Well, this is the offtopic section so I dare to ask:

Do you use a smartphone?

You may find this a stupid question, but it's not.
Meanwhile I see nearly everybody in the streets walking around with a smartphone and I really have to ask myself "What in the world are these guys doing?". You can conclude from my question that I do NOT have a smartphone (mainly because I can't think of any reason why I would need one).
This is why:
I spend most of the time I'm awake in front of a PC.
I don't understand why anyone would need to check his/her email while going home from work (school, university).
My PC is 24/7 online. Why should I need another gadget that is online?
If I need to go to an unknown place I look it up in Google Maps and Here I go!
Maybe it's because I don't use any social network whatsoever.
So the question is meant serious.
Do you use a smartphone and why?

Regards
darkelf

Howdy,

I dont use one simply for the fact that nothing is so important that it can't wait.

They didn't even have affordable cellular phones until the mid to late 90's
so I spent a major portion of my life without the need "to be in contact"
with everyone and everything all the time.

I have been saying that I am "off the grid" when asked for a mobile number.
Most people just look at me in disbelief and others say "thats so retro".
I dont do no face booking, I dont tweet and I'm not linked in.

Shut the damn thing off and walk around and talk to people and look at things.
Become more aware of your surroundings.

Woodmann

Correct, most people don't *need* to, but it's nice to have the option. Also, a lot of business people do feel the need to respond to e-mails as quickly as possible, whether they're at their desk or not.


As someone who travels quite a bit, it's *very* useful for me to have a phone with Google Maps and a built-in GPS. It's also useful to look up taxi numbers, bus routes and schedules, etc. It saves me time because I don't have to always plan ahead and carry this information around with me.

Another major reason I use my smartphone is to alleviate boredom. I often have to wait for things... perhaps I'm in the security line at the airport, or I'm at a restaurant by myself and am waiting for my food to come out, or I'm waiting in line at the bank, etc. It's nice to be able to pull up Slashdot and read the news, or play a game on my phone, rather than be bored. Of course I don't *need* to do this, but it's nice to have the option

disavowed,

I get your point but that sounds as if you were bored all the time before you've got your smartphone
Just joking.

Woody,

you express exactly what I feel.
Last week at the mall a young man tried to sell me a smartphone. I asked him for a reason why I would need one. He answered: "Oh, you can check your email and stay in contact with your friends on facebook". I said: "Facebook, huh? Can you tell me how many friends you have on facebook?" He said: "Yes. 1458" I just replied: "1458? Doesn't that make you think? THINK!".
He did not understand a single word.

To be honest, I'm looking for some answers to this smartphone question because I know my girl intends to give me one for christmas. To change the phone for something else after christmas is a no-go.

You might start to understand after you start using one. It's like a laptop... The main reason people use a laptop is because you can access and work with your stuff outside of your house, and you can carry it along with you without the need to always store your stuff in a usb, mail etc. You don't entirely need a laptop because you could always do everything you would do on a laptop on your desktop, except you need to plan ahead very well... To me, the reason laptops exist is for convenience. Your are not in great danger even if you don't have one.
Smartphones basically work the same way. You don't REALLY need one, but it's quite convenient if you have one and you can save time little bits at a time, and time is important these days. That's my thoughts.

Edit : Maybe you can think of it this way. You don't entirely need IDA to reverse things and you can do everything in ollydbg. However, it is quite convenient if you do use IDA.

Disa raised the most valid points I think.

Some people do need them, some of us don't.

Be gracious and accept the gift and play with it.
You never know, you might like it. Especially if you
dont have to pay for it .

Woodmann

I tend to be a lo-tech person for some reasons, I'l explain it.

About smartphones

Ok, let's start with the name. Smartphone. It's supposed to be smart because its philosophy offers you ubiquity, "real-time" access to updates, convergence of several different productivity, communication, recreational and other information-based technologies, all in a portable, advertisement and physically convenient layout. I always can care less about knowing everything about my outer social spectrum, or to have a portable platform to work with (my only computer is a laptop, so there ends my need for mobility), or apply myself an innecessary chain to my illussion of freedom by getting to know whatever the fuck will one of my friends do tonight; I find this desperate information hunger nowadays resident on people's schema anthropologically amazing and philosophically eerie. Also, phisically speaking, I barely tolerate WiFi radiowaves crossing my biology all the time, let alone the 3G, GPRS, GPS, EDGE waves and etcetera.

Current smartphones use the Web 2.0 as a cornerstone both for marketing and for funcionality: as I said earlier, I really don't want to know what you like, what you don't like, what you think about any phenomena, and I also don't care. I find the Social Web as a way of terrorism. Informational, massive terrorism. (Note: some would say an Internet forum also applies to this definition. While partially right, the primitive human need to be listened can't be fully suppresed and it shouldn't be, but a forum usually is about some particular area of interest, which leds to the inevitable choice one makes when signs up to a forum, based on a own criteria and matching interests.)

Also, my IQ is sufficiently higher not to be distracted with shiny games, integration with some common applications, or continuous Internet availability. Which brings me to the other two points I want to say: consciousness and awareness.

The criteria that makes the smartphones "smart" is that they massively simplify some duties, operations and even the entertainment to a point in which one doesn�t find itself thinking rationally the way to a solution (and this also applies to computers, in some way); we are losing our rational individuality thanks to oversimplified technology. I find myself scared about this, because it's serious a matter... I see current information society like a tree that has brances wider and heavier than its roots: we have no actual criterious basement for the technology growth, expansion, width and use schema. It all happened so fast ... But here we are, and I think it's never too late to start doing things right. Maybe tomorrow will find us more aware and ready to accept or reject future technologies.

Maybe.

It's not far from the truth

Another great use for smartphones is listening to music and watching movies. It's great to go for a walk, plug your earphones in, and have your favorite songs available to listen to. And whenever I go to the gym now (for the treadmill, spinning, etc.) I bring my iPhone and either watch movies I've "burned" to my phone or even better stream movies live via Netflix.

It's also useful if you like to be accessible (or access others) in realtime via IM. For example, since I have Trillian on my iPhone, I can use AIM, MSN, IRC, Jabber, etc. no matter where I am.

And as stated above, most people (including me) don't really *need* any of this, but it's all nice to have

Very interesting question.

While there are many good reasons out there, the bottom line is: because you should.

Its like a black and white movie... or a mono phillips tape player... or a floppy drive... or a machine with a celeron processor... or, I daresay, a computer with a dial-up modem... It was good when it was ITS time. But now when you see a movie in color, or hear Dolby stereo, or work on USB or hear about a DSL, you would, or rather, SHOULD move there, because now its THEIR time, catch the drift?

Note that ALL old things will get the job done. And there is NO RESULT that you can obtain earth shakingly better from the NEWER things, that you could not obtain from the older ones such as being entertained, or hearing music or working with external data or accessing the internet. But that does not mean not adapting to new technologies.

And once you go there, you cannot go back. I assume you do listen in stereo and do have a USB drive and do have DSL. And I'm sure AFTER listening to stero you would NOT WANT TO GO BACK to a mono, right?

So, simply put, they are the new standards. The older ones were good, when it was their time. NOW, is NOT their time. Its the time of a different breed of things. Much like a cycle of life and death. It will continue ever. Don't be afraid of technology and put it in the category of - bah! I don't need it.

You do. And you should adopt them. There is no discernable benefit to NOT ADOPTING them. And don't ALWAYS look at BENEFITS to adopt an idea or a take an action.

As an example, Its like saying since you spend most of the time awake in front of your PC, I assume you are in a room, so you don't even need an OLDER mobile... I mean, a landline should be enough, right? But you still do have a mobile, right?

Certain steps in time, once taken, cannot be, SHOULD NOT BE, retracted. Imagine, someone telling you to watch ALL new movies henceforth, in BLACK and WHITE, citing the reason -- didn't people enjoy themselves before the advent of color?

Adopt new technologies... its safe. And needed!

And leave the minimalism to Steve Jobs or Fravia (bless his soul), wot? Peace.

Have Phun

I got mine for mobile internet access, I can use it as a hot spot for my laptop.

The rest is extraneous, although having the theme from "The Venture Brothers" as my ringtone is pretty awesome too.

Thanks for your answers so far.

Aimless,

these are some good points and I can understand all of them.
See, I'm really not afraid of (new) technology. After all im into computer science - so being afraid of technology would be a bit obstructive, right? BUT I'm afraid of useless technology. That's why I try to find some reason to justify the possession of a smartphone for myself. Your point regarding the landline is not far from the truth. In 2010 I was without a mobile for about 5 month (terminated my phone contract with Vodafone) and guess what - I didn't miss it! It was the others complaining about my not having a mobile (Man, get yourself a mobile, it's annoying that you're not on call, and so on...). Finally, I got myself a really simple mobile which is only able to do calls and SMS, nothing more.
Please don't get me wrong, I don't condemn smartphones. How could I? After all I never had one. But I'm afraid of waisting another 40€ (that's the price you have to pay for a data-flat here) for something that is of little use for me. Moreover I'm bound for 2 years then. I'm already paying about 140€/month for communications.
Well, as Woodmann said: "You never know, you might like it." I will play around with that damn thing and see what happens.

Regards
darkelf

I think it's not about adopting or not new technologies. Technology exists to solve problems and needs, and to help the user achieve certain goal(s). If I don't have the need to be constantly communicated, I won't spend time and efforts on it. Simple as that, IMO.

hmmmmm I like carrying smartphone because its really handy than carrying laptop...although both can not be compared in terms of functionality...
I would say both can give alternative to each other and its a matter of choice.

If nothing else, you can always use it to complete your reversing knowledge and skills.

http://www.woodmann.com/collaborative/knowledge/Category:Mobile_Platforms

http://www.woodmann.com/collaborative/tools/Category:Mobile_Platform_Tools