iPhones? Yes or No?

I have an old fashioned flip phone.

I really don't see why people think they NEED the smart phones. They're toys, so if you want another expensive toy then great. If you're on a limited budget then there are a lot of things that are more important.

Nope.As much as I think those things are cool, I don't want one. I am happy with my basic android cellphone. I don't want something with all the super technology and added expenses. I want just basics. For others that is important to them, so if you feel its important, get one.

YES!
I was avoiding getting the iPhone (smart phone) for years, not really understanding what it does. I've had one for 2 years now and I absolutely love it. It's soooo handy. My husband told me I would love it and he is so right.

My husband has an iPad and I don't want one. I'm already addicted to my laptop, iPhone, I don't want another device in my life.

If you get one, you should get it for yourself, not your son.
It is an expensive "toy" for a child.

Now, my Hubby has an iPhone.
IT IS GREAT!
It also has a very very very good, camera and video quality. Excellent quality and easy to use.
An iPhone is very useful... it is MUCH more than just a phone.

The other aspect to consider is of course, your budget and/or your ability to have one.

To me, just getting one to keep a kid busy in a restaurant etc., is not the point. You should get it because YOU want or need one.
It is not a kid's toy.

Now, if you ALSO have other Apple products/computer etc. it is even better to have an iPhone, because you can sync all of these Apple gadgets together. It is wonderful.
Very easy to use. And many apps are free.

I had a flip phone for the longest time and I was playful teased by friends that I should get with the times. My phone served my needs fine, but my contract was up in May so I finally broke down and bought an iphone 4 ( I don't have Siri) just because it was a good deal Radio Shack was offering. I have sprint's unlimited data plan. My monthly bill doubled. Instead of $40 I pay $80 but everything is unlimited texting, minutes, downloads,etc. Having said that, I love my phone. I love the texting, camera, facebook, pandora for music and all of the other apps out there for my favorite places/things, etc. It is really easy to get used to and it is handy to have when you are out waiting somewhere. I can pull up cartoons on youtube or a game for my kids when I need to keep them occupied for awhile. You would probably be surprised how much you like it. I know I was pleasantly surprised.
HTH,
A.

I love Apple and I love my IPhone!!!

If the only reason you want one is to have your child play games on it - then don't get one.

Get a Nintendo DS or some other hand held gaming device for line waiting. Or do what I did, since my child was born pre-smart phones, I carried books and we played I-Spy all the time. LOL

If you want to keep up with news, need to get business emails, etc. etc. when you are away from a regular computer, then a smart phone is great. I got my first one because of my job - I actually did need the constant contact to run volunteer groups. I don't really need that kind of contact anymore, but am now addicted to the dang thing. {sigh} If I could shake it off, I could save money.

Stay cave-man - it is soooo much simpler.

Hugs :)

I just got an iPhone over the summer and love it. I have some volunteer positions that require a lot of contact with people and find it helpful in that aspect.

I love the GPS feature and use it all the time when driving and finding new places. It's also great for running and keeping track of distance/route traveled. I even used the map once to navigate myself out of the woods after taking a wrong turn on a trail run.

I can hook up Pandora to my car radio.

I love the news apps.

You definitely don't need it but it sure is nice to have. Only get it if your budget truly allows. And I never let my kids play with it, ever. It's too expensive and not worth the risk of something happening to it. I tell them, sorry this is mommy's toy!

If it's for your son, stick with small handheld toys that won't cost a hundred dollars to replace if he drops it or loses it. (Imagine, you, distracted at the store... imagine him putting the phone down to pick up something else... yikes.) Toy stores sell plenty of little games you can keep in your purse, only for times you are out. I have a special bag of coloring and activity books, small magnet set, etc for when we are out at restaurants. This way, Kiddo still engages with us while he's keeping busy. I think this is important because I want him to learn how to interact with servers and be part of the conversation. So many kids are just checked out these days... (off my soapbox on that one, now)

I have to be honest, we've never had smartphones. We don't even text! We mapquest before we head out to an unfamiliar place and double check it on our maps. If it were me, I'd stick with what you've got.

Like some others I too am guilty of having a flip phone for longer than I should have. It was broken and literally hanging on by one thin wire but I was being stubborn when my husband then fiance suggested I should get an iPhone.

Fast forward - almost 4 years in time and I simply can't live without it. I love my iPhone and will upgrade to the 5 from the 4 in the spring.

There are definitely other smart phones out that that are less expensive to maintain but shop around and find something that works for your budget with service in your area that is great and won't drop calls frequently. But as for me I again love my iPhone and wouldn't change a thing. I'm loyal to a fault. LOL

I think whether you need one or not depends on the kind of life you lead and whether you would use it.

I use my iPhone nonstop. I've been a Mac user since the 80s, so my iPhone works seamlessly with my Mac. I had an "android" type phone first (because Verizon didn't have the iPhone yet) and I didn't like it as much. They are better now, I've heard.

I check facebook on the go. I use Instagram to share photos with my family and friends and can do it directly from my iPhone. So when my daughter is at her gymnastics meet I just use my phone to take pictures and the apps to share them. We homeschool so I'm out and about a lot with hands-on field trips. I can keep up with my business email and answer while my daughter is in a science class. I use the GPS to FIND the science class :)

I use the constellation app to show the current night sky after the science class.

Just today I used an app to take photos of a paper my co-worker had when we didn't have a copy machine available and everyone needed copies. It changed the photo into a PDF and then emailed it to everyone!

I listened to iHeartRadio in the car when we felt like some Carly Rae Jepson.

My daughter watched movies on Netflix when I got stuck at the DMV. There's also a free Disney Channel app where you can watch Disney Channel shows. My daughter LOVES that one!

I can check my bank balance at any time. I can even deposit checks directly on my iPhone and never go to the bank!

I use the Michael's and JoAnn Fabric's apps and I get coupons directly on my phone. I also got a free app to organize all my store "club" cards. I no longer have to stuff them in my wallet!

I listen to soothing sounds at night while going to sleep.

My husband records guitar riffs on his iPhone and sends them to his band mates. They add bass and drums and send it back. Then, when they have practice they are all on the same page.

I don't know how I lived without my iPhone! Overpriced? Hardly! I definitely am getting my money's worth!

You can get an android that will allow your son to play games for less money than an iphone. I updated from an antiquated phone and it only cost me the signing of a new contract. I've found having it well worthwhile because it does entertain my grandchildren. I also use the camera function. There are many similar apps to the iphone's apps but I've not learned to use them.

My daughter and her husband have iphones and found them very useful but then they use many of the apps. only available on iphone.

Do you NEED it? Probably not from the sound of your post.

We all have them in our family and they are well used. I love the camera, don't use many apps, and love the internet/email access.

We run our company from home and when I am on the road with work, I do not take my laptop because I can do all my emails and what I need with my IPhone. I prefer to leave my laptop at home because I hate dragging it along plus it has all my Quickbooks I use for financials for the company and I prefer it to stay at home.

For our family, yes the IPhone is worth it.

all i ever wanted was a simple phone. not even a camera. but you can't find them any more!
my SIL gave me her old i-phone when she upgraded. it's pretty cool. but i don't use all of its features. hell, i don't use HALF of its features. it's really pretty nuts that we're paying for a data plan for me. even texting stretches my limits.
if you only need it for games for the kid or distraction for you, it's probably not worth it. if you travel around enough to use a GPS app a lot, or need to check email frequently, it is. i'll bet most people who have a smart phone find it worthwhile.
it would be way cheaper and easier to get the kid a little gameboy type thing, wouldn't it? i'm sure i'm dating myself. what's the modern equivalent of a gameboy?
:) khairete
S. (who still plays backgammon on her kids' old gameboy color)

Hi! If you are doing it for your son he would be better served by your interaction with him while waiting. Books, books with audio to follow along, asking him to find all the As or red cars and count them. Sing! Let him tell you a story. Get a bed tray for over his car seat and he can color. There is lots of fun to be had everywhere!

Could I live without mine?
Sure.
But I don't want to!

Depends on what you will do and whether you NEED to do it. Then decide if money is an issue. Never go into debt to declutter your life.

Besides using it as a phone I check emails with students/work regularly, Google everything, FB, track my clothes (yes, I track what I wear to work so I don't wear the same thing), check weather, use maps everywhere I go (I prefer this over GPS because it's more like a real map and when I know I'll be out of service I take a screen photo of the area), contacts, calendar, notes, photos are accessible on any computer for me and so are my work files and then there are all the fun stuff like photos, videos, movies, music, books and games.

As far as simplifying my life, it has. I don't really need to be on a computer to work and I don't have to lug a giant bag for work filled with files and paper, just my iPhone and iPad but the iPad is just a larger version of the iPhone without service. There's an app for everything and that has helped. A few times I've mailed PDFs of a signed paper to insurance companies (treats it like a fax). And I Skype on it as well.

Don't get it if money is an issue. Period. You can live without it and just have a phone. It's definitely a want and you can do almost everything without paying extra each month but... for me, time is money with kids and all so the extra $25 for the required data plan is worth the hours I would lose on the computer at home when I check emails when I have downtime when I normally would read a cheap magazine (ie doctor's office). It's also worth it if you would normally spend money on something but the iPhone will do it for you as well. Like, if you would buy a Kindle or GameBoy for your kids or other educational games. The games in the App store are pretty cheap and I love that there's no mess to pick up. Not to mention that once you buy an app you don't have to buy it again if you buy your kid an iPod, just sign in with your account and download. I have 5 kids so instead of 5 GameBoys and 5 games that cost $20 each. Once I have an iPod/iPad/iPhone, I just download the game on all devices. I know it seems like I get all my kids these things but I don't, they either saved up money for the iPod touch or I let them use my iPad or we pass down old iPhones for them to use as a iPod (no service on it). A paper calendar runs $6 cheap at the store but you have to buy a new one each year. You don't have to replace your iPhone each year. GPS runs $300+ in your car plus updates on the maps. That's built into your phone.

Just think if the time and reduction in "stuff" is worth the money you will spend to get that phone and pay the extra cost each month then it is "worth" it. But in the end, nothing is worth going broke for. I still have the iPhone 4 and don't plan on upgrading. It does what I need it to do and I'm happy.

I really like my iPhone 4. Having a computer in your pocket turns out to be pretty handy. Love Apple. Quality stuff. since they just came out with the iPhone 5, the 4s and 4Ss will be cut in price. Check them out befor settling for the rest. And I am a tightwad! I just know I would rather pay once for something of quality than wish I did for 2 years.

If I were going to do it all over again, I would skip the smartphone. I would keep my regular phone and just get an iPad. You can get a wifi one so they don't cost extra on your cell phone bill and just use your house wifi. I LOOOOVE my iPad and the educational apps are excellent.

friday I got my first smart phone which also happens to be an iphone. boy there is a lot to learn on that thing. Prior to upgrading from my very basic phone I often found myself in a situation where having internet or email access would be helpful. Not necessary but helpful. My husband decided that he was going to get a smart phone and specifically the new iphone. When we looked into plans it was going to be the same price together if he had a smart phone and I had a regular one so I decided to do the smartphone thing. Because I do hate learning new phones i went with the iphone so my husband could teach me. I am probably the lease thrilled person to have the new iphone just because it was not exceptionally excited to have to have it. I am learning on it and there are some very cool features. When we first had it I was unsure of the exact directions I was going someplace and siri helped us with directions (better than the gps in my car). If I have had a thought to look something up online I can do it immediately and send the link to my email or bookmark it where ever I am so that is nice. At the end of the day iphone (brand specific) has more aps than any other operator and more universally sold accessories (cases, belt clips and so on) If you have never used an apple product there may be a slight adjustment using that operating system but it is not that big of a deal. Android has less aps and accessories, and the windows phone has even less.

I don't even have a cell phone. I don't need one. I imagine if I were to get one I would become dependent on it. It probably works the same way with smart phones. Could you get your son a ds or something of his own to play with? Do you find yourself needing to check emails, facebook or mamapedia when you are away from home?

I think it depends on how much you think you would use all the bells and whistles. I love love love my smartphone. Here are the reasons why:

1) texting is so much easier (I was once a person who despised the very idea of texting. once I started however, I was easily sold on the brilliance of texting esp. since I have a small child and timing needs to be up to me sometimes);

2) apps for child to play with;

3) apps for me to play with;

4) GPS at my fingertips

5) internet ability

6) apps that make family life easier (ex., shared grocery lists so I add something at work, husband goes to store - has most updated list; shared calendars, etc.)

7) ability to respond to emails just about wherever I am

8) just to make life generally easier. I've been at a store, looking for something, but knew I saw it online. Quick, go online on phone and ta da, there it is;

9) if you forget your coupon from a store, but you have it in email form, you can usually just hand the clerk your phone

10) piggy-backing on number 9 above - less to carry around because so much is all in one.

I have a Samsung Galaxy smart phone. I love it. I'm always telling my Mom she should upgrade, but she questions the need for the price increase with her lifestyle. although, I watched her painstankingly text someone the other day on her antiquated (my old) phone & it almost killed me. Plus, she doesn't have GPS in her car, and it is invaluable for that. I think with kids, it is awesome. At a restaurant, after he's eaten, but has to sit there quietly while the adults do boring talk, my son can play on the phone quietly for a lot longer than if all he had were crayons and a coloring book.

To preface, we have had pre-paid cells phone for years. We put $100 on it and it lasts my husband a year. I decided to upgrade, since my usage for work, etc had increased and it was no longer cost effective to go that route. I did my research and bought an LG Optimus V through Virgin Mobile. SO EASY. I ordered it online - no dealing with a salesman trying to upsale me. It arrive d afew days later and I registered it online with a credit card. NO bills each month and I never go over the amount I agreed upon. I have GPS, navigation, unlimited texting, internet and 1200 minutes each month for $45. For $35 you get all of the same, but 300 minutes.

We were on a trip and the traffic was bad, so I looked at real time traffic and went around it. Another time, we saw traffic was stopped a few miles ahead, so we looked up local restaurants, stopped and ate. When we were finishing our meal, I looked up traffic and it had cleared. We wasted NO time.

It has music, games, etc.....AND you are not locked into a contract.You could pick $55 for one month for unlimited everything and the next month do $35 if you aren't needing it....AND the phone was about $120 rather than iPhone prices!!!! (And I love my Mac.)

I would so love a smart phone as it is my cell contract i've been paying alot for it & don't even have data unless I use it.I'm really considering a noncontracted phone with unlimited usage on minuets,text,web it would cost roughly the same but i'm getting more than what I have.
Why I need is i'm a sahm to 4 I have 2 in elementary school 1 in preschool a few hrs a week so I need to have a cell with me,when alerts go out if there is any it is a mass text,voicemail,or email but if it is an emergency they will call the #s I have listed but no need to call others when i'm right here but if I happen to drop my cell plan and i'm away i'll miss the call.This is why i'm also considering getting a tablet with wifi so for I can check my emails or FB while i'm out since most places offers free wifi,plus i'll be able to do the apps,read ebooks etc.Hey the kids have their devices and mama gets none not fair

If you don't really need it (checking email for work is the only real reason, social networking, etc is not a necessity), I say stick with your old phone. My husband and I have regular phones, we don't even have texting (it is just too much money). I see people all of the time checking Facebook, wasting away their lives while they are with actual people and could be having conversations, or at least not ignoring the other people. I will say this, I do have a Galaxy tablet with a data plan (I bought it for a month long road trip so that I could easily check email and respond quickly for work while on the road), but I rarely use it, only when we go on trips and need to find a place, or again, check email (I have my own web design business and some of my clients want responses or work done immediately). My data plan for my tablet and my family plan with 2 phones (two separate companies) is only $70 total a month, that is less than most single smart phone plans. I will not get a smart phone until there is no other choice, I think the cost is not worth it.

Change is good. There are so many new Android phones to choose from. Depending on your cellphone provider, you can find a data plan for $10 or $15 extra dollars. I am a fan of the Samsung Galaxy line. I simply love these phones. I remember when I first got the phone, I was upset at the extra data charge which was required in addition to my monthly plan. After a while I began to see just how useful the service was. There were times that I needed to find the Haagen Dazs store in an unknown neighborhood... Google maps... I had the capability to check my work emails from my phone. We have gmail which I have synced directly to my phone... I never miss a message now so I get to stay on top of my work. And you mentioned games for kids, the android market has so many games to help occupy your child's mind and a lot of the games and apps are free as well. I honestly don't know where I would be without my phone. I have an app to monitor my menstrual. I have a 8gb memory card inserted where I have all my music stored. I listen to my music straight from my phone. You can even download the kindle app for free. I think if you upgrade you will be really happy...

You don't HAVE to have one, but I sure do love my iPhone. I have only had it a few months and just love the extra features. The kids do play games on mine and there seems to be an app for everything...