I'll keep my flip phone thank you very much

[leftofcool]

Call me behind the times, call me granny who doesn't own a real phone, call me cheapskate. Don't care, don't care. don't care. My LG flip phone was 89.99, besides, I want my phone to do two things, dial out and ring in. I don't own a thousand dollars worth of clothes and shoes. iPhone privilege........pfft!

[DetlefK]

1. You're so cool, you owned a flip-phone before and after it was cool.

[PoliticAverse]

55. If something you have isn't cool just hold on to it, eventually it'll be retro-cool. n/t

[ImpeachTheGOP]

2. If you want just a phone, have just a phone.

I like having all the amenities.

[ExciteBike66]

3. Keep it

Maybe it will be a collectible someday!

[leftofcool]

4. My grand daughter says it should be in a museum

[TeamPooka]

79. Museums are higher tech than that. Most of them have wifi. :)

[samnsara]

5. i still have my flip phone in my undie drawer...

..I never tossed it cuz I got the coolest pink crystal case. so now I just use it as props for photographs and stuff.

[no_hypocrisy]

6. I like the online services, so I'm keeping my I-Phone 3 that I got in 2009.

It's beat up and looks bad, but it still works.

[Chemisse]

7. My phone doesn't 'flip', but it's 7 years old and very basic.

It allows me to communicate when I need to, and only costs me 10 bucks a month for service (I think I am grandfathered in on some old plan).

I can go online at home; I can go online at work. Clearly I can survive without doing so in between those locations.

[blogslut]

8. My smart phone cost $30

I have a pay-as-you-go plan that adds up to about $8 per month. I don't leave the house often so I mostly use it via my wireless connection. I like it for exchanging Twitter DMs with blogslut jr., for listening to podcasts and for checking this and that when I'm not on my laptop.

When I go out I use it to schedule rides and checking maps and stuff. Also I use it as a phone.

As for the price tag on the newest iPhone, it's ridiculous and if people want to pay that much, bless their hearts. Everyone else will wait for the release of Android phones that do the same things for way cheaper.

[Demtexan]

13. I bought a new LG smart phone does everything for $129.

From Boost.

Unlimited everything high speed for $60.

The new stylo 3.

Big screen.


Tough phones drop wise.

Early birthday present to me.

[exboyfil]

14. Same for me. I have a Tracfone

I got it to access Hoopla Digital through my library which has an extensive audiobook selection. The phone costs less than an MP3 player, I can surf the net at home on my WiFi or gently use 4G on the go.

[Tracer]

24. Sounds like me.

I have a Samsung smart phone that cost $29, and a Tracphone account for $7 a month.

Why pay hundreds for some other phone that basically does the same thing?

[haele]

64. We're probably going to get a "smart" tracphone for my mom...she's still thinking about it.

She lives by herself out of state. Even though she's in a large city, there's no shopping other than a gas station convenience store and a couple liquor stores for blocks around, the public transit is poor, (1/2 a mile to the nearest bus stop, and she has to cross a busy road between stoplights six or so blocks apart) traffic is dangerous (lots of main streets, drunk driving and some drugs in her area of town) and since she doesn't drive, she's got to wait on friends or neighbors to get around.

It's a two hour bus ride to her doctor's office - or the hospital if something happens, and she has to schedule her shopping to a neighbor's accessibility, which sometimes leaves her without something she needs for a couple days, because it's just a lot of time and trouble just to go out for a small grocery run if she forgot to get some things the last time they were out.

And ultimately, she's pretty much a Luddite; barely tolerates email and believes in paying cash or check pretty much for everything - she hates using her debit card and only has one credit card she keeps paid off that she uses for the requisite automatic utility payments. And no online purchases for her! To her, a smartphone is just another tech toy she doesn't want to have to deal with. She's got a 7 year old flip-phone (still working!) she takes with her when she remembers if she's going to be out for a while, but she typically leaves that on a charger and ignores it.

Apparently Lyft and Uber put the taxis out of service, so when we go out there this Xmas, we'll get her a tracphone through the one store she usually shops at (which we'll probably have to link to our account as a backup payment), get a rechargeable Lyft card at the nearest Starbucks (two blocks away - walking distance), and download the app for her. She doesn't want to use it as a phone or a gaming platform, we'll just have it set up as a "transportation device" for her.

That way, she can just keep the Lyft Phone charging where she keeps her keys until she needs it to call for transportation, and she always has the ability to just go where she needs to pay and use cash for the payments she needs to make.

Hopefully, this will become a problem solved for a woman who's almost eighty and stubbornly scandihoovian.

Haele

[blogslut]

74. I hope it works out for her.

[Warren DeMontague]

9. Thats how I feel about my cargo shorts

The Fashion police at Business Insider can go fuck themselves.

[NightWatcher]

15. I will fight to the death, er slight discomfort maybe, for our right to wear cargos

I mean hell, I wear shorts 80-90% of the year and I have a lot of stuff to carry on a regular basis.

They're utilitarian and that's way more important than fashion for me.

[Warren DeMontague]

17. Exactly. Amen. Hallelujah!

Beyond that, Look at this.

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-no-man-should-wear-cargo-shorts-2017-5



they want to tell us the guy on the right looks better? On what planet???


...FWIW, both of them need socks. Phewwwwww!



(and no, Dennis Green, Business Insider would-be fashion nabob: that picture of the jackwit wearing cargo shorts with a fucking SPORT COAT doesn't prove anything. You wouldn't wear cargo shorts to the yacht club or fancy restaurant any more than you would wear your clown shoes to court. Doofus.)

[tymorial]

21. The lighting and background makes the left photo look more appealing

Has nothing to do with the shorts.

[flibbitygiblets]

39. Excellent observation

[Warren DeMontague]

48. if you say so!

[femmocrat]

23. The guy on the right looks like Jared.

You just know that's what Jared wears to a backyard BBQ.

[Warren DeMontague]

49. Thank you.

I don't know, man, maybe people actually wear shit like that in the summer, on the East Coast. Seems like the kind of thing you'd find in the Hamptons or on Martha's Vineyard.


I wouldn't know. Not my scene.

[lunasun]

29. At least it's not the return of 1970 s men short shorts

[Warren DeMontague]

47. Nobody rocked em like Bob did.

[cyberswede]

57. My husband has a pair of very short cut-offs - we call them his "Bobbys"

And I agree 100% with your post.

[beam me up scottie]

75. But what about your purple gingham shirts?

Remember when the brofashion police had a fit over those?

[Warren DeMontague]

76. I do, bro!

What's funny is, anyone who actually knows me knows, this is the LAST fucking thing you would ever see me wearing.

I mean, I'm sure it's fine for some people, but not me.

No way, bro.

[sharp_stick]

10. I've been at my current job for close to 15 years

A colleague still has the same flip phone he had when I first got there. It does what he needs and saves him a lot of money.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. That's What My Wife Has

She doesn't care about internet or texting. If she wants the internet, she uses her tablet. She just wants to be able to have a phone.

She signed up for a really cheap plan at Citizens' Cellular (i mean really cheap) and the phone was $20.

She's completely happy.

Me, i have an older iPhone. It's a company phone. I don't have a personal cellphone.

[GoCubsGo]

16. That's pretty much what I do, too.

Only I don't have a flip phone. I use Net 10, and when they upgraded to 4g, they sent me this crappy, little LG thing that reminds me of Derrick Zoolander's tiny phone. I hate it, but I don't want to buy anything else, because I only have it for emergencies. I just want it for phone calls, and it does its job. I use a tablet and laptop for Internet, and a camera for photos. And, I don't have to worry about losing all of those capabilities if one thing goes bad. Also no temptation to sit there staring at my phone all the time. I'm not missing out on the world around me, like so many are.

[TeamPooka]

80. I have two tin cans and a piece of string you may be interested in....

[ProfessorGAC]

81. Set A Price!!

Then we'll talk!

[Siwsan]

12. I finally had to ditch my flip phone because the screen went whonkey

The kids have been after me to upgrade, so that we can text, so I switched plans and bought a $40 android phone. I am still going through an 'adjustment' period.

[crazycatlady]

18. I'm probably a generation younger than anyone else in the thread

But if you want a flip phone, good for you. But last time I checked this wasn't the "I'm bragging about being a Luddite" forum.

My 2013 model smartphone has replaced several other gadgets in my life. All for a monthly price that is lower than a landline.

Landline
Camera
GPS
Music Player
Scanner (take photos of documents/old pics)
TV (Netflix app on my phone is fine for me)
VIdeo game console
In some cases computer

This may be a lost concept for retirees, but many are required by their employer to have a smartphone. I am (and receive a stipend to cover the bill). My primary method of communication with my boss is texting. I'm also required to respond to work emails in a timely fashion.

The amount of judging/bragging about not having a smartphone or that poor people should use flip phones/landlines makes me if I stumbled upon Free Republic. Seriously. How someone spends their money is none of your business.

[Pacifist Patriot]

25. I don't find it offensive, but did detect a sense of smugness.

I assume I'm wrong there and that wasn't the OP's intent. Just took it that way initially since I adore my smartphone and don't look down on people who prefer their flip phones. To each his/her own.

I see my smartphone the same way you do. It has replaced a lot of other things that cost money. In addition to the items you listed, I use mine frequently as a calculator, and it's my calendar and rolodex. Fewer things to purchase, keep track of, and power up. Can't remember the last time I bought batteries for anything other than a flashlight. My phone also allows me to do many things paperless now.

[crazycatlady]

27. I use my phone as a flashlight too

The only thing I've bought batteries for lately is my toothbrush (battery operated 'electric' one). I do have a regular flashlight for emergencies as the flashlight apps drain battery.

I sold my TV at a garage sale in May so I don't need batteries for the associated remotes.

[redstatebluegirl]

31. A little smug aren't we?

I see friends of all ages getting tired of the phone rip off making you feel you have to have the "newest gadget" to be cool. A lot of us are sick of it. When we bought our android phones a few months ago, we refused the 800 dollar version and went with the 130 dollar version. I do like the apps, but I think the prices are off the charts. We don't replace ours until they quit working correctly. I miss my flip phone actually.

I think the OP was just pointing out how the phone companies are ripping people off. It is good your employer helps pay your bill, I work for a University and no way would they do it. I have to have one, but it doesn't have to be a $1000 phone.

[crazycatlady]

45. I don't have a $1000 phone

My phone is a 2013 model that is 100% paid for. It doesn't hold a charge as long as it did, but it works. I may upgrade it next year when the new Galaxy models come out (or buy one model year older). Is it expensive? Yes, but it is something I save up for. I paid cash for a new laptop thanks to selling pussyhats at protests in NYC (and I'm hungry for another march).

I know nobody IRL who absolutely has to have the latest greatest model (I did and she traded in every year. Trading in phones every year is the least of her financial problems). Many who upgrade are replacing a model that is over 3 years old.

I have a few apps too but I have yet to pay for one. I won't do paid apps.

I don't think it is necessarily the phone companies ripping people off. Someone who pays $10 every 3 months for a Tracfone clearly has a landline that is their primary phone. Do I think some phone companies rip people off? Yes. But paying under $100 for two smartphones (my plan) is not a ripoff. There's a way to own a smartphone without being ripped off. I research my plan about every 6 months and make sure that it is optimal (I go through past statements and study data usage).

[ismnotwasm]

33. Love my smart phone

It's the most important piece of personal computing equipment I own. My job has an app we use to check our paycheck. Sometimes I call interpreter services on it, because the speaker is better than our interpreter phone at work. Our wound nurses keep track of the progression of healing with the cameras on their smart phones. Doctors use them for a number of things as well.

My husband, who has Multiple Sclerosis, relies on his even more. Including simple games that help improve cognition/slow cognitive decline

That being said, I don't care who has what, I often see patients of different ages with flip phones. It's usually a income issue. Not always, but usually.

[nini]

84. I'm glad your generation gave us this technology!

Last edited Thu Sep 14, 2017, 07:14 PM - Edit history (1)

Oh wait...it was mine. Some of us old farts pioneered technology that you think only your peers understand.

Im a proud geek with a degree in computer science - don't think we're all unaware of the wonders of tech.

[dembotoz]

19. My motto cost $100 new iPhone obviously better, but 10 times better?

Was interested to see my phone is considered a burner phone...

[HuskyOffset]

20. Was someone trying to force you switch

from your flip to a smartphone?

[tymorial]

22. I find this all very amusing

I clearly do not see what is so offensive about this post that is upsetting some of you.

Free republic? Seriously? Lol. Too funny.

[Glorfindel]

28. There are people who seem to enjoy being upset. Maybe it's the adrenaline rush.

Several years ago I mentioned in a reply to someone else's post that I hadn't watched TV for more than 30 years. Some of the responses were downright savage. Evidently, failure to watch TV makes one "elitist" and a "snob."

[tymorial]

30. Fragile egos are easily provoked

Even unintentionally

[Snake Plissken]

26. for five dollars more, you could have got one of these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZTE-Max-XL-6-Android-16GB-LTE-Smartphone-Virgin-Mobile-New-/152533841813

and posted your message from it, or watched a movie on it in full 1080 HD

[DownriverDem]

36. What you are missing

She doesn't want one of those phones.

[Snake Plissken]

38. I guess I should have been a little clearer

$89.99 is way too much to pay for a flip phone, in fact it's the equivalent of spending $999.99 for an iPhone X from a percentage standpoint.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Sealed-Verizon-Prepaid-Samsung-Gusto-3-Flip-Phone-SMB311VZPP-Blue-/232458526428?epid=194020298&hash=item361f9b9edc:g:-L0AAOSwf-xZmzAN

[Egnever]

50. Agreed $90 is way too much for a flip phone

I have no problem with people who choose a flip phone but bragging that it was $90 is a little silly.

Pretty easy to pick up a decent smart phone for $90 just not an I whatever.

As someone who does not like IOS even a little that is not something I worry about.

That said my phone was $400 but I paid that for the battery life. My Moto z play will go 2 days without charging without even trying.

[Binkie The Clown]

56. When I want to kick back and enjoy a 1080P HD movie,

I sure as hell don't want to have to squint at a cell phone screen to watch it! Plus, where can you find a cell phone with massive subwoofers to bring life to those car chases and explosions?

[Snake Plissken]

68. Me too, but it's kind of tough to convince a flight crew to let me bring on an 80" TV and

massive subwoofers on an airplane, so far I've had no luck

[Binkie The Clown]

69. I don't need to fly. I'm already here. nt

[keithbvadu2]

32. Flip phone for me because it fits in my pocket.

Flip phone for me because it fits in my pocket.

I could easily afford a larger phone but that's my main criteria.

For long text messages, I type them on the computer and send them to my phone and then forward them.

[HAB911]

34. How about one like this?

Link to tweet

[Demtexan]

58. Looks expensive.

Bigger screen.

[DownriverDem]

35. Love my flip phone!

My husband and I both have flip phones through Consumer Cellular. It is very reasonable price wise. I pay $22 per month. The phone cost $30. They do have all the other phones too. Like you we just want to be able to dial out and ring in.

[DownriverDem]

37. Watching folks with their phones

It looks insane as folks walk around staring at their phones or in restaurants just looking at their phones and not talking. I love my flip phone and will not get one of the smart phones until I have no choice.

[LakeArenal]

40. You kids stay off my Lawn......nt

[Coventina]

41. My flip phone was FREE! I pay $30 a month.

You'll pry it out of my cold, dead hands......

[Demsrule86]

42. They still make a flip phone? I love tech so, I own about five computers and assorted

cells...long ago my kids found out...they break their phones they get a mom-phone...whatever is in the kitchen drawer. I fix computers and either sell them or give them to my daughter's college friends who are always broke (just like I was) and need computers...love to play with new tech gadgets.

[MineralMan]

60. I like that. They don't want a mom-phone, so they take care

of their smart phones. I have a spare for my flip phone. Maybe you should find one to make the pain of breaking a phone even more effective. "Oh, here. You can use this one, then."

[Demsrule86]

61. Haha That would be good...I can imagine their horror at a flip phone.

[MineralMan]

62. Terminal eye-rolling, I'll bet.

[Demsrule86]

71. It would never end...they might even start 'twitching'. hahah.

[IronLionZion]

43. Good for you!

There's beauty and security in simplicity.

[Act_of_Reparation]

44. I'll keep my horse and buggy thank you very much.

Call me behind the times, call me granny who doesn't own a real mode of transportation, call me cheapskate. Don't , don't care. don't care. My horse and buggy cost three lengths of twine, half a piece of Bazooka gum, and a bottle cap I found on the shore of the Salton Sea. Besides, I want my mode of transportation to do two things: go forward and stop going forward when it gets hungry or thirsty. I don't own tens of thousands of dollars worth of imported designer screwdrivers. Automobile privilege...... pfffft!

[PoliticAverse]

51. Horses cost a lot to maintain. You might want to switch to a bicycle. n/t

[Act_of_Reparation]

54. Bicycles are too technologically advanced.

[ollie10]

46. I use my phone for business...

....and, although it could be done by waiting until I am home or at the office , the amount of business I would lose by not being prompt.....I could not afford to have a flip phone, it would be way too expensive if you count lost business as an expense!

That being said, take a look at people. They are on their phones all the time. Has it come to the point where you are out to dinner, sitting down with your wife/partner/friend and instead of talking you are texting to each other at the table? Do young children know how to sit in the back seat of a car without their cell phones (who's kidding whom.....they are not using them for anything remotely educational....).

Are we turning into a society of internet hermits....people who can only "socialize" on social media and have lost the ability to interact in person?

[liberalmuse]

52. I miss my flip phone.

However, it is much easier to text from a smartphone.

[Binkie The Clown]

53. My flip phone is cheaper than yours. Nya Nya Nya. Plus, only $17 a month. nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

59. Whatever works for you.

I have an iPhone and it works for me. It's not a matter of "privilege"; it's what a person needs and wants.

[janterry]

63. What I miss about my flip phone is that it flipped.

I would have had it forever, had the dog not decided to use it as a chew toy.

The new phones break much more easily.

[Doreen]

65. The only reason I went from a flip to smart

is because all of my friends would not get off my ass to do it. I miss my flip however nothing is wrong with my smart. I however have an LG Android based go phone from AT&T. I refuse to get an i anything. I pay about 28 after tax because of auto withdrawal. I do not have data as I do not need it. My boyfriend still refuses to get anything but a flip and is determined to get the cheapest one possible. He does not like spending money and does not want to have to take time to learn how to use a smart phone. The problem is his phone can only take so many texts and sometimes mine will not go through because he has to many. I am trying to get him to get the phone I have then I could teach him. I like have 10,600 texts form just him on my phone and have others saved. Yes, I do save the ones between him and I. I also have others saved from other people because there is info I need to keep. It is easier to file your texts with a smart phone. I like it that texts from certain people go to a section just for them unlike my flip that just bunched them together.

[lunamagica]

66. "Call me a relic, call me what you will. Say I'm old-fashioned, say I'm over the hill"

Sorry, your post reminded me of that song

As for the flip-phone, I miss them. They were cool easy and practical.

[left-of-center2012]

67. My Motorola smart phone cost me $100 at Consumer Cellular.

I pay $35 a month for 12 hours call time, unlimited text and wifi.

I'm a 71 year old man who'd be lost without it.

[Weekend Warrior]

70. This is too funny.

The thought process of absolutism has taken over so many people. Great display of it here.

[bluepen]

72. Stick with that. You got ripped off paying

$90 for a flip-phone, so avoiding phone shopping would be a great idea.

[MrScorpio]

73. I've got a $20 flip phone and I'm typing this on my iPod Touch

I see no reason to upgrade.

[guillaumeb]

77. Our phone is wall mounted.

The reception is always excellent.

[brokephibroke]

78. Only 14% of my phone battery is used for talking

And I talk on it 1000 mins a month. In other words, I use it for many things everyday.

It is indispensable for me...

[Corvo Bianco]

82. But smartphones are $69.99.

Bummer deal.

[nini]

83. I switched to a smartphone when i joined republic wireless

My bill is $23 a month for 2 phones. Uses wifi for calls

I liked the flip phone. I didn't like the ridiculous bill though.

[smirkymonkey]

85. I still have an iPhone 5c.

It works for me. I got it for texting, even though I hate texting, it's so much easier on a smart phone. Most of my friends and family only text instead of call and they can send photos, so I like that aspect of it. Also, I like the apps. However, I see no need to upgrade at this point. I am perfectly satisfied and don't really need anything more sophisticated.

The best thing about it is that it keeps me occupied when I am on public transportation, in a doctor's office, waiting in line, etc. I am not nearly as impatient as I used to be.

[Warren DeMontague]

86. Yep. I like the size of the 5. I was forced to get a new phone so I got an SE.

Anything bigger won't fit in my pocket.