[karajorma]

Oh I understand that. I don't think anyone is arguing that a smartphone is a must have purchase or that it is an expense everyone has to pay. My argument is mainly that if you had a smartphone you'd find a lot more uses for it than you might realise. That the argument you can do everything it can do with other machines is deeply flawed because you don't always have those machines with you.

A suitable analogy is buying a PC. What would you say to someone who said "I have a typewriter. I've never needed a PC cause if I bought one I'd only use it for typing on." Would you agree with that view? Or would you suspect that once this person owned a PC they'd find a hell of a lot more uses for it. Especially if they had the sort of personality that made you think they'd love to use the internet, play computer games, etc.

We're on a forum for people who play computer games and use the internet. That's why I find it quite amusing when people tell me they have no use for a smartphone. I can understand people saying it's not worth the expense, but people saying they have no use for one sounds a lot like self-delusion in many cases.

There's a certain air of "I don't use a smartphone cause I'm better than that." which certain people like to project (I'm not saying anyone on the thread is doing that). As Luis pointed out, that's quite a silly argument to make if you own a mobile phone at all.

[Mongoose]

Honestly the reason I use the Internet so much is one of the things that I feel like goes against smartphones for me.  As many work-arounds as there are, at the end of the day there are two choices with mobile Internet: either you get a stripped-down mobile page, or you have a full page that you have to constantly zoom and maneuver around.  And while that's more than adequate for the odd quick look-up of info, it'd be sheer torture for the sort of prolonged forum browsing that represents the majority of my Internet usage.

[karajorma]

You're not really supposed to be using a smartphone for that.

I use my phone for HLP when I'm going to be away from my main PC for a few hours and I want to check if there are any discussions that require my attention. Used in that way, it's very useful. But I'd never suggest it would be a good replacement for using my PC. Have you never been out the house and wanted to check on something on HLP? Especially when you're standing in a queue or something equally boring?

[SpardaSon21]

I use my smartphone for text messages (which I do a lot more than I did with my dumbphone thanks to ease of typing), music, Skype, and IRC when I'm stuck away from my PC.

[Scotty]

So, now that the discussion about smartphones has gotten thoroughly away from the initial topic:

How is what Microsoft is doing with the Xbox One any different than what major phone companies and Apple have done with the mobile phone?

[MP-Ryan]

How is what Microsoft is doing with the Xbox One any different than what major phone companies and Apple have done with the mobile phone?

Two wrongs don't make a right.

Apple - and some other major phone companies - deserve nothing but contempt and derision for their business practices.  Ditto for MS in this case.

[Scotty]

Business practices, yes.  No argument there.  I personally detest Apple to the core of my being.

But that's also not exactly the point.  The concept of Apps and smartphones and whatnot isn't a bad or evil business practice.

[Grizzly]

As someone who has bought a Acer Z2 liquid duo (with a fitting sim-only plan)...
I only use it for Whatsapp

[Luis Dias]

On the other hand, Apple has recently announced they are giving their iWork apps for free for anyone buying their iDevices, etc.

So as one evil company is trying to get you to buy them their hardware by giving you extra tools, etc., the other is doing the exact opposite path.

It doesn't surprise me, given that the XBox is apparently a hole without end of unprofitability, while iDevices put Apple where they are.

[Lorric]

You're not really supposed to be using a smartphone for that.

I use my phone for HLP when I'm going to be away from my main PC for a few hours and I want to check if there are any discussions that require my attention. Used in that way, it's very useful. But I'd never suggest it would be a good replacement for using my PC. Have you never been out the house and wanted to check on something on HLP? Especially when you're standing in a queue or something equally boring?

Me, I've never felt the need to do anything like that when out, I said it earlier in the thread. I also prefer to do such things in the peace of my own home. Same for conversations over the phone, I much prefer to be at home, I would never initiate a social conversation outside. Only something that needs to be done at that point would I do outside.

When out, I'm focused on the reason I'm out. When in a queue, I tend to go inside myself and reflect on things, or try to make plans for the day if I haven't already, or think about things I need or want to do. Or sometimes I simply let my mind rest, as the wheels are always turning on one thing or another up there. I drive myself hard mentally, so sometimes it's nice just to relax, and that's easiest when I'm put into a position that I'm forced to wait and do nothing, as I absolutely hate wasted time.

[Luis Dias]

Yes I can see that for people that want to be forced to have that quiet time smartphones would be a real problem.

[Lorric]

Also, it would be very rare just thinking about it that I would even be in a position to use one in a queue. Either I wouldn't be waiting long enough, or I wouldn't have a free hand.

[Luis Dias]

I use it all the time in queues. So many applications.... just yesterday I had to go at night to a pharmacy. Here, only one in each place is open at night. Each pharmacy gives you the directions to the one that is open. Instead though I just click an app I have that gives me the list of the nearest pharmacies that are open and if I don't know where they are it gives me their location in maps.

Or I just look at twitter for some cool news and articles.

Or I have direct access to google drive docs with all the information I need whenever I come to any bureaucratic thing to solve.

Or I have direct access to an agenda that I can also access in my pc.

Or I can access my office pc with teamviewer and see if my latest renders are being produced correctly or not. Wherever I am.

Or I can access my bank account as if it were an ATM. I can even directly pay any service on the spot if they provide me with their NIB.

Or I can just see some youtube video someone found it interesting to share w/ me. Anywhere.

... and all that with a crappy cheap smartphone that has next to zero memory and constantly complaining it's too obsolete and without resources to pull off anything more. It did cost only 100$ w/out any contract.

[Lorric]

And that's exactly why you should own one. If you're going to make good use of it like that, not because it's the latest thing. I'd do nothing or almost nothing with it.