Can an old dog learn new tricks?

Okay. I'll admit it. I'm an old fart who has resisted about every new technology
that has come down the pike. ie: no microwave till '86...no CD player till
around '97. MP3? Is that like R2D2? I do have one with I tunes on my Iplod.
My old surfboard was around 10' and it took me and my brother to both carry it
down to the water in S Calif.(Sure looked good laying on the beach with it in
'65. Was $h..t at the actual sport). So here's the deal. I see everyone talking about their Droid, TapaTalk, 3-4G, Go pro, etc. Explain to me some of the primary benefits of these Smart phones and what distinguishes one from another. If and when I could afford it, why should I have one? Please help out
a guy in his declining years. It would be greatly appreciated.  Ps....Newest tech for me is my Revo and love it.

I have a Droid X, which is nearly 2 years old now.  A smartphone isn't necessary, but they are REALLY convenient.  Here are things I commonly use my phone for:

Road Navigation - Droids come with google maps and navigator with turn by turn talking directions

Email

Tapatalk - so I can view the forums easily whenever I want

Camera - Droid X has an 8.0 mp camera that takes really good photos AND it has 720p video (you never know when your kids are going to do something REALLY funny)

MP3 player - yep, built in, also includes FM radio, you don't need that MP3 player anymore

Apps:
- Navionics Maps are awesome, I can view depths and bottom types for any body of water in the lower 48 right from my phone, whenever I want ($16)
- Games like words with friends (scrabble) keeps the mind sharp and helps break up monotonous days - also helpful when the kids are bored in the back seat on a long drive
- Banking software (make sure you only use your bank's software and no 3rd party crap)
- Cabela's Fish Hunt - great for scoping out areas and it may be funny, but I've used it to rule out or rule in houses to look at using the topo maps, because I hate yards on high slope lots and people like to leave that information out
- Google earth
- Poynt - cheapest gas near you, movie times and theater locations, resturaunts, events, phone book
- Sunrise/Sunset - I just like to know exactly how much daylight I have left
- Regs - yep, you can download and store a PDF version of hunting and fishing regulations right on your phone
- mynetdiary - it's a dietary app, keeps track of calories, protein, and pretty much every facet of your diet by simple typing in the food your eating (it auto searches for your entry on the web to get nutrional information) or scanning the bar code on those candy bars I can't keep away from

Seriously, that saying "we have an app for that" is true, they pretty much make an app for everything you can think of

Oh, and I got to start my day off by watching 8+ minutes of killer fish pr0n courtesy of Rory this morning, right on my phone in HD.

Thanks Lee.

Hey fishnut,

I think Lee had a very nice writeup. I have an iPhone. The things I use mine for that I consider fairly necessary are synching calendar, contacts and notes. Having a nice scientific calculator (RPN based - looks like an HP48 for other nerds). A good grocery app.

Luxury uses (I do these because I have a smartphone, but they are not why I have a smartphone): Watching videos (on planes), a few games, Netflix, email (I check more often because I have the phone, but the extra checking is not necessary), web browsing (like reading this site, check the weather and tides, check the river levels, etc), Yelp! (look up restaurants nearby), gasbuddy (find gas prices nearby), google maps to check traffic, cooking apps, kindle app for reading books, TripIt for travel (really nice if you travel much), also GateGuru. These are all nice to have, but not have to have. I do not do the social networking thing, but that is another popular use.

Another thing is to make sure your eyes are up to snuff for using the small screen. I have bifocals and it is just fine, but while incredibly crisp the text is pretty small. In the end you just have to decide if it is worth the extra $30/month or so. In terms that we all understand that is a nice new fishfinder per year or a new Hobie Outback every 5 years. What was I thinking... 

Oh man, how did I forget the traffic?!  I use my google maps app for avoiding traffic every day.  I've used it several times to avoid Snoqualmie pass traffic and discovered some really nice scenic roads in the process.

Thanks again guys. The eye sight thing is a big deal for me as I've had 2 rt eye operations,still have macular edema which causes blurry vision and a wavy line.
Docs have not been able to fix over the last year 1/2. Wear a contact in rt eye
under my glasses and am still f....d. Doesn'tsound to be a good option.

Don't feel bad nut, I held out on the microwave until 2 years ago (when my kids demanded it) and my smartphone is only a month old.  You don't NEED anything it does.  It's just fun and often convenient.

Have you considered an ipad? Sure you can't put it in your pocket but it'll do a lot of the things either a smartphone or a PC will do with a much bigger display than the former.

-Spot-

Yup, what Lee said. I like the droid mainly because it was on my network and it came in waterproof. The ability to add features and programs is what makes it the lick. Same with the I-phone, but spendy-er and doesn't come in waterproof.

The thing Lee did not mention is the screen that's big enuf to see without glasses. That was actually becoming a problem with my old phone.
And to top it all off you can make phone calls with it!

What will they think of next?

Re: Can an old dog learn new tricks?

Of course he can!
There are no "old fools" They get eliminated!
Dog didn't get old being stupid. 


Wali

Need to fix that garbage disposal? Whip out the smartphone and take picture of plumbing fittings, so when you get to Lowe's, it is easy to remember what kind of angle stop you need when you can LOOK at it.

Why crawl under the sink, truck, house... to check on something when you can stick your phone in there and ZOOM in on it.

Can't remember the wife's birthday? Anniversary day?  No me. My smartphone has an alarm to remind me every year. No hurt feelings or ticked off wife. Happy wife, happy life.

Driving between Yakima and Biggs in radio free zone? Whip out your smartphone and plug it into your truck stereo for 1.9 days of music YOU like.

Sitting in the hospital waiting room for a grandson to be born and need to entertain three kids? Whip out your smartphone and play a video you downloaded from Amazon, or stream a movie from Netflix, or play chess, checkers, Bedazzled, Angry Birds, Simms...

Speedometer broke on the truck? Whip out the smartphone, fire up one of the free apps or GPS program.

Need to check on your checking account? Wells Fargo, Chase, BofA and several other banks have apps so you can see balances, transfer money between accounts, ...

There are several "digital coupon" apps, that will save you money on things you buy everyday, from coffee and donuts to shoes, breakfast, lunch and dinner BOGOF deals,

Wife sends me a digital shopping list for grocery store via text message, so I don't forget anything.

Cheap Gas, Gas Buddy,... quit buying expensive fuel or waste fuel driving around town looking for cheap fuel.

FISH HEAD APP, river flows, temps, and river forecasts, weather forecasts and sea conditions.

It has an internet browser (I have an iPhone, so I have Safari and Google Search, I can Google anything almost anywhere, so when the garbage disposal goes on the blink, you get to the store and think the price is too high, you can compare other stores RIGHT THERE, even Amazon or Ebay, and sometimes ask the store owner if they will match the price or split the difference with you...it's worth asking.

IHeart radio... I can listen to Rush Limbaugh anywhere I can get 3g signal, even if I can't get a local signal.

Skype, video telephone with friends and family for free.

 My service with ATT ( I would go with Verizon if I were you, I have to use ATT) costs $30 a month for smartphone service, and since I have an old contract, I have unlimited usage. I figure all I have to do is save $30 a month in normal purchases + $20 a month for the additional cost of the phone, so $50 bucks, or  $600 a year, and I know I save more than double that using a smartphone, plus MUCH less stress and aggravation. The camera and video camera were something I thought I would never use, I use them daily at minimum.

All the stuff everyone listed i use regularly.

On long trips I still bring my Garmin GPS but the iPhone also gets lots of use searching for local stuff when I travel using AroundMe.

I do most stock trading and check bank balances and pay bills using my iPhone. Use RedLaser to scan barcodes when shopping to see if item is well priced.

Since my Tandem Island is a sailing kayak I use WindFinder to check wind, temp, tides. MarinaLife to find boat launches.

Got my Bible on it, both text and audio versions. Been using Audible for over ten years to listen to books. My wife has over 1000 books now and is always listening. Keeps her happy while waiting for me to catch a fish.

Track NFL, NHL, ATP, etc. on ESPN. Check news on FluentNews and CNBC. I track my diet, exercise and weight with LoseIt.

Now I can even check in for flights with the barcode image on my screen.

Years ago I had a Day Timer, PDA, GPS and cell phone. Now I only carry one item. I'm a total addict. Been on vacation last two weeks and still use it every day.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ah, that reminded me.  If you get the eBay app, you can scan things while you're shopping in store (Cabelas, REI, etc.) and see if eBay has a better deal.