I am extremely hard on cell phones. I have a history of dropping phones on the hardwood floor, on the pavement outside the car (this happens almost daily when I forget that my phone is on my lap while getting out of the car), and in mixing bowls full of water.
When I am not dropping my phone, I am losing my phone. I swear, half of the time, I don't know where my phone is.
For obvious reasons, I always get the cheapest model of cell phone, and I've been pleasantly surprised by how sturdy these little cheapos can be. For the most part, they survive my accidents. The phone that I dropped in the mixing bowl full of water started working again after I'd already ordered its replacement, so it became Ryan's phone. He recently accidentally dropped it in a toilet, and it still works.
So imagine my surprise when today, without any warning or provocation (I didn't drop it or anything!), my cell phone stopped working. None of the buttons work. I tried texting, I tried pushing numbers...nothing. So I decided to try the fail-proof solution that I always employ when my electronics stop working: turn it off and then on again.
Unfortunately, after I turned it off, it wouldn't turn back on. I think it is really dead this time.
So here's my dilemma: With all of the promotions that they have going on right now, upgrading to a "smart phone" is about the same price as getting another cheapo. I have wanted a smart phone in the past, but I've always decided against it because 1) I will inevitably break or lose it, and 2) I don't want to pay for the data plan, and 3) I don't want to become even more obsessed with checking my email/Facebook constantly.
What should I do? Advice is appreciated.
Buy a phone on eBay. When my phone had an unfortunate encounter with a ceramic tile floor, I considered upgrading (since our contract was up), but I ended up getting a regular phone for $30 and didn't have to worry about having another contract with AT&T.
ReplyDelete(Can you tell I'm not ready for a smart phone yet?)
We have smart phones without the data plan. It's nice because we don't pay for internet but if there's wifi around we can still get internet.
ReplyDeleteGet the smart phone with the data plan. I used to be (almost) as hard on my phones as you, and now I take (better) care of it. I still drop it plenty though. It makes me do much more organized and efficient and the novelty of checking email all the time wears off.
ReplyDeleteIf you really did nothing to it, consider contacting your phone company to see if they will send you a replacement cheapo phone. The worst that can happen is that they say "no" and then you can start considering your other options. If they say "yes", you can put off the decisiono on smart phones.
ReplyDeleteI think we're in the same phone boat (minus the dead phone part), but I plan on holding out as long as possible with my el cheap-o phones. I think it's one of those things where you don't miss what you don't have, but once you have it, there's no going back. Embrace phone ignorance.
ReplyDeleteSmart phones are nice, but even with promos they are always going to be more expensive than a cheapie phone, especially when factoring in the data plan. And most carriers won't activate it as your actual phone unless you pay for the data plan. Elise has James' old iPhone but she has a normal phone to talk with and uses the iPhone almost like an iTouch at WiFi hotspots because she couldn't get it activated as a phone without the data plan. Frankly, what's the point of a smart phone without the data plan? The whole point is to look up directions, etc. on the go. They are handy but not essential to life. If I didn't need it for my sales we wouldn't have taken the plunge yet just because of the cost. And Laura's wrong: the novelty does not wear off. She must not be as internet obsessed as you and I are. I check my email about 100 times a day. For real. FYI. Have you tried charging your phone for a long time and then trying to turn it back on? Just a thought. Sounds like what my computer does when it's at about 2% battery. Slows down, I turn it off and it won't turn back on or respond until it's been charging for quite awhile.
ReplyDeleteMy sis is rough on her phones, but the insurance is only like 10 bucks and it covers everything (loss, water damage, drops, EVERYTHING). So if ya get a smart phone, just get a decent cover and the insurance!
ReplyDeleteIf you do end up getting the smartphone, let me know and I'll find out what kind of case T has for his. He drops his ALL THE TIME; hence his smartphone is is a very good case. He said he'd rather pay a bit for a case than get a new phone when he inevitably drops it.
ReplyDelete