Don't have one, don't need one, don't really want one

BlueBelle

I agree with you. It is personal choice but I am like you in this regard. I am listening to my Audible book while writing this. My books are on my phone so I can listen everywhere!

I was out walking with a friend and she had a heart attack…we were 2 miles from a phone. I used my mobile… she’s alive! What a feeling of satisfaction this has given me! Enough said!?

It’s up to you if you have a mobile phone. Personally I wouldn’t be without mine - I use it as a calendar so if I lose it I lose everything I also use it to make payments when I’m out and about.
We are all different so it’s entirely up to you. X

Try texting when you have arthritic hands! My sons receive some strange comments.

I have a smart phone and use it when necessary but reiterate that not all but many people miss out on things because they are constantly looking at a small screen. Sit in a park and people watch, lovely trees, flowers and scenery but the majority of people passing me are using their phone. This is true I did it this morning.

You’re right to feel miffed. Could you use speech activation on a smartphone as most have that facility?

I have had a simple mobile phone (calls+ texts) for years and now I would like to upgrade and buy a smartphone.
I'm looking for one that's basic and easy to use, but would prefer not to choose an iPhone

Thank you for any advice on the features I should look out for..I already know the screen must be large enough..batteries should be long-lasting...
What else???

I am concerned at the number of people who seem to spend all their free time gazing at the small screen. I find much better things to do with my time.

Why be concerned that everyone else is getting on with their lives and adapting to change more easily than you appear to be?

I imagine that if you live sheltered housing then you might not be interested in what’s going on outside of your little bubble. However, even my mum who would be in her late-nineties by now, loved keeping up with the latest technology. Mind you, she was a WAAF and worked for Bomber Command, so she wasn’t afraid of being viewed as an intelligent woman. ??‍♀️

I said exactly the same thing about an iPad !
10 years ago
Can tell you how much I use it now
For news information communication social media recipes appointments all sorts
(Especially useful during lockdown for zooms)

If your OH has a phone for emergency calls I can thoroughly recommend an iPad ? Xx

Ok let me preface this by saying I wouldn't be without a smart phone .
Just a few days ago my husband had a fairly major incident and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We had his car, I had never driven, I was about 45 mins from home, I didn't know how my husband was .
I sat in the car , sent a WhatsApp to my son and asked him to call me.
I just waited for him to be available, he was about five mins later. I burst into tears and told him all what had happened. Very grateful that I could immediately contact him post the situation.
When my parents were alive ...the mobile was never on mute
Nowadays my phone is permanently on mute with the exception of ten phone numbers . WhatsApp buzzes and I mute those except my son overnight
I play Scrabble when on the bus. If I just want to listen to a book I can , I can read a book. Look up the next bus and so on .
Even my parents had smart phones. Dad was very deaf but love to send his grandson photos and SMS . He even had an Instagram account lol
I have a laptop for projects and suclike. I have a few tablets for watching tv, a Kindle a Kobo and my phone.
Ohhhh I also control our blinds and lights via the phone.

And I now hear the world is round.

I’ve had a mobile phone since 1994, so a loooong time. I don’t work now but use it to keep in touch with friends. I also run a group on FB so use it for that too.

But the older I’m getting, I find myself using it less than ever. I often have ‘phone free’ days which are lovely and peaceful.

And I’m finding that when I’m looking for holiday destinations in the U.K, I’m actually looking for places that have little or no signal.

Last May, I spent a week near Usk in Wales. No signal - no phone - no emails… just beautiful sunny days, sitting in the garden, lounging in the hot tub and enjoying reading and doing a huge jigsaw puzzle

It was bliss!

It is obviously up to individual choice whether to have a mobile/smartphone or not. I couldn’t manage without mine now It makes life easier in so many ways, plus there are many things in modern life for which it has become necessary. Mine is synched with my iPad and provides me with much easier and simpler ways to keep track of essentials in my life from browsing for a new jacket to wear to my niece’s wedding, keeping account of direct debits from my bank, tracking my electricity usage or date/time of next doctors appointment and so much more! For an inherently physically lazy person like myself who nevertheless likes to be organised, it is an absolute godsend! (Speaking of that, my local church does online services too!).

Problem is they are taking away your freedom of choice if they don't give alternatives to using a smart phone/ app.
Each to their own but I still prefer to have a talk to someone, much needed during lockdowns as I am on my own.
Sometimes when I receive texts I can't work out what it means as they use all the abbreviations - so the art of spelling goes too.

I originally got one years and years ago when I realized that if I broke down how could I call the RAC. Now I would not be without my phone.... It isn't just a phone is it...the list is endless of the things it does. Did you know that there is actually more technology in my phone than it took to put man on the moon?

I've had one since the mid 90's (small brick size). Work ended at 11 PM & always drove interstate home. After carload of idiots for some unknown reason tried to drive me off of highway (semi-truck driver intervened, God love him!), my Hubby bought me one.

It was originally for emergency calls, but I still only use as a phone. For security reasons, I only use my home computer for banking, email, bill payments, et al.

I chose my smartphone based on screensize! 6 inch screen minimum for me I also use it for reading kindle books, and as the phone is always in my pocket I can take it out any time I have a spare moment and read. NB I actually choose my clothes to have large pockets.

I love my iPad, but resisted having a smartphone for years. I just had an old fashioned basic mobile phone that I kept in the car glove box in case I broke down in the car and needed to call for rescue.
However a couple of years ago I started to find that some of the websites I use require a second level of security by sending a message to the phone, and it didn’t work with landline or old mobile phone, so I relented and got a smartphone. I still use the iPad for internet stuff though, as the screen on the phone is so small.

M0nica

Sad to note that there was no comments on the problems I have using a mobile phone because of dyspraxia, nor consideration in any one's post for the problems of anyone who actually has problems, ohysical or cognitive, using a smartphone.

Any phone is a bit hard to operate for anyone with those problems. Even opening an envelope is an ordeal if you have arthritis in your hands! For some disabilities, a smart phone actually helps more than the old fashioned methods.

I have a phone but it is very basic and doesn't connect to the internet. It phones and texts, that's all I need - in case of emergency which in the car.

Pittcity, I can cope with the technology as I keep saying, but thank you, that is a good suggestion.

I prefer big screens. As we are away from home at present, I am currently on my laptop. I have a large laptop at home. I have been using computers for over 40 years and have successfully made the transition from technology to technology and through generations of software, I edited a learned journal for 20 years, including keeping up with printing technology

I am not technology deficient, it is just those pesky little phones and the operations and apps. I phone, do not text if I can avoid it and use sat nav. But would like to use this expensive bit of kit a bit more.

Yes I think its also worth remembering that in the last few years technology has had a really positive impact for many of those with learning disabilities. I use various forms of technology almost every day to give children with learning disabilities some independence. Many of the phone providers give advice on making phones accessible, voice apps etc. I am not saying that it isnt an issue but that technology has at the same time provided many opportunities certainly for the children I work with many of whom have complex physical needs.

Although I wouldn’t be without my phone, I still use my iPad a lot - big screen makes many things easier.
Also, so much better viewing photos/little videos (I get a lot from dd of the Gdcs) on the iPad’s bigger screen.

All photos and videos received on my phone automatically appear on the iPad, too.

Modern smartphones can be easily set up for use by people with many disabilities.
For example those with dexterity problems can use voice control. I have dictated this reply, no typing involved.
You might need a young person to set up the accessibility features and some advice on which phone and set up could help you most.

*SueDonim, I knew I wasn't the only person with this problem! There are many reasons why people cannot, or have difficulty, using mobile phones, that are not technological.

Dyspraxia, like dyslexia etc affects people different ways. When I was diagnosed, I had some specialist pysiotherapy that helped, but I also have a problem with distraction by outside events, ambient noise and I do not like using a phone in busy places. Even at home, with a landline phone, I will go into another room by myself if a phone call is of any length or concentration is required and I do a lot of things with my eyes shut to remove visual distractions. DS, whose diagnosis of dyspraxia led to me being assessed, does manage with a mobile phone, but his dyspraxia manifests in different ways, his problem that is he is never sure if he can find it!

My Dh struggles in a similar way to you, Monica. He’s not dyspraxic but he has psoriatic arthritis and his fingers are swollen. The tips are almost twice as wide as my own, plus he has numbness, so typing on a small screen is arduous.

He’s just reverted to a dumb phone, in part because the swelling means that fingerprint recognition rarely works for him on a smart phone. Facial recognition could solve that one but often the speed that’s required to use it means it’s closed down before his fingers have managed to prod the various ‘buttons. Another issue is that the swelling means he often accidentally touches the sides of the screen and shuts it down. That even happens on something as big as his iPad so a phone is even more challenging.

I suppose it’s also a generational problem because we didn’t grow up with these skills. I know a number of people with dyspraxic children/GC and they all somehow seem to manage to use screens - sometimes to their parents’ despair!