What income levels have smart phones?

[Deleted]

Feb 22, 2012 14:38:53 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

3 kids x $40 per month x 24 months = $2880.00 I don't exactly call that cheap.

That is almost what we will pay for just the one smart phone.

Wow. My kids are on a $20.00 pay as you go plan.
I insist on pay as you go as sometimes they don't deserve a phone.

[thyme4change]

There are many tangible benefits to cell phones. I think they are a great invention. I love knowing that my kids can find me - no matter where I am - Texas, the grocery store, out for a walk. I also have that access to my husband. I can use it as a safety feature. I remember breaking down in my car in a not-so-great neighborhood in the dark and running a mile to get to a pay phone and then having to sit there and wait for someone to come get me. It was quite terrifying to me. I would have felt safer if I could have called from inside my car and waited there. Other benefits include convenience, not losing people quite as easily, etc. When my kids get older, I will be able to get a hold of them, instead of having to just sit and worry - like my parents did.

As far as the smartphone aspect - I agree they are more of a toy. I love being able to get email and have my calendar without having to carry a date book, or my laptop. It is a benefit - not a necessity - but a benefit. Getting on the Internet - it is nice, we have been able to find restaurants, phone numbers, directions (oh - my smart phone did get my unlost in Chicago once), movie times, etc.

They have benefits. They aren't necessities.

[bean29]

OPED, as I said, our plan has 1500 shared minutes for 5 phones but it has unlimited data and texting on every phone. They aren't really sharing data, all the phones have unlimted data. As I said we were early adoptees of the smart phones, our plan has been unavailable for 3+ years already.

After the story broke earlier this Month about AT&T slowing down their unlimited data, I noticed my data feeds were also very slow at home...the phone prompted me to add my wifi access code so I did.

[bean29]

I am so used to using my calendar on my phone, I did not even think of it until Thyme mentioned it above...but it is a huge reason why I am so dependent on my smart phone. Everything goes in my calendar with reminder alarms.

I also love the phone book aspect. Names, Numbers, addresses, e-mails, space for multiple phone ##, emails, comments etc. etc.

Plus as my kids pointed out the cameras on the smart phones are better than the stand alone cameras we were buying just a few years ago.

[formerroomate99]

Well, you have to have a phone number to get callbacks for jobs. And since a lot of jobs can only be applied for online, and a smartphone is usually cheaper than a computer and internet access, using a smartphone to apply for jobs makes sense.

On the other hand, somebody who absolutely could not afford it could have a pay as you go dumb phone and use the library to send resumes and apply for jobs. But the problem with using the library is that their computers don't allow you to upload and download attachments, so while you could have your resume attached to a draft in your hotmail account, tailoring your resume and cover letter to the job may not be possible using a library computer. I'm not sure what the rules are at the internet cafe's, though.

[mmhmm]

I don't see a reason for the tempest in a teapot over this. If the youngsters have smart phones, it's okay by me. If they can't afford them, they won't have them long. If they can afford them, or the parental units are paying for them, that's cool. What I did all those years ago isn't particularly relevant in today's world, I'm afraid.

[swamp]

If you're 22, just out of college, and don't have a cell phone, I'd think you're a freak and wouldn't hire you, just because you seem like a weirdo. I don't want weirdos working for me.

[rockon]

I don't want weirdos working for me.

What happened to equal treatment for all regardless of race,gender or phone preference?

[swamp]

Feb 22, 2012 16:18:05 GMT -5 rockon said:

I don't want weirdos working for me.

What happened to equal treatment for all regardless of race,gender or phone preference?

Sorry, weirdos aren't a protected class. I don't care what color you are, what being you worship, or whether you have an innie or an outie and or whether you like innies vs. outies, or vice versa, just don't be a freak show. And a 20 something without a cell phone I consider a freak show. And I'd worry about their technological savviness.

[Sum Dum Gai]

If you're 22, just out of college, and don't have a cell phone, I'd think you're a freak and wouldn't hire you, just because you seem like a weirdo. I don't want weirdos working for me.

There's a difference between cell phone and smart phone. You guys do realize that right? You can still buy dumb phones and they work exactly the same for sending/receiving calls and texts.

[swamp]

Feb 22, 2012 16:23:55 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

If you're 22, just out of college, and don't have a cell phone, I'd think you're a freak and wouldn't hire you, just because you seem like a weirdo. I don't want weirdos working for me.

There's a difference between cell phone and smart phone. You guys do realize that right? You can still buy dumb phones and they work exactly the same for sending/receiving calls and texts.

Yes, I do. And I think you're a weirdo if you dont' ahve a smart phone in that case. If you don't have a plain old cell, well, you're just a luddite freak show that has no future.

[Deleted]

Feb 22, 2012 14:07:13 GMT -5 Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ said:

I still dont' see a problem with the younger people having a smart phone. If they're transient, they need a constant phone number to put on resumes.

Most of them are under the poverty level and likely get food stamps.

Perhaps, but the way to get off food stamps is to give people resumes with phone numbers on them.

I think a phone is a necessity. The smart phone part may be a luxury, but one that is largely forced on you. I suspect most of us have standard 2-year contracts with our cell providers that make it evident just how expensive a data plan is.

(Personally, I think $65 a month for unlimited whatever the heck I want is worth it, but that is because I have $65 per month)

I googled "prepaid phones" and of the page 1 shopping results, every phone but one was a smart phone.

Prepaid phones are about the only option for someone who moves a lot, has a low income, or a poor/nonexistent credit history. The companies sell smart phones for virtually nothing because they know using email or the internet is a good way to get someone to burn through their prepaid minutes quickly.

So, I don't take issue with anyone having a smart phone. If you have a prepaid phone and you don't figure out how to control the cost by containing your minutes/data use in the first couple of months - well, then, you're dumb and I dont have a lot of sympathy.

But my phone has a lot of bells and whistles that I don't (know how to) use - I'm sure low income folks are the same.

[Sum Dum Gai]

Yes, I do. And I think you're a weirdo if you dont' ahve a smart phone in that case.

Whatever, I'm happy with my dumb phone. It's actually a semi smart phone, but I turned off the data part. I realized what a waste it was to pay the $35 extra every month for data on my line since I rarely used it.

If it's really that important to you that anyone you hire has the capability to check private email and dork around on FB when they're supposed to be working, that's your call.

[floridayankee]

Feb 22, 2012 14:09:28 GMT -5 @joey said:

Just wait til you have the urge to buy a corvette, then you are in deep.

That'll never happen. I sat in a new 'vette in the showroom back in my teens and thought they were cramped at that age.

If anything, I'd get something more along these lines.....

[thyme4change]

Is it just me or does that truck scream "douche"?

[Deleted]

Feb 22, 2012 16:39:36 GMT -5 floridayankee said:

Feb 22, 2012 14:09:28 GMT -5 @joey said:

Just wait til you have the urge to buy a corvette, then you are in deep.

That'll never happen. I sat in a new 'vette in the showroom back in my teens and thought they were cramped at that age.

If anything, I'd get something more along these lines.....

Perfect, that most definitely does not scream Mid Life Crisis.

[Deleted]

Feb 22, 2012 17:01:21 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Is it just me or does that truck scream "douche"?

You heard it too?

[Deleted]

It doesn't matter what income levels have smart phone, as long as they pay for them and their plans.

Sheesh, you people are turning me into a right wing nutjob...not really.

It is a matter of priorities. If your smart phone is worth that much to you that you are willing to sacrifice on other things, well, it is your choice.

My Blackberry is paid for by my employer, but lately I've been cheating with an iPhone as well. Old habits die hard. Hey I'm not proud of it.

I know some people who have most of their lives organized on a phone...if they leave home without it, they forget who they are, where they are, what they have to do and all earthly contacts. Sad really.

[thyme4change]

Sheesh, you people are turning me into a right wing nutjob

LOL!!! I guess the definition of right wing nutjob is now that people are free to spend their own money.

Oh wait - that IS the definition of right wing nutjob...

[formerroomate99]

If it's really that important to you that anyone you hire has the capability to check private email and dork around on FB when they're supposed to be working, that's your call.

But in many cases, having a smartphone is the cheapest way for someone to have a reliable contact number and internet connection. Since most job hunting is done online, having a smart phone makes sense if your living situation is unstable.

[Deleted]

Feb 22, 2012 17:57:04 GMT -5 @toughtimes said:

Formerroomate, you can't get through to people who have never worked temp or freelance, never "couch surfed" and who are living in 1901. Your crap costs money too. You've bought it piece by piece. You have the computer, the landline, the cable, the internet, and most importantly, a lease or a mortgage on a place of your own where you've lived for years.

Try it with no job, working gigs as a caterer or temp secretary, bouncing from friend to friend. When the phone is how you make your dough, you'll appreciate the phone.

.


Well duh, needing an Iphone for work is an entirely different issue.

[Deleted]

Feb 22, 2012 18:00:08 GMT -5 @toughtimes said:

No it isn't. Why do you think many of the people who make 15K also have cellphones? They are working sporadically and using them to get gigs.

No because they are going to school and mommy or daddy are paying for it is more likely the case.

[thyme4change]

No because they are going to school and mommy or daddy are paying for it is more likely the case.

[Deleted]

Feb 22, 2012 18:05:06 GMT -5 @toughtimes said:

I'm sure that's many of them, and so what? If mommy and daddy want to pay...

Well they do have to keep up with all the foreign kids right?

[formerroomate99]

No, just look at the dollars and cents. I have a landline and internet (no cable) that is currently costing me $100/month, and due to come down to $70/month once I spend $100 switching to Uverse. That is the cheapest I can get in my area. My laptop cost $700 when I bought it. Now compare $700 for a computer and $70/month for internet and landline to the cost of buying a smart phone with a good plan. It's a no brainer, no matter what your living situation is. And if you're in a situation where you are moving around and living with some 'interesting' characters, having a landline that your roomates can rack up huge bills on and leaving your laptop at home where it can be stolen do not make sense.

And unlike some of you, I have done online job hunting at the library when I was semi-homeless. Between the dog slow connection and the time limits, it was difficult to get anything done. And since I wasn't able to upload or download attachments, tailoring a resume to a job was an absurd fantasy, and the only reason I was even able to send a resume was because I happened to have a copy of it in my drafts folder on my Hotmail account.

[Deleted]

I love my iphone. I didn't need it. And it does a whole lot of stuff... but I'd never prepare a report on, or keep my spreadsheets on it... not sure how it would replace a computer completely?...

I do like my proboards app... lets me check latest participated real quick like ...

[Deleted]

Feb 22, 2012 11:21:48 GMT -5 swamp said:

Feb 22, 2012 11:18:50 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

So - basically we are all shocked that young people have expensive technology that we didn't need when we were kids?

I remember specifically when I was in college, I had one year where my telephone bill was about $100 every month. And that was like 89/90. And my income was less than $15k - and I got far, far less out of it than I do from our smart phone, which costs about the same amount. I guess I'm not finding it that big of a deal.

Considering a smart phone is used as a phone, for web access, an alarm clock, a calendar, for texting, and playing music, it seems pretty cost efficient.

Nobody is saying a smart phone isn't a wonderful device.
We're talking about low income people that justify having one.

[Don Perignon]

Feb 22, 2012 17:57:04 GMT -5 @toughtimes said:

Formerroomate, you can't get through to people who have never worked temp or freelance, never "couch surfed" and who are living in 1901. Your crap costs money too. You've bought it piece by piece. You have the computer, the landline, the cable, the internet, and most importantly, a lease or a mortgage on a place of your own where you've lived for years.

Try it with no job, working gigs as a caterer or temp secretary, bouncing from friend to friend. When the phone is how you make your dough, you'll appreciate the phone.

Hmmm... slave to a gadget that provides one with minimum-wage employment... gee, where do I sign?
From what I've seen, smartphone addicts waste a lot of time fiddling with their toys.
I liked it better when people driving cars were not distracted by their toys or trying to navigate congested roads while tapping at tiny buttons and touchscreens. Keep your damn eyes on the damn road, dammit.

I have a prepaid cell phone that I use occasionally and which has been very handy on the rare occasion when I had a little car trouble... mostly it just a PITA keeping track of whether or not it's charged up.
How and where do these supposed young urban gypsies charge their batteries? It must get awfully complicated... being homeless and requiring an electical outlet for several hours at a clip and all.

[cme1201]

Feb 22, 2012 16:26:29 GMT -5 swamp said:

Feb 22, 2012 16:23:55 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

If you're 22, just out of college, and don't have a cell phone, I'd think you're a freak and wouldn't hire you, just because you seem like a weirdo. I don't want weirdos working for me.

There's a difference between cell phone and smart phone. You guys do realize that right? You can still buy dumb phones and they work exactly the same for sending/receiving calls and texts.

Yes, I do. And I think you're a weirdo if you dont' ahve a smart phone in that case. If you don't have a plain old cell, well, you're just a luddite freak show that has no future.

So your "complimenting" me then there Swamp?

[cme1201]

Feb 22, 2012 18:00:08 GMT -5 @toughtimes said:

No it isn't. Why do you think many of the people who make 15K also have cellphones? They are working sporadically and using them to get gigs.

Any actual proof to this assertation or just what you "think"