How to live with one electronic device?

[Isaac Zackary]

Originally Posted by cajunfj40

Hello all,

A quick search found multiple threads, products, etc. intended to show how/allow connecting fullsize monitor, keyboard, etc. to a smartphone.

Basically, have only the smartphone, and "dock" it at home. If you don't play any games that don't run on phones, you should be able to get by just fine.

I've tried that. It definitely depends on what you need to do with your device. I've hooked up a mouse to both a Windows Phone and an Android Phone before. I don't think Apple has any mouse support on their phones or tablets. (I don't think they have touch screen support on any of their laptops or desktops either.)

The only problem is if you need that kind of interface somewhere away from home. My tablet has a removable keyboard and touchpad that act as a screen cover so the whole thing is much more portable than a small TV, keyboard and mouse. But if you only type at home, then that ought to be all you need.

______________________

Another couple things to think about. For one, some phones and tablets (at least iPhones, iPads and Windows Phones, I'm not sure about Android) when they go bonkers may need to be connected to a PC to be reset. With Apple it gets even worse, since a lot of times you can't fix an iPhone or iPad except only on a PC that has your iTunes on it. Try to plug into another computer and it won't let you do anything. It's almost like they were designed with the idea you'd own both the phone and a PC or Mac of some sort.

Another thing is product life. Phones tend to have shorter lives due to support cut-off. That's what really got me mad about my first and only Android. In less than a year after it came out it was already outdated and there was one main app I couldn't update or reinstall soon afterward. The first iPad was the same way. Now, they have improved over the years. But not to the extent of a laptop. You can get 10 years or more of support for a laptop.

[freebeard]

Yes. It all depends on what you need to do. I can plug in a second screen, Blu-Ray optical drive, printer/scanner, extra mouse and a thumb drive along with the type cover keyboard all into my Surface 3 tablet all at the same time. But I need all that for the work I do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2VxwFEA8xM

Back in the day, I started with a 128K Macintosh and an Apple Newton. Now I have a 13" laptop with a mouse and 23" Apple monitor. I bought an iPod Touch [used] for $25, but it looks like I'll have to jailbreak it to make it usable.

[jjackstone]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zackary

...One idea is to carry around a man-purse of some sort for carrying around the tablet. And that works sometimes. But as a man, I'm not used to remembering to carry around a bag with me. A big pocket attached to my clothing would be better.

I saw some sort of bag that straps on under the arm. That seems like an ok solution. It's like adding a big pocket on the side or your shirt. What do you think?

Any other ideas?

We used to call a man purse a backpack. They still make'em.
JJ

[freebeard]

I have a backpack designed specifically for laptops. It has a zippered lid with a zippered compartment in it on the top (for batteries) and three layers of pouches for documents. I just weighed it — 25lb.

It currently has an Apple 'Pismo' laptop in it. That model lasted a while, it was the last one with two swappable battery/disk drive bays. You could A-B two batteries or have a floppy or CD-ROM drive. I don't know if it even starts up now.

Have patience, eventually the computer will reduce down to a headmount camera/display of some sort and a hand-held stylus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJcqhvadbkI

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by cajunfj40

Basically, have only the smartphone, and "dock" it at home. If you don't play any games that don't run on phones, you should be able to get by just fine.

But I don't need any of the non-phone capabilities when I'm away from home, and the non-smart phone is (for me, at least) a much better phone than a smart phone would be.

And of course, for me to do useful work, I'd have to figure out how to install a working Linux system on the smartphone...

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zackary

Another thing is product life. Phones tend to have shorter lives due to support cut-off. That's what really got me mad about my first and only Android. In less than a year after it came out it was already outdated and there was one main app I couldn't update or reinstall soon afterward. The first iPad was the same way. Now, they have improved over the years. But not to the extent of a laptop. You can get 10 years or more of support for a laptop.

Yeah, but outdated doesn't mean unusable. I'm still rocking a Galaxy S5, going on 4 1/2 years now. It came with Android Kit Kat, and updated twice to Marshmallow. That OS is now unsupported, but I can't bring myself to buy a new phone when this one is working just fine.

My biggest gripe about phones now is the non-replaceable battery. I have two extra batteries for my S5, but there aren't any comparable phones now with removable batteries. So, I'll be locking myself into a 2-3 year replacement interval as the battery degrades. And on top of that, you can't get cheap smartphones anymore; the S5 was $100 with a service contract. Now, you pay full price but they try and make you feel better about it by financing over 24 months.

[Isaac Zackary]

Originally Posted by Vman455

Yeah, but outdated doesn't mean unusable. I'm still rocking a Galaxy S5, going on 4 1/2 years now. It came with Android Kit Kat, and updated twice to Marshmallow. That OS is now unsupported, but I can't bring myself to buy a new phone when this one is working just fine.

Ya, I think the outdating problem is becoming less of an issue.

First, the device updates to it's last OS version. After that it still is supported for a while even though other devices get newer OS versions. But then comes the time the OS version is no longer supported by it's creator, so no more bug fixes, updates, virus protection, etc. Soon after that the app creators no longer make or update apps for that OS version. That can mean that some apps quit working, while other may still work just fine. Others work but just without new updated content or features.

Originally Posted by Vman455

My biggest gripe about phones now is the non-replaceable battery. I have two extra batteries for my S5, but there aren't any comparable phones now with removable batteries. So, I'll be locking myself into a 2-3 year replacement interval as the battery degrades. And on top of that, you can't get cheap smartphones anymore; the S5 was $100 with a service contract. Now, you pay full price but they try and make you feel better about it by financing over 24 months.

Smartphone price is a big problem IMO. I was looking at CR magazine about the best smartphones, and it started it's list at $350 phones IIRC. A lot of phone companies are starting their phone prices at nearly $1,000. You can buy Samsung phones for over $1,800!

Now mind you that I bought a $350 Windows Vista laptop in Wal-Mart in 2007, later put 1GB more of memory in it making it 2GB total for $15 on sale, then put Windows 7 on it for $35 off eBay, then I did the free upgrade to Windows 10. The laptop is still working fine today, although a bit slow. But not bad for a nearly 12 year old cheap laptop from Wal-Mart. I even took real good care of the battery by keeping it charged at around 50% and leaving it in the fridge when I didn't need it, and it still works fairly decently.

One thing smartphone manufacturers are realizing or need to realize is that the smartphone market has matured. There are no emerging markets to try and dominate and phone technology is at it's pinnacle. And that means consumers in general will now start expecting their smartphones to last longer, including the battery, because there will no longer be that push to get the latest bells and whistles. That means they are going to need to either make batteries that last much longer or are much cheaper to replace than they are now. The phone companies that survive from here onward are the ones that can get the most longevity out of their phones and that can figure out how to make money off of things other than phone hardware.

Originally Posted by jamesqf

But I don't need any of the non-phone capabilities when I'm away from home, and the non-smart phone is (for me, at least) a much better phone than a smart phone would be.

And of course, for me to do useful work, I'd have to figure out how to install a working Linux system on the smartphone...

Well I don't know much about Linux systems. I've been with Microsoft operating systems since the first IBM 5150 PC. But I do agree that smartphones don't have much in being all that useful. Even the $1,800 ones.

• Texting on them is hard. If it's more than a yes or no question I call or go to my computer and type an email.
• Voice recognition doesn't work in the noisy environment (aka family) I live in.
• Trying to read on such a small screen makes me dizzy from the constant scrolling.

About all I've found them useful for is making phone calls, listening to headphone music and taking pictures. Which are things a lot of basic phones also do. Sure, there's a time or two that I need to see a website or file and I'm not close to my Surface 3, so I guess the phone comes in handy for that. But I usually try to carry my Surface around with me as much as possible.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zackary

Well I don't know much about Linux systems. I've been with Microsoft operating systems since the first IBM 5150 PC.

I became more familiar with Linux because of smartphones with the Android OS. Sure it's not perfect, but it seems as easy to use as earlier versions of Windows.

But I do agree that smartphones don't have much in being all that useful. Even the $1,800 ones.

• Texting on them is hard. If it's more than a yes or no question I call or go to my computer and type an email.
• Voice recognition doesn't work in the noisy environment (aka family) I live in.
• Trying to read on such a small screen makes me dizzy from the constant scrolling.

About all I've found them useful for is making phone calls, listening to headphone music and taking pictures. Which are things a lot of basic phones also do. Sure, there's a time or two that I need to see a website or file and I'm not close to my Surface 3, so I guess the phone comes in handy for that. But I usually try to carry my Surface around with me as much as possible.

Some people claim that a modern smartphone is more capable than a 20y.o. desktop, and that might be accurate, but an user-friendly interface does make a noticeable difference and to this point it's still hard for small touchscreens to replace a keyboard and a mouse. That's why I consider a smartphone to be more supplemental than an effective replacement for a PC (either desktop or laptop). In the end, the only devices effectively replaced by the smartphones and tablets were those palmtops from late-'90s to mid-'00s

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zackary

About all I've found them useful for is making phone calls, listening to headphone music and taking pictures. Which are things a lot of basic phones also do.

I'd even rather have a dedicated music player. And while I can readily imagine that trying to read documents on a phone-sized screen would be a pain, a 10" or larger tablet works well for that - better than using a regular computer, since it can be carried around and held in one hand. But it it turn would be a PITA to try to use as a phone...

[Fat Charlie]

+1

I got a used iPod touch from Amazon. Dirt cheap for touchscreen, wifi and bluetooth. Love that little thing, and it beats the hell out of tying down my phone to play music.