use voice recognition.  Thankfully, I can send text messages from my computer.

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on October 04, 2025, 10:54:11 PM

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 04, 2025, 10:11:03 PMOne thing that was kind of nice about a landline is that you didn't have to keep "the phone" on you at all times; when there was a call it'd ring every phone in the house at once, and you'd just grab whichever one you were closest to (or whichever one was closest to where you wanted to be while you talked on the phone).

By the 2000s, we had four phones hooked up to the landline: the main one in the kitchen (a white indestructable wall-mount that was probably made by Western Electric), the cordless one (which had a base unit in my parents' room that you could use the speakerphone on even if the cordless handset was somewhere else), one in my room (which I mostly used to check whether it was okay to use the dialup), and one in the garage.

I've missed calls from my wife because I left my cell in the bedroom to charge and couldn't hear it from my office.

I have my phone charging by me at all times, in the same space that I am using my computer and almost always have it in my pocket when I'm doing something else, so I never miss calls.

I have about a dozen cordless phones left on their bases in different rooms in the house, so I always hear it if they ring and can get to them quickly.  Also a vintage electromechanical phone in the bedroom so one will work even if there's a long power failure.

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 06, 2025, 10:23:56 PM

Quote from: Bobby5280 on October 06, 2025, 12:25:22 PMI don't understand people who want to talk to people via a mobile phone exclusively by text message and refuse to do voice calls.

I like being able to edit a message for clarity (and to not sound like an idiot) before the recipient sees it. I have a lot less control over that on a voice call.

I hardly ever actually text on the phone, though; most of the time I will try and get the person to communicate over an app that has a desktop version, so I can use a real keyboard.

Windows 11 has some sort of feature that lets you have your text messages and other mobile phone notifications appear on your PC, and you can then respond to the messages from the PC using the full-sized keyboard. Funny thing is, even though I have it enabled I hardly ever use it, I think because I'm just not used to it yet.

Quote from: kkt on October 07, 2025, 07:37:42 AMI have about a dozen cordless phones left on their bases in different rooms in the house, so I always hear it if they ring and can get to them quickly.  Also a vintage electromechanical phone in the bedroom so one will work even if there's a long power failure.

I have the cordless phone base station plugged into a battery backup power supply in case of a power outage for similar reasons.

Quote from: Molandfreak on October 07, 2025, 12:01:09 AMI was going to rebut this with a modern PDA I heard about, but apparently this thing can actually make calls, though it looks incredibly silly (https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/gemini-pda).

How does that thing display any kind of affection, public or not?   :-/

Quote from: GaryV on October 07, 2025, 07:51:55 AM

Quote from: Molandfreak on October 07, 2025, 12:01:09 AMI was going to rebut this with a modern PDA I heard about, but apparently this thing can actually make calls, though it looks incredibly silly (https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/gemini-pda).

How does that thing display any kind of affection, public or not?   :-/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexting

Quote from: Bruce on October 07, 2025, 01:24:53 AMI definitely need it for some of my day-to-day tasks, and wouldn't dare try to do something complex like a trip without it.

Meanwhile, for my most recent trip out of the country two months ago, I traveled with my dumbphone and a borrowed digital camera.  The only thing I might have needed a smartphone for was CDC contact tracing info in advance of my return trip to the USA;  but I just had my wife do that from our PC at home on my behalf, although I could have simply done it at the airport counter before departure instead, and Reddit threads now lead me to believe I didn't even actually need to do it at all.  For at least half of my time in Mexico, I didn't have cell reception anyway.

I flew from Wichita via DFW to Tampico, caught a city bus a couple of blocks from the Tampico airport, got off after about 5 km, walked about 1 km to the intercity bus station, bought a ticket and boarded an hour later, then got off at a gas station 155 km away, where I arranged via text message for my friend to pick me up.  No smartphone required.

Seriously, you guys do realize that people managed to travel before the invention of the smartphone, right?

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 09:29:31 AMMeanwhile, for my most recent trip out of the country two months ago, I traveled with my dumbphone and a borrowed digital camera. 

Would have been nice to have it for Mobile Passport Control if you don't have Global Entry. Sometimes has saved me an hour in the past.

Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 07, 2025, 10:10:35 AMWould have been nice to have it for Mobile Passport Control if you don't have Global Entry. Sometimes has saved me an hour in the past.

When I returned to the USA through DFW, I didn't show my passport to a single person.  All facial recognition.

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 10:12:45 AM

Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 07, 2025, 10:10:35 AMWould have been nice to have it for Mobile Passport Control if you don't have Global Entry. Sometimes has saved me an hour in the past.

When I returned to the USA through DFW, I didn't show my passport to a single person.  All facial recognition.

How long was the line though? That's the important part. It you use the MPC app, the line is normally 10% of what the normal passport line is.

Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 07, 2025, 10:21:03 AMHow long was the line though? That's the important part. It you use the MPC app, the line is normally 10% of what the normal passport line is.

Yeah, the line was pretty long.  I don't remember there being a 'mobile' line, though.  How does that work?

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 10:23:45 AM

Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 07, 2025, 10:21:03 AMHow long was the line though? That's the important part. It you use the MPC app, the line is normally 10% of what the normal passport line is.

Yeah, the line was pretty long.  I don't remember there being a 'mobile' line, though.  How does that work?

You basically just enter your passport info and take a selfie in the app within four hours of your arrival. Then there's a separate line for people who did this stuff in advance, and I've never waited more than 10 minutes in that line. If your wife has a smartphone, one person can add their entire traveling group together.

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/mobile-passport-control

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 09:29:31 AM

Quote from: Bruce on October 07, 2025, 01:24:53 AMI definitely need it for some of my day-to-day tasks, and wouldn't dare try to do something complex like a trip without it.

Meanwhile, for my most recent trip out of the country two months ago, I traveled with my dumbphone and a borrowed digital camera.  The only thing I might have needed a smartphone for was CDC contact tracing info in advance of my return trip to the USA;  but I just had my wife do that from our PC at home on my behalf, although I could have simply done it at the airport counter before departure instead, and Reddit threads now lead me to believe I didn't even actually need to do it at all.  For at least half of my time in Mexico, I didn't have cell reception anyway.

I flew from Wichita via DFW to Tampico, caught a city bus a couple of blocks from the Tampico airport, got off after about 5 km, walked about 1 km to the intercity bus station, bought a ticket and boarded an hour later, then got off at a gas station 155 km away, where I arranged via text message for my friend to pick me up.  No smartphone required.

Seriously, you guys do realize that people managed to travel before the invention of the smartphone, right?

Yes and it sucked compratively.  I can now route myself around traffic jams much, much easier than back in the 1980s or 1990s and that's even taking into account using my own route rather than what Google Maps suggests.  Rand McNally Road Atlases could not show all local roads and options like online mapping services nowadays can.  Frankly, I've been wondering about if we're underestimating the beneficial effects that real-time routing has had on aggregare vehicle-hours of delay...

Hmm.  Maybe there was an MBC line at DFW and I just don't remember seeing it.

meh.

Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2025, 11:07:21 AMI can now route myself around traffic jams much, much easier than back in the 1980s or 1990s and that's even taking into account using my own route rather than what Google Maps suggests.

I can route myself around traffic jams by just getting off the highway and taking a different route.  What route to take?  If it's in my home city, then I already know alternate routes.  If I'm traveling, then I look at a paper map.  The day before I leave for a road trip, I check the traffic overlay on Google Maps to look for road construction delays.  None of that is some major inconvenience.  Even back when I had a cell phone, I never used it for real-time directions.  On rare occasions, I have my wife check for an alternate route on her smartphone instead of pulling out a paper map, but those occasions few and far between.

The main advantage I've found is that, if it's approaching mealtime and I haven't already planned where to eat, we can pull up all restaurants on Google Maps and decide where to eat as we're approaching the town.

Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2025, 11:07:21 AMRand McNally Road Atlases could not show all local roads and options like online mapping services nowadays can.

No, but it does show most routes that are worth taking as a bypass—at least in the part of the country I'm typically traveling through.  Your experience, obviously may be different than mine.

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 11:09:29 AMHmm.  Maybe there was an MBC line at DFW and I just don't remember seeing it.

Yeah, it's definitely there. I remember using it flying back from Santiago once.

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 11:18:09 AMmeh.

Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2025, 11:07:21 AMI can now route myself around traffic jams much, much easier than back in the 1980s or 1990s and that's even taking into account using my own route rather than what Google Maps suggests.

I can route myself around traffic jams by just getting off the highway and taking a different route.  What route to take?  If it's in my home city, then I already know alternate routes.  If I'm traveling, then I look at a paper map.  The day before I leave for a road trip, I check the traffic overlay on Google Maps to look for road construction delays.  None of that is some major inconvenience.  Even back when I had a cell phone, I never used it for real-time directions.  On rare occasions, I have my wife check for an alternate route on her smartphone instead of pulling out a paper map, but those occasions few and far between.

The main advantage I've found is that, if it's approaching mealtime and I haven't already planned where to eat, we can pull up all restaurants on Google Maps and decide where to eat as we're approaching the town.

Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2025, 11:07:21 AMRand McNally Road Atlases could not show all local roads and options like online mapping services nowadays can.

No, but it does show most routes that are worth taking as a bypass—at least in the part of the country I'm typically traveling through.  Your experience, obviously may be different than mine.

You choose to suffer and I refuse...

Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2025, 01:58:20 PMYou choose to suffer and I refuse...

You seem to have missed the part where I'm not suffering.

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 02:03:54 PM

Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2025, 01:58:20 PMYou choose to suffer and I refuse...

You seem to have missed the part where I'm not suffering.

Neither was the man with the shovel standing next to the Bobcat operator.  Ignorance truly is bliss and that's not a positive saying.

Paper maps are not a form of suffering.

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 02:08:23 PMPaper maps are not a form of suffering.

Using them is.  Unfolding them, finding where you are on the map, eventually tearing at where vertical and horizontal creases meet... Safe drivers have to pull over to use them...

I do have nostalgia for paper maps and have a recent RMcN atlas at home, but there's nothing like using two fingers to find a detour route in seconds...

Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2025, 02:40:32 PMUnfolding them, finding where you are on the map, eventually tearing at where vertical and horizontal creases meet... Safe drivers have to pull over to use them...

Oh yeah, I hate folding maps too.  I travel in the USA with a Rand McNally spiral-bound atlas, in Mexico with a Guía Roji spiral-bound atlas.  For places where I need greater detail or customized maps, I make my own ahead of time using Google My Maps (or official online Mexican state maps from SCT) and MSPaint, then print them on 8½x11 sheets that may or may not end up in sheet protectors.

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 02:47:25 PM

Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2025, 02:40:32 PMUnfolding them, finding where you are on the map, eventually tearing at where vertical and horizontal creases meet... Safe drivers have to pull over to use them...

Oh yeah, I hate folding maps too.  I travel in the USA with a Rand McNally spiral-bound atlas, in Mexico with a Guía Roji spiral-bound atlas.  For places where I need greater detail or customized maps, I make my own ahead of time using Google My Maps (or official online Mexican state maps from SCT) and MSPaint, then print them on 8½x11 sheets that may or may not end up in sheet protectors.

Yeah, I don't have to do any of that...

Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2025, 03:18:10 PMYeah, I don't have to do any of that...

I enjoy building my own maps, customized for my travels.  I did so back when I had a smartphone too.  My kids also like to grab the paper atlas every so often to see where we are and how far we have to go.

Most of the time, I already know the route well enough that I don't even need a map.  So you might say I don't have to do any of it either.  But I enjoy it.  I'm not just a roadgeek, but a mapgeek as well.

Heck, for the intercity bus trip in Mexico back in August, I built my own detailed route schedule ahead of time, complete with km-post numbers, so I could follow along by looking out the window and see how far behind schedule the bus was.  Completely unnecessary for the purpose of my travel, but something I enjoyed doing anyway.

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 03:25:18 PM

Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2025, 03:18:10 PMYeah, I don't have to do any of that...

I enjoy building my own maps, customized for my travels.  I did so back when I had a smartphone too.  My kids also like to grab the paper atlas every so often to see where we are and how far we have to go.

Most of the time, I already know the route well enough that I don't even need a map.  So you might say I don't have to do any of it either.  But I enjoy it.  I'm not just a roadgeek, but a mapgeek as well.

Heck, for the intercity bus trip in Mexico back in August, I built my own detailed route schedule ahead of time, complete with km-post numbers, so I could follow along by looking out the window and see how far behind schedule the bus was.  Completely unnecessary for the purpose of my travel, but something I enjoyed doing anyway.

I go through the same routing process, just with the advantage of using online resources.  Got a multi-day trip coming up with a whole lot of stops and my aging mind can't memorize all the twists and turns in the routing, even on a per diem basis.  Save the routes to my phone and just pull them up.

Got the old man habit of still printing out the directions as a backup, but I rarely use them as such.  If anything, I scribble on them after I stop for the night to keep track of times that I stray from the path for whatever reason.

Definitely appreciate Google Maps' automatic rerouting if a road is closed or I see something I want to check out or whatever else.  Much easier than futzing around with paper.

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 09:29:31 AMSeriously, you guys do realize that people managed to travel before the invention of the smartphone, right?

I remember traveling before mobile phones were available to the general public. I won't say mobile phone (period) as those were available back in the 1960s (there was an episode of the Andy Griffith show titled The Foster Lady that depicted this), but phoneless travel was possible. However, it was like being in a car with only a AM radio with no FM or eight-track (thank you frugal parents!). Submitted for your consideration...

• You had to check-in at the main counter to get your plane ticket. Nowadays, you can check in 24 hours from a computer or phone in advance of boarding, and print out your ticket at home. Or, just show your ticket via mobile phone.
• Want music in your flight? In the 1970s, you had to plug-in some non-electronic hollow-tube headphones into your seat and select between several airplane-supplied audio channels. The "Walkman" cassette player was introduced in 1979 and the portable CD player was introduced in 1984, allowing you to play your own music on a flight. Don't think about using a FM radio as it could interfere was the airplane's avionics. Nowadays, you can download your music and play it on your mobile device.
• If your flight was long enough, maybe they would play a movie that was edited to remove certain details including plane crashes. You enjoyed that movie and liked it because it was the only movie being shown. Nowadays, you would link up to the airplane's WiFi and choose between a selection of movies of both classic and modern films to view on your tablet in multiple languages, and some airlines are even eliminating the seatback video displays.
• If someone was picking you up from the airport, you gave when your flight arrived. Of course, this was pre-September 11th when you actually met your party at the gate... and hope that the flight's arrival wasn't delayed for more than an hour. No web page for flight information. Nowadays, I have a two-step notification process when people pick me up from DFW... a first call when the plane is on the ground and approaching the gate so that they can start driving to the cellular waiting lot (a thirty-fourty minute drive), and a second call that I have my luggage and am ready to be picked up. Don't even get me started on those drives to San Francisco International because Sacramento Metropolitan (pre-International) was too expensive.
• Want to find stuff on your destinations? I know that AAA had published TourBooks for your destination and turn-by-turn TripTix books for driving to your destination.
• Don't even get me started on distracted driving. I can't think of a more distracted driving than holding a three-times refolded paper map to navigate to your destination. Forget "Tom-Tom", how about "Son-Son"?
• Or even being a pre-driving age person on a family trip in the back seat. Usually, the entertainment was a book, a magazine, or if I was lucky enough, an electronic game.
• Of course, no family trip would be complete without someone crying "WWWWeeee'rrrreeee lost" along with "you are going the WRONG (BLEEPING) WAY!"

There are some aspects of travel that are sometimes missed today, including the part of dressing up for your flight and having a nice meal on a flight. But, considering how many functions are combined in my smartphone to make travel easier, I'll accept the trade-offs. During my last cruise, I was able to handle a household emergency while on a tour bus in Martinique. This would have been an expensive international call in the past, but a local call on my mobile with international roaming.

Everybody had to check in at the airline ticket counter, and back then the airlines were competing for your business, so they staffed them so that the line was pretty short.  And they offered to check your bags for free, so there was space in the overhead bins for the few people who wanted to take the luggage with them anyway.

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 09:29:31 AM

Quote from: Bruce on October 07, 2025, 01:24:53 AMI definitely need it for some of my day-to-day tasks, and wouldn't dare try to do something complex like a trip without it.

Seriously, you guys do realize that people managed to travel before the invention of the smartphone, right?

Me personally, most of my trips (complex or not) involve going somewhere a smartphone is useless.  I know that I've mentioned getting paper tickets and having to check in at the airport in Mexico somewhere recently.  On my most recent day trip to New Idria (50 miles from cell coverage) we even took a CB radio and checked out/in with a reliable friend in case we were overdue back to civilization. 

Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2025, 02:40:32 PM

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 02:08:23 PMPaper maps are not a form of suffering.

Using them is.  Unfolding them, finding where you are on the map...

Admitting to a group of roadgeeks that you find it difficult to find where you are on a map is not the flex you appear to think it is.

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 08, 2025, 02:50:11 AM

Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2025, 02:40:32 PM

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 02:08:23 PMPaper maps are not a form of suffering.

Using them is.  Unfolding them, finding where you are on the map...

Admitting to a group of roadgeeks that you find it difficult to find where you are on a map is not the flex you appear to think it is.

I mean it depends. If it's a map of the whole state and you are on some random side street, it could be hard. But if you are on a major highway most of us could probably find our location very quickly.

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on October 08, 2025, 03:42:26 AM

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 08, 2025, 02:50:11 AM

Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2025, 02:40:32 PM

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 02:08:23 PMPaper maps are not a form of suffering.

Using them is.  Unfolding them, finding where you are on the map...

Admitting to a group of roadgeeks that you find it difficult to find where you are on a map is not the flex you appear to think it is.

I mean it depends. If it's a map of the whole state and you are on some random side street, it could be hard. But if you are on a major highway most of us could probably find our location very quickly.

(https://i.imgur.com/kfSVcqu.png)

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on October 08, 2025, 03:42:26 AM

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 08, 2025, 02:50:11 AM

Quote from: Rothman on October 07, 2025, 02:40:32 PM

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 02:08:23 PMPaper maps are not a form of suffering.

Using them is.  Unfolding them, finding where you are on the map...

Admitting to a group of roadgeeks that you find it difficult to find where you are on a map is not the flex you appear to think it is.

I mean it depends. If it's a map of the whole state and you are on some random side street, it could be hard. But if you are on a major highway most of us could probably find our location very quickly.

Sure, but not as quickly as on a screen that shows your location instantly.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMHowever, it was like being in a car with only a AM radio with no FM or eight-track (thank you frugal parents!).

We hardly ever play music in the car when we're on a road trip.  We mostly just sit in silence.  That weirds some people out, but that's the way we roll.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMYou had to check-in at the main counter to get your plane ticket. Nowadays, you can check in 24 hours from a computer or phone in advance of boarding, and print out your ticket at home. Or, just show your ticket via mobile phone.

Granted, I've only flown on two trips since the advent of the smartphone, but I got paper tickets for both trips.  On my most recent one, I attempted to print my boarding pass at home, but I had to get it at the airport anyway due to having to scan in my passport.

Moreover, for that trip, I was notified that one of the legs of my trip wouldn't have qualified for mobile boarding pass anyway, so I'd have had to get a paper one even if I did have a smartphone.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMWant music in your flight?

Nope.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMIf your flight was long enough, maybe they would play a movie that was edited to remove certain details including plane crashes. You enjoyed that movie and liked it because it was the only movie being shown.

And hopefully it was a good movie.  I remember hating a couple of in-flight movies back in the 1980s-90s.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMNowadays, you would link up to the airplane's WiFi and choose between a selection of movies of both classic and modern films to view on your tablet

No I wouldn't.  Not interested in watching a movie.

Tablet?  I thought we were talking about phones.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMIf someone was picking you up from the airport, you gave when your flight arrived. Of course, this was pre-September 11th when you actually met your party at the gate... and hope that the flight's arrival wasn't delayed for more than an hour. No web page for flight information. Nowadays, I have a two-step notification process when people pick me up from DFW... a first call when the plane is on the ground and approaching the gate so that they can start driving to the cellular waiting lot (a thirty-fourty minute drive), and a second call that I have my luggage and am ready to be picked up.

I had a friend from church pick me up.  I told him what time my flight was scheduled to arrive.  He told me where he'd be waiting for me.  I texted him when we landed, at which point he left the cell phone lot and pulled up to where he said he'd be in front of the terminal, and I walked out and got in his car.  No smartphone required.  And no smartphone required for your two-step process either.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMOr even being a pre-driving age person on a family trip in the back seat. Usually, the entertainment was a book, a magazine, or if I was lucky enough, an electronic game.

This is still what our sons do in the back seat.  Heaven forbid they have to read a book...

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMThis would have been an expensive international call in the past, but a local call on my mobile with international roaming.

No smartphone required to have international roaming.  Mine has it, and it's not a smartphone.

Quote from: kphoger on October 08, 2025, 10:33:01 AM

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMHowever, it was like being in a car with only a AM radio with no FM or eight-track (thank you frugal parents!).

We hardly ever play music in the car when we're on a road trip.  We mostly just sit in silence.  That weirds some people out, but that's the way we roll.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMYou had to check-in at the main counter to get your plane ticket. Nowadays, you can check in 24 hours from a computer or phone in advance of boarding, and print out your ticket at home. Or, just show your ticket via mobile phone.

Granted, I've only flown on two trips since the advent of the smartphone, but I got paper tickets for both trips.  On my most recent one, I attempted to print my boarding pass at home, but I had to get it at the airport anyway due to having to scan in my passport.

Moreover, for that trip, I was notified that one of the legs of my trip wouldn't have qualified for mobile boarding pass anyway, so I'd have had to get a paper one even if I did have a smartphone.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMWant music in your flight?

Nope.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMIf your flight was long enough, maybe they would play a movie that was edited to remove certain details including plane crashes. You enjoyed that movie and liked it because it was the only movie being shown.

And hopefully it was a good movie.  I remember hating a couple of in-flight movies back in the 1980s-90s.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMNowadays, you would link up to the airplane's WiFi and choose between a selection of movies of both classic and modern films to view on your tablet

No I wouldn't.  Not interested in watching a movie.

Tablet?  I thought we were talking about phones.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMIf someone was picking you up from the airport, you gave when your flight arrived. Of course, this was pre-September 11th when you actually met your party at the gate... and hope that the flight's arrival wasn't delayed for more than an hour. No web page for flight information. Nowadays, I have a two-step notification process when people pick me up from DFW... a first call when the plane is on the ground and approaching the gate so that they can start driving to the cellular waiting lot (a thirty-fourty minute drive), and a second call that I have my luggage and am ready to be picked up.

I had a friend from church pick me up.  I told him what time my flight was scheduled to arrive.  He told me where he'd be waiting for me.  I texted him when we landed, at which point he left the cell phone lot and pulled up to where he said he'd be in front of the terminal, and I walked out and got in his car.  No smartphone required.  And no smartphone required for your two-step process either.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMOr even being a pre-driving age person on a family trip in the back seat. Usually, the entertainment was a book, a magazine, or if I was lucky enough, an electronic game.

This is still what our sons do in the back seat.  Heaven forbid they have to read a book...

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMThis would have been an expensive international call in the past, but a local call on my mobile with international roaming.

No smartphone required to have international roaming.  Mine has it, and it's not a smartphone.

Although my dumb phone doesn't work at all outside the United States.  Set foot across the 49th parallel and it's a paperweight.

Quote from: kkt on October 08, 2025, 10:47:31 AMAlthough my dumb phone doesn't work at all outside the United States.  Set foot across the 49th parallel and it's a paperweight.

Pretty sure even with dumb phones, you can get a local SIM card.

Quote from: kphoger on October 07, 2025, 09:29:31 AM

Quote from: Bruce on October 07, 2025, 01:24:53 AMI definitely need it for some of my day-to-day tasks, and wouldn't dare try to do something complex like a trip without it.

Meanwhile, for my most recent trip out of the country two months ago, I traveled with my dumbphone and a borrowed digital camera.  The only thing I might have needed a smartphone for was CDC contact tracing info in advance of my return trip to the USA;  but I just had my wife do that from our PC at home on my behalf, although I could have simply done it at the airport counter before departure instead, and Reddit threads now lead me to believe I didn't even actually need to do it at all.  For at least half of my time in Mexico, I didn't have cell reception anyway.

I flew from Wichita via DFW to Tampico, caught a city bus a couple of blocks from the Tampico airport, got off after about 5 km, walked about 1 km to the intercity bus station, bought a ticket and boarded an hour later, then got off at a gas station 155 km away, where I arranged via text message for my friend to pick me up.  No smartphone required.

Seriously, you guys do realize that people managed to travel before the invention of the smartphone, right?

It's not wrong to use the most convenient tool for a task. And considering that I have spent my entire adult life in the age of the smartphone, it's no wonder that I default to it. The time savings alone mean I can maximize my enjoyment of a trip and minimize the issues that any kind of disruption can cause.

Were it not for real-time tracking information, I would not be able to trust most transit systems in this country, so that would limit my trip options by quite a bit. Sure, I could use timetables, but many systems only provide estimates and those have to be accessed on their website, as printing them for each stop is costly.

A few years ago, I was almost stranded in Toronto because of Air Canada's sudden cancellation of flights out of Pearson. Were it not for my smartphone, I would not have seen the email notification until it was far too late to rebook my outbound flight. Instead, I was able to quickly rebook on their app out of Billy Bishop Airport and connect with the flight I was intending to use to get back home, with no loss of time (and some bonus views in the process). I can't imagine having to navigate the hours-long wait on the phone or in-person at the airport (which would require me going all the way there anyway) to rebook a flight when it can be done in less than 10 minutes while I sit in a park. The difference in environment (chaotic airport/rushed phone call versus nature) also helped clear my head and let me choose the best possible option.

Also important to note that major transit systems/transportation hubs assume everyone has a smartphone, so they won't have as many resources available for completely analog travel (like actual humans at stations).

I will say that the level of technology addictiveness in younger destinations is a valid concern, and many of them have only used smartphones and Chromebooks, so they lack the fundamental IT skills they need to troubleshoot things on actual PCs. I make a conscious choice not to scroll through endless videos on social media and instead try to use social media in a way that requires real engagement (hence why I'm here and on Discord).

That said, the times I do try to take a break from phone use have backfired spectacularly. A casual drive into the city on routes I already know? Surprise, there's multiple collisions and unscheduled construction that causes an hour-long backup on the route I'm already on (and no way to bypass until it's too late). I decided to cheap out once and not use my carrier's roaming allotment for Canada (as it was running low) and ended up needing it anyway to find a new hotel after my booked one ghosted me.

Quote from: Bruce on October 08, 2025, 04:08:45 PMI would not have seen the email notification until it was far too late to rebook my outbound flight

This irked me on my trip.  My wife kept calling me because the airline kept sending e-mail notifications about stuff.  I'd really like to have gotten those notifications via text message instead.

Just speaking anecdotally, I don't think I've met a single person around my age without a smartphone since I was 14 years old.

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on October 08, 2025, 05:05:41 PMJust speaking anecdotally, I don't think I've met a single person around my age without a smartphone since I was 14 years old.

I had a co-worker about seven years ago or so who didn't have a telephone of any kind.  He got rid of both cell phone and landline in order to save money.  If he needed the internet, then he'd go to the library.  Our boss wasn't happy that he couldn't just call the guy up on his day off and ask if he could cover someone's shift if she called in sick, but too bad I guess.  I think he was around 30 years old.

Quote from: kphoger on October 08, 2025, 04:47:26 PM

Quote from: Bruce on October 08, 2025, 04:08:45 PMI would not have seen the email notification until it was far too late to rebook my outbound flight

This irked me on my trip.  My wife kept calling me because the airline kept sending e-mail notifications about stuff.  I'd really like to have gotten those notifications via text message instead.

I've gotten texts from both Southwest and United recently.

Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 08, 2025, 05:15:39 PMI've gotten texts from both Southwest and United recently.

That would have been nice.

I'm standing in line at the gate, ready to board.  My wife calls me on my cell phone because the airline sent an e-mail notifying me that my seat number has changed.  Twenty seconds later, I'm at the gate and they hand me a new boarding pass with my new seat number on it.  Seriously, that couldn't have been a text message instead of an e-mail?

I'm a day and a half from my return trip, with no access to a computer.  My wife calls to let me know that the airline sent an e-mail to say I might not be able to re-enter the USA without first having filled out an online form with contact tracing info.  Seriously, if it's that important, and I'm already on my trip, why did I not get a text message?

Quote from: kphoger on October 08, 2025, 05:55:39 PM

Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 08, 2025, 05:15:39 PMI've gotten texts from both Southwest and United recently.

That would have been nice.

I'm standing in line at the gate, ready to board.  My wife calls me on my cell phone because the airline sent an e-mail notifying me that my seat number has changed.  Twenty seconds later, I'm at the gate and they hand me a new boarding pass with my new seat number on it.  Seriously, that couldn't have been a text message instead of an e-mail?

I'm a day and a half from my return trip, with no access to a computer.  My wife calls to let me know that the airline sent an e-mail to say I might not be able to re-enter the USA without first having filled out an online form with contact tracing info.  Seriously, if it's that important, and I'm already on my trip, why did I not get a text message?

Did you enable text messaging within your profile? Pretty sure you have to opt in.

Quote from: kphoger on October 08, 2025, 10:33:01 AM

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMHowever, it was like being in a car with only a AM radio with no FM or eight-track (thank you frugal parents!).

We hardly ever play music in the car when we're on a road trip.  We mostly just sit in silence.  That weirds some people out, but that's the way we roll.

The "sounds of the road" station doesn't sound that appealing for multiple hours. That's how I roll.

Quote from: kphoger on October 08, 2025, 10:33:01 AM

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMIf your flight was long enough, maybe they would play a movie that was edited to remove certain details including plane crashes. You enjoyed that movie and liked it because it was the only movie being shown.

And hopefully it was a good movie.  I remember hating a couple of in-flight movies back in the 1980s-90s.

Like I said, you "liked it because it was the only movie being shown".

Quote from: kphoger on October 08, 2025, 10:33:01 AM

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMNowadays, you would link up to the airplane's WiFi and choose between a selection of movies of both classic and modern films to view on your tablet

No I wouldn't.  Not interested in watching a movie.

Tablet?  I thought we were talking about phones.

You can view the movie on your mobile device that was WiFi enabled whether that was a mobile phone or tablet.

Quote from: kphoger on October 08, 2025, 10:33:01 AM

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMIf someone was picking you up from the airport, you gave when your flight arrived. Of course, this was pre-September 11th when you actually met your party at the gate... and hope that the flight's arrival wasn't delayed for more than an hour. No web page for flight information. Nowadays, I have a two-step notification process when people pick me up from DFW... a first call when the plane is on the ground and approaching the gate so that they can start driving to the cellular waiting lot (a thirty-fourty minute drive), and a second call that I have my luggage and am ready to be picked up.

I had a friend from church pick me up.  I told him what time my flight was scheduled to arrive.  He told me where he'd be waiting for me.  I texted him when we landed, at which point he left the cell phone lot and pulled up to where he said he'd be in front of the terminal, and I walked out and got in his car.  No smartphone required.  And no smartphone required for your two-step process either.

But, can you view the status of the flight via text message? Remember, I'm comparing flying from the 1970s verses now.

Quote from: kphoger on October 08, 2025, 10:33:01 AM

Quote from: ZLoth on October 07, 2025, 04:36:48 PMThis would have been an expensive international call in the past, but a local call on my mobile with international roaming.

No smartphone required to have international roaming.  Mine has it, and it's not a smartphone.

But, in the unlikely event that international roaming was unavailable, there is still WiFi calling.

Quote from: kphoger on October 08, 2025, 05:55:39 PMI'm standing in line at the gate, ready to board.  My wife calls me on my cell phone because the airline sent an e-mail notifying me that my seat number has changed.  Twenty seconds later, I'm at the gate and they hand me a new boarding pass with my new seat number on it.  Seriously, that couldn't have been a text message instead of an e-mail?

Funny how, with most of your responses, you are dependent on your spouse to make up for the lack of smart phone. How about those of us who will be forever single?

Honestly it reads to me as though you are too dependent on mobile devices for every last thing.  You do you, it just seems way too much for me.

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 08, 2025, 06:53:13 PMHonestly it reads to me as though you are too dependent on mobile devices for every last thing.  You do you, it just seems way too much for me.

For me, lots of things I could do without by phone if I really tried, but it would be an unnecessary complication.

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 08, 2025, 06:53:13 PMHonestly it reads to me as though you are too dependent on mobile devices for every last thing.  You do you, it just seems way too much for me.

It makes my life easier, however, I still don't do to-do lists or shopping lists on my mobile. Because I self-host my media for accessibility when out-and-about, there is that additional work in preparing the media to make it accessible remotely, but I have a higher level of control. Having a "single source of truth" for my contacts and calendar is also important. There was a transition period, but the end result was worth it.

Quote from: ZLoth on October 08, 2025, 08:31:02 PM

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 08, 2025, 06:53:13 PMHonestly it reads to me as though you are too dependent on mobile devices for every last thing.  You do you, it just seems way too much for me.

It makes my life easier, however, I still don't do to-do lists or shopping lists on my mobile. Because I self-host my media for accessibility when out-and-about, there is that additional work in preparing the media to make it accessible remotely, but I have a higher level of control. Having a "single source of truth" for my contacts and calendar is also important. There was a transition period, but the end result was worth it.

Being the tech guy was never for me.  I'm clearly not the only one in this thread who feels the same.  I suspect kphoger and I probably align fairly closely more often than not as to what we both view as superfluous gadgetry. 

Then again I seek spend much of my free time in areas where modern tech devices are close to or fully worthless. 

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 08, 2025, 09:15:57 PMBeing the tech guy was never for me.

Being a tech guy is for me, and that's why I reject mobile devices—they're toys under the control of big corporations and do not permit me to do what I need to do.

Hell, lately I've run into apps that somehow disallow you from taking a screenshot, and the OS goes right along with this like it's a reasonable thing for an app to do. Any serious OS would consider this a security violation and machine-gun the app for overstepping its boundaries—once an app has rendered something, that's the OS's to do what it wants with it, not the app's.

Worth noting, my desktop PC at work was replaced with a laptop.  The idea seems to be that would take the laptop home with me so I could do work away from the office or on work travel.  Why would want to do my work from home during my off time when I haven't had to for past twenty-four years?  Even with work travel I haven't had much trouble finding a desktop PC if I really needed to use one. 

Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 08, 2025, 11:10:46 AM

Quote from: kkt on October 08, 2025, 10:47:31 AMAlthough my dumb phone doesn't work at all outside the United States.  Set foot across the 49th parallel and it's a paperweight.

Pretty sure even with dumb phones, you can get a local SIM card.

Thank you, I appreciate that you're trying to help.  Not sure mine has a place for a sim card but I'll look.

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 08, 2025, 10:03:31 PM

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 08, 2025, 09:15:57 PMBeing the tech guy was never for me.

Being a tech guy is for me, and that's why I reject mobile devices—they're toys under the control of big corporations and do not permit me to do what I need to do.

Hell, lately I've run into apps that somehow disallow you from taking a screenshot, and the OS goes right along with this like it's a reasonable thing for an app to do. Any serious OS would consider this a security violation and machine-gun the app for overstepping its boundaries—once an app has rendered something, that's the OS's to do what it wants with it, not the app's.

Any serious computing/experimenting I do is with my 2 laptops for the most part. And I do like to game and download software on my PCs. My phone is for on the fly travel things, plus just casual social media usage plus when I want to lie in bed.

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on October 08, 2025, 11:10:45 PM

Quote from: Scott5114 on October 08, 2025, 10:03:31 PM

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 08, 2025, 09:15:57 PMBeing the tech guy was never for me.

Being a tech guy is for me, and that's why I reject mobile devices—they're toys under the control of big corporations and do not permit me to do what I need to do.

Hell, lately I've run into apps that somehow disallow you from taking a screenshot, and the OS goes right along with this like it's a reasonable thing for an app to do. Any serious OS would consider this a security violation and machine-gun the app for overstepping its boundaries—once an app has rendered something, that's the OS's to do what it wants with it, not the app's.

Any serious computing/experimenting I do is with my 2 laptops for the most part. And I do like to game and download software on my PCs. My phone is for on the fly travel things, plus just casual social media usage plus when I want to lie in bed.

Most people appreciate you telling the truth when you're in bed.

I will say that text messages don't feel like a secure platform (and email is only marginally better) based on the scams and phishing attempts that get through to me. Not a fan of text-based 2FA either, but some places don't give you an alternative.