Ah, you’ve arrived. Agent 86 here. I see Agent 99 delivered the message. I always liked her… Anyway, come closer. Enter the Cone of Silence with me. WE NEED TO DISCUSS SOMETHING IMPORTANT. Oh, sorry, Chief. We need to discuss something important. Agents of KAOS have been infiltrating Control and replacing all our shoe phones with these new “smart” phones. What do you mean, “What’s wrong with that?” It’s a conspiracy! Nothing beats a good shoe phone, they’re inexpensive and there’s no need for a data plan. Why do you think they call it a “plan”? KAOS plans to ruin us financially!
And what’s more, they do what they were designed for – walk and talk. What else do you need them to do? Browse the web, send email? My tablet, laptop and desktop are more than sufficient to handle those tasks. But what about texts? Texts? Are we reverting to the stone age? Phones are for verbal communications. If I want to send you a written note, I’ll send you an email or mail you a letter, without the need for adding an apology for spelling at the end. When Agent 99 and I are out on a mission, we actually speak to one another.
Watch video? Play games? Seriously, on that size screen? I’d go blind doing that. I know, I know, everyone has one. Well, except for me and my Thom McCan’s. Good shoe leather, and not a bad phone, to boot. Well if you simply must consider one of those things, at least get smart about it. Use this interactive table supplied by the Wall Street Journal to estimate your costs.
Agent 86 out.
What's interesting is that slashdot's headline on that same article said that family plans were too expensive… in reality, they save you much more.
Mind you, I am known as one of "them", the people pushing you to get one. For me, one of the benefits is my multiple jobs, and having access to info on them when I am working on another one. And you can't always get a good wifi connection.
I am known to use mine for just about everything. GPS? I use Waze. Music? Got that via pandora and my own library. Need an address for someone? Your phone doesn't have enough room to store that field. Reminders of events from both mine and my wife's calendar? Done, and good thing, or I would have missed a Dr. appt for the kids. Testing out a website on a mobile platform? A emulator just doesn't do enough. Email so you can reach me about a major issue with a client even when I am out with the kids? You gotta admit it's handy. Brain figures out something and you are out and don't want to forget it? Done, and my brain can settle. Bible and other books while waiting for an appt? OOh, wait, it has COMMENTARIES too?!? Games for kids who are getting poked by a dr? Anything to ease the pain.
Screen size isn't as bad as you think it is, really.
Not everyone needs one. But, when you are a nerd juggling lots of things, and esp when you figure out a way to do something new for a client at weird times, they are remarkably handy.