Smartphones have become extremely popular in the past few years.
With everyone wanting to surf the Internet, check email and waste their day away trying to beat their friend’s high score in “Doodle Jump,” many people find their cell phone bill much higher at the end of each month compared to their older phones.
This sudden increase in a user’s monthly bill is the result of a required monthly data plan tacked on by the phone company.
While it seems most people don’t mind paying the extra $20 to $30 per month — myself included, as I recently jumped into the smartphone game — many people don’t see the point in having a device that does anything more when all they want to do is make a phone call.
However, in a world dominated by smartphones, data plans and 3G, it’s nearly impossible to find a worthwhile phone that doesn’t require a higher monthly bill.
These devices that can hardly even bear the name of “phone” have become so convoluted — some users can’t even keep up. Some people just want something that calls their grandbaby — nothing more, nothing less.
While I can understand it costs phone companies a lot to build, support and maintain these cellular networks used for surfing the Web and downloading the newest version of the “I Am T-Pain” app, there should be some sort of option to buy the same handset and just turn off the Internet portion.
Instead you’re forced to either buy a smartphone with the extra monthly bill, or you have to buy — for lack of a proper phrase — a dumbphone.While some users are willing to make the sacrifice to upgrade to a more powerful, feature-filled handset, some may have a hard time adjusting to all the new things their new device can do. Thus turning something new into something frustrating, and maybe returning the phone altogether.Technology is a fickle mistress, and for some it’s hard to keep up.
But who am I to have a say?
Sure, I churn out these columns every week — but some readers may be skeptical on the opinion of some 20-year-old college student.In an interview earlier this month with CNN, Martin Cooper — the man who invented the original cell phone — spoke his mind on how his baby is looking today.
Shockingly, he’s not a big fan.
Cooper was suprised at how large the cell phone market has erupted since his invention back in 1973.
“We knew that someday everybody would have a [cell] phone, but it was hard to imagine that that would happen in my lifetime,” Cooper told CNN.Cooper also went on to say how “phones have gotten so complicated, so hard to use, that you wonder if this is designed for real people or for engineers.”
Those are some strong words from the father of cell phones, but he’s got a point, and I agree.
As an avid technology fan, I couldn’t wait to upgrade from my sadder than sad dumbphone to my HTC Incredible. However, when I first got my phone, I was overwhelmed with all the features and functions the phone had. It took me a week just to get used to the new user interface and Android operating system.
Even after a couple of months of playing with it, I still haven’t pushed the thing to its full potential.
On the contrary, others may not be willing or have the ability to learn how to use something so complicated and while you see advertisements of new phones pushing the limits to outdo its competition — they may be leaving some people in the dust.
The easy thing to say is don’t buy the fancy phone if you don’t want to learn how to use it. While this may be true, but phone manufacturers also shouldn’t alienate their customers with such overwhelming devices and ridiculous data plans.
—-Contact Adam Arinder at [email protected].