What mobile phone do you have?

juniper · Apr 16, 2016

I bought a new phone last weekend, iPhone 6s, after having a 5s for a couple of years. Trying to adjust to the bigger size, although I compared it to some of my co-workers' phones and it doesn't seem big compared to theirs.

So, do you have one of the huge "phablet" phones or an old school, non-smart phones? Anyone still have a flip phone?

(Not asking this in a techie way, but just a casual fun way, so I hope this doesn't get ported to the tech forum. Bigger audience in Office Party.)

ZachJPayne · Apr 16, 2016

Samsung Galaxy S5. I would love to get one of the big tablet phones, though!

Kerosene · Apr 16, 2016

Nexus 5x. Stock Android without the BS, middling specs that get the job done without issue, finger-print scanner, USB type C, and a fantastic camera--one of the best regardless of price. It's also at the price point where I can replace it without feeling like I just lost something that cost me an arm and a leg. I was hesitant on getting a larger phone. The 5x is still a "smaller" phone, but I upgraded from a Nexus 4 which was a rather small phone compared to nowadays. I don't notice a problem with the 5x's size. I can still pocket it easily and hold it fine. The reason why I didn't get the Nexus 6p was it's too big. Beautiful, but too big.

MaryMumsy · Apr 16, 2016

iphone 5s. I don't use most of the bells and whistles.

MM

kuwisdelu · Apr 17, 2016

juniper said:
I bought a new phone last weekend, iPhone 6s, after having a 5s for a couple of years. Trying to adjust to the bigger size, although I compared it to some of my co-workers' phones and it doesn't seem big compared to theirs.

iPhone 6S too. I got tired of carrying both a phone and my iPad.

kikazaru · Apr 17, 2016

I inherited my husbands iPhone 5s when he upgraded. It can do amazing things - so I'm told. But apparently it's like giving the keys to a Ferrari to a chimpanzee, since I never avail myself of it's wonders - I just use it to text my kids and play scrabble.

PS A few days ago I accidentally switched the flashlight on. I didn't know it even had a flashlight and while I was momentarily distracted at how bright the beam was and what a nifty feature, I couldn't figure out how to turn it off. I had to keep it plugged in for a while so it wouldn't drain the battery while I figured it out.

Yes, I'm a never ending source of entertainment to my family.

edutton · Apr 17, 2016

LG G2... it's pretty big. Decent camera, but the actual phone part is not the best (it can be hard to understand the person on the other end).

Ravioli · Apr 17, 2016

Samsung Galaxy S6. Great camera.

shadowwalker · Apr 17, 2016

I have a Nokia that somewhere between 10 and 15 years old. Fits easily in my back pocket, and does what phones are supposed to do (gets and makes calls).

Dennis E. Taylor · Apr 17, 2016

I have a Samsung S4. After buying Samsungs for a decade or so, this is probably my last one unless Samsung grows a brain. The phone is just one big piece of bloatware. Samsung has loaded it with apps that can't be uninstalled that are designed to part you from your money. I'd probably delete about 50% of the preloaded stuff if I could.

When the time comes to replace it, I'll either consider Apple (my wife loves hers) or do some research to see if someone makes a more 'bare' android phone.

Full disclosure: I'm a little pissed at Samsung right now, anyway, because I'm finding their tablets to be a huge disappointment.

Maryn · Apr 17, 2016

iPhone 5s. We're eligible for some kind of discount next winter on a replacement 6s, but I really don't care. My life is such that I don't use my phone much. However, Mr. Maryn's 5s has seen better days and we should probably get him something new.

Snowstorm · Apr 17, 2016

I have an iphone 5s, which I like. Hubby has an old flip phone for business that he refuses to upgrade. It will accept a text but when I try to respond to it (he will not), it drives me crazy. I ended up telling family/friends DO NOT text or send messages or photos to this thing. It's a phone... just a phone. That's fine with me as he's the one who carries it around and answers it.

shadowwalker · Apr 17, 2016

I guess I've never gotten the text thing. If you want to have a conversation, why not just call and talk instead of sitting there punching buttons?

T Robinson · Apr 17, 2016

shadowwalker said:
I guess I've never gotten the text thing. If you want to have a conversation, why not just call and talk instead of sitting there punching buttons?

I know the answer to that one. I had a basic flip phone till a year ago. Sometimes you can't make a phone call (sitting in a courtroom), but you can text.

Latina Bunny · Apr 17, 2016

shadowwalker said:
I guess I've never gotten the text thing. If you want to have a conversation, why not just call and talk instead of sitting there punching buttons?

For various reasons.

One is that texting is more discreet. Another is people can't "overhear" your convo. It's instant and unintrusive.

A third is that it's easier to write in a more coherent manner (and add/edit in more detail) than in oral convo. This is my thing. I'm terrible with speech/oral stuff due to cognitive/mental reasons, and I can sort of communicate better in writing. I also forget a lot of stuff whenever I speak, too.

Like, if I'm defending myself or explaining something, I tend to fail to articulate myself. I actually freeze up and stay mute. Seriously. There are times when I can't orally say something. (It's kind of scary...It's like my brain shuts down my mouth at times.)

I had to get speech therapy as a kid. That was how bad it got, lol. I get silent or end up stuttering or repeating myself. I also talk in brisk, short incomplete (or even incoherent) sentences.

So, yes, I'm one of those who prefers text or written (or visual pictures/drawings) over oral speaking.

I'm socially awkward, too, so that doesn't help my anxiety when interacting with others, lol.

A more superficial reason: I sometimes want to send pictures or photos and I want to someone who is far away (and to whom I can't show my phone to, at the moment), lol.

Dennis E. Taylor · Apr 17, 2016

Think of them as email-lite. My wife works at a school, so she isn't available for conversation for most of the day. My job involves lots of meetings, so I obviously can't answer the phone at times. Texts can be sent any time, and dealt with by the recipient at their leisure.

Just make sure the phone is on vibrate. :tongue

jennontheisland · Apr 17, 2016

No US provider would support my little HTC when I moved here (or believe that I had credit and give me a phone plan), so I bought a Moto G for my "burner" phone. Smallest phone I could find.

juniper · Apr 17, 2016

kuwisdelu said:
iPhone 6S too. I got tired of carrying both a phone and my iPad.

I may trade mine in for an SE. I have until Friday to decide. The 6s is too big, I think. I really liked the 5s - could do everything with one hand on it. Now I need 2 for the 6s. Plus it doesn't fit in my pocket as nicely. Plus - the 6s is a battery hog. I never had to worry about the 5s running out of battery. Now the 6s reminds me every evening that it's low on power. And I haven't even been using it that much, plus stripped out all the extra stuff that uses battery.

I don't carry my iPad around all the time, just when I'm going someplace that I anticipate a wait. Doctor etc. Does your 6s really replace the iPad you think? Did you think about the even bigger 6s+ ?

shadowwalker said:
I guess I've never gotten the text thing. If you want to have a conversation, why not just call and talk instead of sitting there punching buttons?

Text is great for sending info that doesn't need to be responded to right away. A phone call can be intrusive - "Answer me now!" while a text can be sent and answered without the expectation of NOW. For NOW things I call. But then might get voicemail, which might not be responded to either. So text is good.

And as others have said, it's discreet. Easy to send off a sentence in just a few seconds without causing a break in whatever else is going on. Or without everyone else around hearing your business.

I swear, I'm so tired of unintentionally overhearing someone else's personal life spelled out while I'm in line somewhere or sitting in the coffee shop. And some people have only one speaking volume - LOUD. :rant:

Brightdreamer · Apr 17, 2016

Angry Guy said:
Full disclosure: I'm a little pissed at Samsung right now, anyway, because I'm finding their tablets to be a huge disappointment.

That's sad to hear - I just upgraded my Nook to the new high-end Samsung model, and I'm loving the thing so far. But, then, I don't do much except read, websurf a bit, and play a few mindkiller games on the thing. (But, then, the older Nooks were never quite as powerful as a real tablet...)

As for my phone, it's a refurbished little LG thing from Tracfone that I don't use as much as I probably should. Mostly, it exists to call AAA and relatives, in roughly that order, in case of emergency. I don't like talking on phones much, and I've never done the text thing.

As for flip phones, that's what I had before this. My mother still has one. Does what she needs it to do, so why upgrade?

kuwisdelu · Apr 17, 2016

bunny-gypsy said:
For various reasons.

One is that texting is more discreet. Another is people can't "overhear" your convo. It's instant and unintrusive.

A third is that it's easier to write in a more coherent manner (and add/edit in more detail) than in oral convo. This is my thing. I'm terrible with speech/oral stuff due to cognitive/mental reasons, and I can sort of communicate better in writing. I also forget a lot of stuff whenever I speak, too.

Like, if I'm defending myself or explaining something, I tend to fail to articulate myself. I actually freeze up and stay mute. Seriously. There are times when I can't orally say something. (It's kind of scary...It's like my brain shuts down my mouth at times.)

I had to get speech therapy as a kid. That was how bad it got, lol. I get silent or end up stuttering or repeating myself. I also talk in brisk, short incomplete (or even incoherent) sentences.

So, yes, I'm one of those who prefers text or written (or visual pictures/drawings) over oral speaking.

I'm socially awkward, too, so that doesn't help my anxiety when interacting with others, lol.

A more superficial reason: I sometimes want to send pictures or photos and I want to someone who is far away (and to whom I can't show my phone to, at the moment), lol.

All of this. Phone calls give me major anxiety. I don't do phone calls unless absolutely necessary. I guess some people aren't as cripplingly nervous over phone calls. But I am. Phone calls are more intimate than I care to get for most conversations.

Texting is great for time-shifted conversations. People can reply at their own convenience. Maybe that's now. Maybe it's in a few hours. I'm not going to call someone just to tell them some random thought I wanted to share with them, but I'll text it to them.

William Haskins · Apr 17, 2016

western electric candlestick rotary dial (black and gold finish).

it doesn't text, but i can pick it up anytime and madge will connect my call.

kuwisdelu · Apr 17, 2016

juniper said:
I don't carry my iPad around all the time, just when I'm going someplace that I anticipate a wait. Doctor etc. Does your 6s really replace the iPad you think? Did you think about the even bigger 6s+ ?

Oops. My bad. It is a 6S Plus. Sorry about that. Yeah. And it has much better battery life.

cmhbob · Apr 17, 2016

Galaxy S5, and like Angry Man, this will probably be my last Samsung phone (although I love my tablet (Tab S 10.5 through T-Mobile)).

Both Samsung phones I've had (S3 and this S5) have gradually slowed down or developed problems after about 6 months. One of my boys has a Nexus that he's happy with, and the LG V10 looks pretty neat with the second screen. I've even considered a flip phone, but the only one that really looks tempting is a Samsung, alas.

A friend of my kids now has an S7, and the slo-mo on the camera is amazing. But I'm pretty sure I'm done with Samsung.

shadowwalker · Apr 17, 2016

re: texting - yeah, I'm horrible at verbalizing, and I hate talking on the phone. But trying to type on those tiny tiny keyboards or touchpads or whatever you call them - ugh. I'd rather email. As to privacy, I'm not sure why people think they have to shout - I thought that went out after they got the one piece receiver. And I just don't talk loud or discuss "intimate details" out in public, any more than I would on a payphone (anyone remember those?). Maybe that's why I don't get involved with new phone technology - already too intrusive just having my old one.

Dennis E. Taylor · Apr 17, 2016

juniper said:
I swear, I'm so tired of unintentionally overhearing someone else's personal life spelled out while I'm in line somewhere or sitting in the coffee shop. And some people have only one speaking volume - LOUD.

Ah-yep. 22 minutes on the West Coast express every day, and once in a while I get stuck in the same seating area as someone who talks on the phone the entire trip. But that's why God made ipods.

What mobile phone do you have?

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