Crap...I'm lost in the 21st century

[JB White]

My 'dumb phone' finally gave up. Calls and text on a slide out keypad was all I ever needed. Good luck trying to find another. Screen going blind. Had to cuff it to read it in sunlight and it was steadily growing darker from one corner and spreading out. Keys that no longer worked. Had to shift back and forth pad to pad as a workaround but I had it mastered. Tough finding a new case for it when one got frayed and ugly. I always managed to find something. Kept it clipped to my pocket like a tape measure because I was so used to wearing one there for decades. It was small enough that I didn't notice it until needed.
Now the battery is on what I think is its final phase of half life. Decided it was time for a new phone.

Without much hesitation I bought an iphone8. The price was better and it shouldn't be totally obsolete before I got it home.
Can't decide whether I'm a caveman with a new helicopter or a blind man on a motorcycle. Either way it isn't very good.

[lyman]

we used to set up at a Gunshow in Fishersville VA,

we joked, cause all the patrons of that show seemed to have flip phones,
even the young ones,

you rarely see a flip phone anymore, unless the user is over 70

[barretcreek]

Lost my LG slider the w/e before TG. Finally bought a new flip phone. I refuse to get a 'tracker'.

[Mark in Ottawa]

My wife just bought an i8 and loves it. One useful thing that she discovered is that the local Apple store gives a lot of 1 hour free courses on how to use its features. You do have to sign up but this is done on line. I attended a couple of the courses and they were worth attending. Typical class size is about 8 students

[JB White]

My wife just bought an i8 and loves it. One useful thing that she discovered is that the local Apple store gives a lot of 1 hour free courses on how to use its features. You do have to sign up but this is done on line. I attended a couple of the courses and they were worth attending. Typical class size is about 8 students

Thank you, Mark. It was suggested I might try "Apple School" but they didn't say what was involved or that it was N/C. I imagined a large symposium or something similar. Knowing what I now know I may look into it a bit further.
To think my mother taught me to use the phone when I was 6. All it took was a brief explanation of what the numbers actually meant using the alpha numerical system,(ie: POL-1313 for police and FIR-1313 for Fire etc.) then showing me how the rotary dial worked and making a call to Grandma.
The only serious question I had was if I could simply dial "O" and ask the operator to call Grandma for me.

I did manage to get into the Verizon cloud and transfer my directory over. Feeling all proud of myself at the moment.

[EO1]

I have a flip phone. It cost me $15. No reason to have anything other than a "phone". I figure it's the equivalent of a pocket full of quarters in case I break down.

[Allen]

I like flip phones (the tiny ones). They prevent you from butt dialing. I keep my cell turned off unless I need it for something important. Have you noticed all the pressure everywhere you look to "add your mobile device", link all your accounts into one account such as "twitter" and "facebook"? Why is that? So the feds can track you if they desire but also if one account gets hacked, they all get hacked. The hacker will get all the info he wants this way.

Phones can be helpful though. I for one do not stay glued to one all the time like you see drivers do on the roads so I don't need the expensive unlimited time contracts. I think the camera is a handy feature too if you have one that is of good quality like Fred's on this forum but all the other technology tacked on them you can keep.

[Vern Humphrey]

Like you, I rarely turn my Wal Mart trak phone on. If I need to talk to someone, I have it. Otherwise, it's just something else to carry around.

[gwp]

I had a company cell phone before I retired. After I retired I didn't see the need for the electronic leash. When I started having medical problems, my daughter was concerned when I frequently didn't answer the phone. The fact I didn't answer because I was out of the house didn't matter to her. She added me to her cell plan and selected a smartphone. I would get a "how is it going" text every day and she was happy if I responded some time during the day. After a while, she realized my health was not as bad as she had imaged.

I purchased a new cell phone to use MirrorLink to display the phone screen (GPS system) on the in-dash monitor of my new car. I use the old cellphone for target practice using iTarget laser target system. The new cell phone has the MantisX shooting system loaded and between the two systems, I am able to track the movement of the pistol and identify where it hits the target. This allows me to practice for a few minutes whenever I chose. With the large screen phone, I can easily watch Netflix over the VA WiFi as I wait. I have games and audio books loaded so I can kill time anywhere. I am not obsessed with the phone but I do find it useful.

[Major Tom]

My wife upgraded her old Samsung 5 to the latest version. She absolutely hates it! Me? I have a Tracfone that costs me $7p/mo. Never has failed and always clear sound.