These are them in all their old school glory:
Both of us have noticed that whenever we walk into a work meeting or into a public place, we are the ONLY ones without a Smartphone.
I've been due for a new phone from Verizon for ages and The Hubs is waiting for his contract on his parent's plan to be up so we can finally combine plans. It seems like now is as good a time as any to see if we are ready to take the leap and join the Smartphone revolution.
So what are our reservations...
First, is the cost. At Verizon, there really isn't a price break when you have only two phones on a family plan. Then add on $60 a month for two data plans and you're talking a cell phone bill that costs as much as our TV, Phone and Internet combined!! I've been on the same plan for ages, back when talk and text was cheap!
We've been trying to save money as much as we can now before we start a family, but after meeting with our tax guy yesterday and finding out what our refund is going to be (YAY!), we sorta realized that we do have extra money for some splurges in life...Smartphones being one of them. I mean, it seems like everyone and their mother can somehow afford a Smartphone, so why can't we?
Second, is signing that darn 2 year contract. They don't make phones like they used to and it seems like they always bite the dust right before your contract is up. I'm not sure how reliable the Smartphones on the market are, but it worries me to pay a ton for a phone upfront, sign a 2 year deal and then the phone stops working 1 year in.
So blog friends, who I am sure ALL have some sort of Smartphone device...
What service provider do you have and on average how much do you pay a month?
Is the extra expense each month worth it?
What phone do you have - iPhone, Droid, Blackberry? (I have an iTouch, so I'm thinking getting an iPhone is somewhat redundant. Although my iTouch doesn't have a camera or a phone on it.)
I've been with AT&T since I first got a cell phone back in 2001. I got an iphone in 2009 and love it. My husband loved the iphone at the time but jumped over to Verizon so he could get the Droid X. He is a techy nerd and says that there are WAY better phones than iphones on the market. I don't have any interest in switching because I'm perfectly happy with my iphone and don't like learning new phones. Go to a Verizon store and play around with the phones to see what you like. Welcome to the smartphone era!
ReplyDeleteI was extremely resistant to getting a smart phone. To be honest I think I just liked saying, "I have a phone that makes phone calls. That's it."
ReplyDeleteWe're on Verizon with my parents (but I pay the whole bill---my parents used to pay my car insurance before I got a new car so it was kind of a sweet deal for me)...have you spoken to your parents about possibly all getting on one plan? The more family you have on it, the better the plan becomes, of course. We pay $195 for the 4 of us (2 smart phones, 2 regular) so it's about $50 a person. Not a great deal, really, but I'm a huge fan of Verizon (was treated really badly at Cingular/ATandT) so I'm willing to pay on principle. You don't have to have the same area codes as your parents to be on a family plan.
My husband has Droid 2 and I have Droid X (I lost my Droid 2 so I upgraded). I love the Droid X more than the Droid 2 but the size is a little big (it's slim but wide).
The expense is absolutely worth it in our home. My husband's computer stopped working and he surfs the web almost exclusively on his phone now (more than his iPad, since his phone is always around). He doesn't have a computer! For me, I work on the internet so the stress on my life has been alleviated greatly...checking email on the go primarily and being able to make small edits to wordpress is invaluable and I feel less like a prisoner glued to my laptop/desktop now. I can go out for a few hours and not worry about whether the site is falling apart or not. :)
To be honest, if I didn't work on the internet though, I'd probably still be fine with my old text and talk phone. I don't use my phone for fun apps really...just work.
YAY SMARTPHONES! I don't think it's a decision that you will regret!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm a BlackBerry fan. I know they are criticized for being behind everybody else, but in terms of battery life and dependability, they're awesome. I haven't ever used an iPhone, but I did use an Android device for a short time and I found that not having the push emails and notifications like blackberry really affected my ability to use my phone. I'm by no means an iPhone hater, but I really like the customization that blackberry allows, and the fact that I don't have to download a ton of apps!
My brother got me an IPhone when I was in Australia. He got me an unlimited call, text and internet for 115. It was cheaper than getting any other plan. I really wanted to stay with Verizon so I was really lucky. But apparently the droid is good for techy people. Who knows. I'm with you on finally jumping on the bandwagon
ReplyDeletehmmm....for me, the iPod Touch is enough for now, except it needs a camera (the next gen has one). I don't think you can get unlimited data plans for smartphones anymore. Am I wrong? Roger and I pay $108 for BOTH our (just) phones combined. I can't imagine paying that EACH. I'd love a smartphone, but I'd rather have my horse ;)
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