smartphones...(worth it?)

[cloudsoup]

i have verizon and i'm due for an upgrade. i qualify for a few free
smartphones (it would be my first one) but the minimum data package
is $30!

seriously, that would put our bill at nearly $140 a month.
am i the only one that finds this ridiculous? a free smartphone sounds
so enticing but...is it really worth it?

[articx]

Probably depends on what your needs are. Do you need a phone that can do more than send/receive calls, and maybe the camera and text features too?

[jford87]

Once you have a smartphone you wonder how you ever managed to do without it. I check my bank balance, use email, look at recipes, and a TON of other things on my phone. Lately it has become a lifeline for me since my husband is out of the country and the only way we can talk is via google chat. If I'm not at home I can still talk to him. If you don't have a smartphone, you can easily say that it's not worth it. Once you get one you will realize it is worth every penny.

[nathanfrench]

They are definitely worth it, especially with all the amazing apps and all the cool stuff they do

[kapeh12]

When I got my first cell phone, I was like you - wasn't sure if I should just get a phone with text only capability (as i needed text feature for work - the reason why I was getting the phone), or do the smartphone.  I ended up getting a smart phone through Amazon (was $0.01 with a one year contract).  Even though I really don't use the phone that much, I have found the email, internet and GPS features very valuable when I needed them.

[lynnc35]

It is crazy what phone bills cost, about half rent money for a small apartment. Its because they know they got everyone, so they jack up the price.

[bessie1111]

I'd love to have a smart phone, but I've got kids and the family package.  If we went to the data plan instead of the basic family plan, I'd be paying around $200.  It's definitely not worth it.  My kids can go online at home and still text all they want.  Until there is a cost effective data plan for families, I won't be getting one anytime soon.

[ladycasshmere]

when you have kids no because my two yr old son broke his dads phone so if you get a smartphone and you have little kids take my advice and get it insured.

[emily01]

If you can afford to pay for the data package and would find uses for the smartphone, I say go for it.  I recently got an iPhone (my first smartphone) and it has been such a huge convenience in my life.

[tzs]

Not if you die in a car wreck texting or surfing the net........

[davidh121]

I have a smartphone mainly as I need to be on call for work. I use to think in similar terms that smartphones were luxury items, especially with the cost of data plans, but with the convenience of being able to access and accomplish things on the go I can't depict myself without my smartphone despite the monthly charges. With the constant improvement of smartphones I no longer see the device as a phone, but a roaming portable computer.

[lvstephanie]

I have a smartphone mainly as I need to be on call for work. I use to think in similar terms that smartphones were luxury items, especially with the cost of data plans, but with the convenience of being able to access and accomplish things on the go I can't depict myself without my smartphone despite the monthly charges. With the constant improvement of smartphones I no longer see the device as a phone, but a roaming portable computer.

I agree that it's become less of a phone and more of a portable computer with constant WiFi access... If I'm at a karaoke bar, I can practice a song I want to sing by going out to YouTube. Or like the other day I was able to confirm some trip plans with my friend and reserve a hotel room for us while being at the mall.

In addition to the internet access, I am able to rid (or not purchase) a bunch of additional gadgets. I don't need a GPS cuz I have my phone. I don't need to carry around a digital camera cuz I have my phone. No Kindle either. No MP3 player. No Nintendo DS. etc. True the additional gadgets may be higher quality than what my phone can accomplish, but for everyday activities, I'd rather just worry about carrying my phone than having to juggle several additional gadgets.

[tigerlilly01]

i would LOVE to have a smart phone but I can not justify the cost of the service that goes along with it.  My husband would NEVER spring for that .... he hates the regular cell phones 

[duroz]

i have verizon and i'm due for an upgrade. i qualify for a few free
smartphones (it would be my first one) but the minimum data package
is $30!

seriously, that would put our bill at nearly $140 a month.
am i the only one that finds this ridiculous? a free smartphone sounds
so enticing but...is it really worth it? 

We had the EXACT situation, and that's when we decided to dump "the big V". We were ticked that you couldn't GET the newer better phones WITHOUT signing up for one of their data plans. And the really better phones had to have the higher $$ data plans.
So we stuck with our Motorola Razrs (which are still good phones, NEW ones still sell for a fair amount of money),  and we switched to PagePlus cellular, and I can't believe how much money we are saving.
Yes, this is a prepaid carrier, but the PagePlus dealer we use is TOTALLY awesome. They do offer new phones for sale (although it IS a limited inventory), and you can get low $ monthly minutes, or higher amounts of minutes that don't expire for a year, and about everything in between.

(They have data too, but we don't use it)

[Valerie1979]

I am addicted to my computer i think and i use it a lot, but I can't justify the extra $$$ for a cell phone to have all those capabililities
right now my bill is $60/month which is more minutes than I use and also has a unlimited data and 200 text/month.... this is working for me so I don't want to add anything to my bill, but I too am due for a new phone.  an iPhone or something is SO tempting as they have so much to offer, but not sure I can rationalize the need to pay that much