Something interesting today. A while back, my friend Evelyn wanted an iPad, but she kept having trouble with using it, and I ended up selling it again. The lady that bought it today said she wanted it for her 2 year old niece. It still seems strange to me that a 2 year old can use something that a person my age can’t work properly. When Bobby and I were driving to meet the lady who bought the iPad, my son sent a message that my oldest grandson’s wife just had their first child. Who would have ever thought that I would be looking at a picture of my great-granddaughter on my wrist watch ! ! Technology is amazing ......
I'm headed to 81 soon and NEVER bought into the Cell Phone world. Was close many times but made it thru what I thought I needed to act right away. There is NOTHING in my life that tells me I need to be in contact 24/7, NOTHING. Just about everyone I know is glued to the phone life, and there are some of us NOT, but I'm sure MOST here are plugged in 24/7. I don't even like to talk on the phone long anyway. Caught up with a friend yesterday and we actually talked 30 minutes, that's a record these days.
I have a flip phone, but no smart phone. I don't want the world to follow me wherever I go, but I want my wife and children to be able to contact me if an emergency should occur.
I hear more and more how our country is in a high state of anxiety. Makes me think about the "old days" and how my parents and all that generation got thru their long lives not hooked up all the time. I hear people sleep with their phones under pillow or really close by. I ignore my phone so much when it rings.
The first time I found that I needed another means of communication was when my car kaput-ed on me and there were no pay phones. Luckily someone was kind enough to stop and asked if I needed help and they had a cell phone. I purchased one soon after and use it for emergencies only. That was before all the dangers of 'talking while driving' arose and then 'texting'.
We bought our first cell phone, a Pay-As-You-Go one from Walmart, in 2000. I convinced my wife that we needed one in case we broke down on the freeway and had to call 911. Well, we did break down on a freeway and I was able to get the vehicle to the left shoulder. Put on the 4-way flashers, raised the hood and put out two road flares behind us. Called 911 and California Highway Patrol slowed, and then stopped, all traffic coming from behind us so another Patrol car could push us to the right side of the freeway. Ever since that time, we've had a cell phone. Got tired of renewing the time on the Walmart cell, so bought two flip phones and a monthly service plan. A few years ago my wife wanted a iPhone, so we each got one of those. After we move to Colorado, we will keep the service on one iPhone, but get a flip phone to replace the other iPhone. An iPhone is awfully nice to have for MSN Maps to find where a person is going, especially living in a new place.
I have had a cell about 7 years. I find it useful for lists, reminders, and getting a hold of people by text who otherwise would not respond to a ringing phone. To take a picture of something that is difficult to explain to someone. I am on my cell much more than my desktop. Bottom line comes in handy for me in many areas. I like having it with me. when out picking up the mail. If I fall I can call someone to help me. My husband..um he watches videos- way to many of old Candid Camera shows , things like that.We do not sleep with phones, we turn sound off. I do try and call more than text some people. I feel like we have cell manners..no phones at table, put it down when company comes.... I feel safer with it than without it.
Oh, I forgot, we turn our cells off before going to bed. If we take a nap on a weekend afternoon, will put both cells on Silent/Mute (ringer off). When we are at a restaurant, either or both of us will look up something on our cell. We text, but call more than text. My wife loves playing a few of the games she has, but when the time comes to get rid of one of the iPhones, we will keep our main one, which is the one I have. She will miss her games, but won't miss the monthly cost we have for both iPhones.
There is no reason that she should have to give up the actual phone itself, all that needs to happen is de-activate the cell service for that phone, and then she can use the phone itself as a tablet connected to WiFi, or to the hotspot on the iPhone that you do keep. All of her apps and games will still function just fine on WiFi or the hotspot, and you will not have to pay the monthly cost for an active phone. I seldom make phone calls, or even text with my phone, but I like knowing that it is there if I DO need it in an emergency, or just want to make a phone call for some reason, and I totally agree with what you said, @Gloria Mitchell . The main thing that I like about my phone is how I can keep track of all of my health information on the phone. With the different health apps that I have on the phone, I can monitor all of my exercise, heart rate, food intake, and just about everything else that I want to keep track of, health wise. The phone connects with my Apple Watch, and since the watch itself has cellular function, I don’t even need to take the phone out of my purse if I want to call someone, or answer a phone call. Overall, the phone just makes my whole life easier and more enjoyable, and I would miss it if I didn’t have one.
Well, Yvonne, we were told by Verizon that an iPhone can't be used without a monthly charge. Her iPhone is connected thru WiFi when we are at home. Her games are connected to the internet and, we were told, using the iPhone with internet access costs. An iPhone can not be used as a regular phone, so she'd have to get a flip phone again.
I guess that you will find out the answer to that once you turn off the cell service for that phone, @Cody Fousnaugh . However, an ipad that has both WiFi and cellular capabilities can be used just fine without any cell connection, as long as you are using it with a WiFi connection, so I do not see what the difference is, as far as using apps and playing games would be, or using the camera. Obviously, she can’t use it as a phone if it is not connected, and if she is going to have a cell phone, then she would need some kind of a phone; so I can see why you might want to also get a basic flip phone for her. Another option would be to just get an ipad or other tablet where she can play games, using your WiFi connection. I don’t play online games, but from what I have read, the Amazon Kindle would work fine for playing games as well as reading, or even watching movies. If you have an amazon account, then I think that they give you free apps (that usually cost money) as part of the account benefits.
I suspect that Cody's wife's iPhone is on a contract in which the price of the phone is defrayed by a monthly charge. You may have to pay a "surrender fee" of some kind when you give up that phone, @Cody Fousnaugh , if it hasn't been paid off. If it has been paid off, you can do as @Yvonne Smith said and continue to use it as a wi-fi "tablet".