The only reason I consider a smartphone a necessity is private and secure messaging and calls on the go. I can’t imagine having to be at my PC for longer calls with my family or non-gaming friends, and as a woman I absolutely refuse to go outside when it’s dark without a phone.
So since I already have to have a phone I use it for other things like Lemmy, music, podcasts, public transit and the odd entertainment app. It’s perfectly fine to not have a smartphone if you don’t need any of those things though.
It's nice to be able to stay connected while out and about. Having features like maps helps when lost somewhere. You can keep store cards and such in your phone to scan instead of having to physically carry everything. I went to a conference for work a week ago that required use of an app in order to register for labs.
I mean it does everything really, mp3 player, GPS, Internet, compass (maps), communication even games. That said I am a little disappointed because they have been removing things like headphone Jack’s, Sd cards and I really thought at this point we would all have flir cams etc on every phone.
My smartphone is specifically and uniquely useful to me for the following:
Access the Internet without using my work laptop. My employer doesn’t need to know I took a moment to check the weather, answer my wife to coordinate schedules, or respond to an important personal email.
Entertainment while my dog sniffs the same spot on the ground for 5 minutes, or while standing in a queue.
Safety, if I need to reach someone while out and about. I can’t imagine pulling out a laptop on the side of the road and trying to call a tow.
More secure OS for accessing mobile banking.
I love taking pictures. The best laptop cameras struggle to compete with a mid-range smartphone.
With that said, I think the smartphone is something that you know is useful to you. For most people, the answer is clearly yes that it has a place. It’s refreshing to know that not everyone is so dependent.
Being able to use forums and chats while not at my computer. I pretty much exclusively use my phone for the computer part, and never really use the phone part.
Heck, the first cellphone I had period was a Danger Hiptop (aka the Sidekick) because it allowed real web browsing (not that WAP shit) and other Internet features that only super expensive business PDAs had at the time.
How does this work? If you live in a country then it isn’t foreign… it’s your country. I guess you mean you don’t live in the USA or whatever country OP is in? Just curious how a person could state that.
Well, sure. I’m not trying to start an argument or trying to talk down to you or anything. I just mean that once you are living in a country then it’s no longer foreign? If you are there on vacation then sure. But if you live there then it is your country. Sorry if it sounds like I’m splitting hairs, but at some point the store down the street or your neighbors aren’t “foreign” any longer, but home. That’s all, just my thought process.
Well I do refer to it as my neighborhood. But I do not speak the local language and I do not know all of the customs.
Even the style of speech in English is different than it is in America. I’ve been here for about 6 years, but you never really know a country and culture the way you know your own.
Just last week, my wife brought home a cheap snack from 7/11. OMG! It was so good, I’ve walked passed them for years only to discover they are my new favorite snack. I have been buying so many bags of them. This is the kind of stuff which makes me feel that this is a foreign country.
In addition to that, there are a number of things I am not able to do here that a citizen can. So in some ways, I can never fit in here. One example, is I cannot hold any professional positions, like lawyer, doctor, or any government position. I can also never own land here.
Ok, I get it. Again, I wasn’t trying to bust your chops, just couldn’t figure out how the country you are living in is foreign. If the country puts barriers to entry like that ( you have been there for 6 years and they still consider you foreign? That doesn’t make sense to me) then I understand why you consider it foreign. Just curious, and you don’t have to answer this, is your wife a native there? Does not marring a native not give a person some standing?
I use my smartphone for the same things I use my computer. Mainly web browsing if I want to know something/show something. Also for communication. Then comes taking photos or printing tickets or other files directly to my printer without turning on my PC.
Honestly the dedicated shutter button on my Sony Xperia. I have ADHD and I want to remember something I press the button and take an immediate picture. At work I use this function constantly. I’m a repair technician and it’s really nice to take a picture of a model number instead of having to cross reference between the computer screen and the computer I’m trying to fix.
Listening to music is also good.
I can’t believe I forgot this but GOOGLE. Anytime, anywhere you just have to know something, or learn how to do something you can immediately search it up.
If nothing else, it’s a portable connection to your desktop. I have telegram on my mobile devices, and I dictate my thoughts into the app and then curate them on my desktop
voice/text/email messaging primary, locally sd card saved movies and tv shows for downtime at job sites, i do zero streaming, have a $15 all in 1 GB monthly data plan, and am holding onto my S10 with both hands gonna ride it til the wheels come off
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