Smart phones; a discussion

[Peter Jenkins]

59 minutes ago, James Green2 said:

We have a wired connection and are lucky in that we do not have any other WiFi signals from neighbours at all (we do not have any neighbours) . The use of RC equipment is generally short in duration by comparison. The risks of WiFi are not fully understood, but each to their own of course!

I have a wired connection to my computer but it's plugged into the back of the hub provided by your ISP, in my case, by BT.  The hub comes with WiFi active whether you like it or not and sits there transmitting 24/7.

[Cuban8]

Cost can be off putting if you go down the route of some of the contracts with the big companies. You can wind up paying a huge amount for the phone and pay too much for data and calls. My wife and I both bought new unlocked phones from Ebay suppliers that we've used before and have had first rate products and service from . Her phone is far more capable than mine and cost twice as much, but still way less than an equivalent bought through a high street shop. We don't swap phones regularly - maybe every five years - the battery in her three years old Google Pixel 3XL began to fail but our son in law had the right kit to open it up, replace the battery and reseal it. As good as new for the cost of a ten quid part.

We have O2 as our call provider that costs around twenty quid a month for both phones - unlimited calls - unlimited texts and a huge amout of data that we rarely get anywhere near using up each month despite a lot of useage.

My daughter and son in law are far more engaged with modern tech than me and Mrs C8 -  both have very powerful phones, smart watches and their house is increasingly becoming 'smart' via all sorts of apps and smart devices - often voice controlled via Alexa. I think it's great, but not a route I'd go down too far. We do have a security camera that can be viewed from our phones but I don't feel the need to be able to control the central heating remotely as essential, although I can see some circumstances where it could be beneficial.

Not surprisingly, our four years old grandaughter is expert at finding her way around my wife's phone to get at the photos - her thumbs move like lightning!

[J D 8]

  So re my post on last page any recommendations for a phone to suit myself. only need basic stuff by todays standard. EE the only service provider here.

[Rob Buckley]

a hundred and two quid on Amazon

[Geoff S]

I do have a Nokia with Android 10 but use it very sparingly.  When I think how a few years ago I'd be out on my bike (pedal or power) and no-one knew where I was, I had to be self-reliant, so I carried tools and spares (inner tubes/spokes) to keep me going. Now I take my phone but I've never used it.  My wife and I used to cycle camp in the Alps or Pyrenees and even we often didn't know where we were going to stay the next night; I suppose now we'd be able to be in contact with friends or family but the freedom was great.

 

I find phones awful to use as computers.  I can never find the right letters on the oversensitive touch screen.  I use a 'proper' desk top PC with a full size keyboard, mouse and a huge vdu for 99% of my internet (and TV for that matter) use.  I have a good chance of repairing it if it goes wrong. I've replaced batteries in phones (which is hard enough) but that's about it.

 

@JD8 There is a signal for EE where we live but not indoors.  Vodaphone is all that works indoors and we're high up.  It cost us <£20/month for two of us with enough data to use the internet away from home, where we use the router wifi.  About the only data we use is to cheat on the Guardian so-called Quick Crossword (it's not often quick!) we do over our evening meal.

[Frank Skilbeck]

Great for buying mower spares at the field, so I don't have to remember when I get home!

 

Apart from the main apps (maps, wallet etc etc) rainfall radar to check that shower is going to pass over, flight radar to check what full size is passing overhead.

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

16 hours ago, Arthur Harris said:

, it is like having a computer, a camera, a video camera, an encyclopedia, and a calculator, in your pocket.

Do you need all that rubbish ?, I have that in my head it's called 'a Brain',, 😇

 

Seriously, I was given one 18 months ago, I only use it for "WhatsApp', and as a telephone, ok sometimes I photograph the 1mm print in the supermarkets to make the writing readable but that's it.

[ken anderson.]

If you had told father in law who was in to tech(he died in 1982/RIP)...that we would be walking around with something the size of a packet of cigs...that could make phone calls on,take photos and videos....he would have thought you were crackers....the mobile phone as we know it is a fantastic piece of modern technology ... Smart phones even more so..

 

Ken Anderson...ne..1...2024 dept.

.

[Engine Doctor]

 From Tesco phone shop Samsung A12  x 2 for £19-98 a month inc calls texts and data ( far more than my wife and I ever use ) drops to £8 each a month after 24 months. Camera is good but doesnt have the gizmos that the youngsters want . Far better and up to date sat nav than supplied in ny car. 

[Frank Skilbeck]

3 minutes ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

Do you need all that rubbish ?, I have that in my head it's called 'a Brain',, 😇

 

 

You'll just have to post a video/photo you've taken with your brain on here. 😄

[john davidson 1]

Smart phones are not nearly as user friendly as a laptop for using the web, and laptop is free, no contract. Can't beat my 20 my year old Nokia as a pure phone, tiny compared to a smart phone. 3 pence a minute, £10 lasts for  months. People are being sucked into subscribing for more and more things, it all adds up

Edited January 18 by john davidson 1

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

1 minute ago, Frank Skilbeck said:

You'll just have to post a video/photo you've taken with your brain on here. 😄

No, I learnt that when I was last at Duxford, all i actually saw of most of the display was through a camera viewfinder, that was a perfect lesson to go to meeting without one and just enjoy the display.

 

 

Ps, I can give a narrative of what you ask and that from my brain to a blind person, can your phone do that ?.

[john davidson 1]

3 minutes ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

No, I learnt that when I was last at Duxford, all i actually saw of most of the display was through a camera viewfinder, that was a perfect lesson to go to meeting without one and just enjoy the display.

 

 

Ps, I can give a narrative of what you ask and that from my brain to a blind person, can your phone do that ?.

Exactly, look at all the zombies wandering about looking down , no idea of their surroundings

[Learner]

1 hour ago, john davidson 1 said:

Exactly, look at all the zombies wandering about looking down , no idea of their surroundings

Not just wanderers, still plenty of drivers doing the same.

[EvilC57]

In no particular order:

Banking

Contacts

Dictionary and language translations

Calculator

Calender/Diary with appropriately timed reminders

Notebook

Secure (password protected) notebook

CCTV Security camera app which allows me to view our house security cameras from anywhere in the world with an internet connection

House alarm app which allows me to monitor and set/unset alarm remotely

Spektrum AS3X app for programming AR636 receivers

Camera & geolocated photo storage (I can easily find exactly when/where a picture was taken - can't do that with a Box Brownie!)

Internet

Email

eBay

Weather - and I don't mean just forecasts but live rain radar, very useful on the field to see exactly when rain is coming

Text messaging

WhatsApp

Maps/GPS - including (via Apple Carplay and the car 'infotainment' display) Google Maps showing live traffic conditions ahead while driving.

Compass

Shazam, which will listen to a piece of music and tell me what/who it is

Toilet Map app - useful at our age when out and about!

BBC Sounds and other radio apps so I can listen to the radio while out walking

MP3 player so I can listen to my own music on long haul flights

Planefinder & Flightrader 24 apps, so I can be nosey about aircraft flying overhead - also useful if I'm meeting someone arriving at an airport

Drone Assist

NHS app

Food Standard Agency 'Food Hygiene' app - useful before you go into an eating establishment to find out how clean their kitchen is

Tripadvisor

Car parking apps for those times I find myself in a car park which will only accept payment by smartphone

'RHS Grow' plant recognition app

Oh, and the occasional phone call.

 

But no 'social media'. The closest I'll ever get to that is WhatsApp and this forum!

 

All this (and more) on an iPhone 8 paid for years ago, on a SIM only contract for just over £7 a month.

 

Edited January 18 by EvilC57

[Don Fry]

I was an early adopter (forced) of mobile phones. I used to do crime scene management.

My job, I signed off a strategy with the senior detective, and set about doing it. It was subject to alteration. I could be reached every 2.5 hours, when I left the crime scene, pee, tea,  return. For the entire 16 hour day, with a two 20 minute meal breaks. Day after day. 
Mobiles arrived, instant contact, don’t care what you are doing, don’t care I’ve not thought about it, want this altered, or not.

Now you get one chance to get a crime scene right, and that’s it. After a few too many, a phone was accidenty dropped one in a pond, another, 3rd floor window, another, reversed a van over it. So sorry. Spikey got silence to work.
I note, the 20 year olds regard it as rude to phone someone without clearing it first. I note, old scotes take the Michael. I see the same 20 year olds point. 

That said, I have a nice smartphone, it does not ring much, because I have a high filter as to who gets the number. I don’t use it much, best bit, my recipe books on it, and I see something nice, can pick up the other ingredients. Also, train the voice recognition AI, the keyboard is redundant. But it still earns it keep. 
Really good basic camera, music, plant ID apps, maps ( saved me today when the dog led me miles into an unfamiliar wood), world class voice controlled timer, and all sorts. But it’s a serious tool, not sumot to fritter a brain away. 

[Arthur Harris]

5 hours ago, EvilC57 said:

In no particular order:

Banking

Contacts

Dictionary and language translations

Calculator

Calender/Diary with appropriately timed reminders

Notebook

Secure (password protected) notebook

CCTV Security camera app which allows me to view our house security cameras from anywhere in the world with an internet connection

House alarm app which allows me to monitor and set/unset alarm remotely

Spektrum AS3X app for programming AR636 receivers

Camera & geolocated photo storage (I can easily find exactly when/where a picture was taken - can't do that with a Box Brownie!)

Internet

Email

eBay

Weather - and I don't mean just forecasts but live rain radar, very useful on the field to see exactly when rain is coming

Text messaging

WhatsApp

Maps/GPS - including (via Apple Carplay and the car 'infotainment' display) Google Maps showing live traffic conditions ahead while driving.

Compass

Shazam, which will listen to a piece of music and tell me what/who it is

Toilet Map app - useful at our age when out and about!

BBC Sounds and other radio apps so I can listen to the radio while out walking

MP3 player so I can listen to my own music on long haul flights

Planefinder & Flightrader 24 apps, so I can be nosey about aircraft flying overhead - also useful if I'm meeting someone arriving at an airport

Drone Assist

NHS app

Food Standard Agency 'Food Hygiene' app - useful before you go into an eating establishment to find out how clean their kitchen is

Tripadvisor

Car parking apps for those times I find myself in a car park which will only accept payment by smartphone

'RHS Grow' plant recognition app

Oh, and the occasional phone call.

 

But no 'social media'. The closest I'll ever get to that is WhatsApp and this forum!

 

All this (and more) on an iPhone 8 paid for years ago, on a SIM only contract for just over £7 a month.

 

All that, and you can ask, just ask, 'what is the best UK price for a Riot RC plane?', and it will give you a list of vendors and prices! You might well want to do some more research afterwards, but it's a good start. I have read that we all carry more computing power in our pockets now than NASA had available for the moon landings.

[David Holland 2]

I was told (can’t remember who) that a Ford Sierra had more computer power than the Apollo space craft!!
 

[EvilC57]

8 hours ago, Arthur Harris said:

All that, and you can ask, just ask, 'what is the best UK price for a Riot RC plane?', and it will give you a list of vendors and prices! You might well want to do some more research afterwards, but it's a good start. I have read that we all carry more computing power in our pockets now than NASA had available for the moon landings.

Can I just add torch, stopwatch and spirit level to my original list!

[MattyB]

You can tell a lot about the demographics of this forum (and the hobby in general) from this thread. Those asking why a smartphone and social media are a necessary part of everyday life cannot have attempted to get a well paid job in the last 10 years or so. I can assure you an actively maintained LinkedIn profile and the ability to respond very quickly to hirers and recruiters is absolutely key (some companies will actively screen out applicants who do not have a social media footprint they can use to review and research them). 

[Ron Gray]

8 minutes ago, MattyB said:

I can assure you an actively maintained LinkedIn profile and the ability to respond very quickly to hirers and recruiters is absolutely key (some companies will actively screen out applicants who do not have a social media footprint they can use to review and research them). 

Which is why I was glad to get out when I did. I love technology but hate it when I'm expected to use on-line media, that has to be my choice I'm afraid. A bit like my pate hate of most HR departments and IT departments (and bearing in mind I worked in IT Development for 30+ years!).

[leccyflyer]

12 minutes ago, MattyB said:

You can tell a lot about the demographics of this forum (and the hobby in general) from this thread. Those asking why a smartphone and social media are a necessary part of everyday life cannot have attempted to get a well paid job in the last 10 years or so. I can assure you an actively maintained LinkedIn profile and the ability to respond very quickly to hirers and recruiters is absolutely key (some companies will actively screen out applicants who do not have a social media footprint they can use to review and research them). 

Agree with the bit about the benefits of the smartphone in terms of the access that it gives and the accessories that it brings, but the comment about well paid job recruitment having Linkedin as a prerequisite to having a well paid job is really only if you are looking at an office job. Though all of the very well paid tradesmen that I know most definitely have smartphones, not too many of them are on Linkedin and their companies certainly didn't require a social media presence to assist in their recruitment. 😉

[James Green2]

21 hours ago, Peter Jenkins said:

I have a wired connection to my computer but it's plugged into the back of the hub provided by your ISP, in my case, by BT.  The hub comes with WiFi active whether you like it or not and sits there transmitting 24/7.

Mine doesn't. We rang BT and had them switch off the Wifi. I have a device that scans for Wifi and can confirm it is now switch off. Each to their own of course and not trying to plug an agenda.

[Peter Jenkins]

43 minutes ago, James Green2 said:

Mine doesn't. We rang BT and had them switch off the Wifi. I have a device that scans for Wifi and can confirm it is now switch off. Each to their own of course and not trying to plug an agenda.

That's fine.  I can understand your desire not to be surrounded by WiFi signals but the moment you are outside you are still getting bombarded by WiFi radiation once you are in town.  You can never get away from WiFi in towns, on trains, increasingly on planes and the underground.  You also have the radiation from the Sun, that gets through the Van Allen belts and the atmosphere with which to contend as well as commercial TV signals, mobile phone signals, radars not to mention the radiation from granite and other ores naturally found on the Earth.  So, just so long as you realise that your own personal preference to not be exposed to WiFi radiation doesn't actually work in today's world unless you go to the edges of the UK but the Sun will still get you there and clouds only stop radiant radiation and not shorter wave stuff that gets through the Van Allen belts.

[Nigel R]

2 hours ago, MattyB said:

You can tell a lot about the demographics of this forum (and the hobby in general) from this thread. Those asking why a smartphone and social media are a necessary part of everyday life cannot have attempted to get a well paid job in the last 10 years or so. I can assure you an actively maintained LinkedIn profile and the ability to respond very quickly to hirers and recruiters is absolutely key (some companies will actively screen out applicants who do not have a social media footprint they can use to review and research them). 

 

Yes, no, maybe. Depends on the particular nature of the job. Some actively prefer a somewhat lower social media profile.