Smartphones and the less than average user

[blackepoxy]

Oh, I love switches, call me a steam punk fan, but damn I love mechanical keyboards and everything that manually makes clicking mechanical sounds.

I really hate all touch screen technologies, even now when they push everything to touchscreens and I need to type off my phone. I used to work at the cafe and they had a touch screen POS, I swear, I wanted to grab a hammer and break that stupid thing with it every other day.

Yeah you right in a way. My wife also misses the pressing of real keys that click...There is nothing like talking on an old heavy phone with the receiver and the base so when you get in a heated phone call you get the satisfaction of slamming the receiver part of the handset into the base to hang up on someone. They hear the crash and slam on the other end and know they got hung up on straight up!
Just tapping end call on a touchscreen phone doesn't have the same effect.
Someone should make an app for that like "angry hang up" or something, with the crash sound customizable or something.
That sounds awesome.
Who's with me?

By the way I absolutely love entering text with Swype!!!
Do not miss physical buttons.

I have no idea what type of processor my SGS3 has. I don't think exactly what is under the hood as long as it allows me to communicate by calling, messages, social networking, browsing, etc. Likewise, I couldn't tell you any such stats about my car either. All I know is that it gets me to where I'm going.

I usually buy a phone based on what processor it has alone. Loving the Qualcomm Snapdragon krait based SoC right now. Also, I would like to try and select a device that I think can possibly be updated to the next version/how many software versions it can be updated. But I guess that's futile because nothing is really sure on that note.

 

[dan330]

people should not have to do anything ..just to meet someone else's expectations.

you dont have to know what is in it to use it. most don know what engine or how powerful it is .. to buy or drive it.

someday... the user my find they need certain feature.. and the phone/device/smartphone.. can do it. little by little; they will use it more. but they dont have to.

i dont like others trying to make me do things with my property.. and i am sure you dont like it either.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Yeah you right in a way. My wife also misses the pressing of real keys that click...There is nothing like talking on an old heavy phone with the receiver and the base so when you get in a heated phone call you get the satisfaction of slamming the receiver part of the handset into the base to hang up on someone. They hear the crash and slam on the other end and know they got hung up on straight up!
Just tapping end call on a touchscreen phone doesn't have the same effect.
Someone should make an app for that like "angry hang up" or something, with the crash sound customizable or something.
That sounds awesome.
Who's with me? [snip]

I'm with you I'd love that to be added to the dialing notification screen right next to End call. I'd also love a nice Rotary dial phone for the house. Touch-tone even, I guess I have to make some concessions to progress. Sorry for getting Off-Topic OP.

 

[davoid]

There is nothing like talking on an old heavy phone with the receiver and the base so when you get in a heated phone call you get the satisfaction of slamming the receiver part of the handset into the base to hang up on someone. They hear the crash and slam on the other end and know they got hung up on straight up!
Just tapping end call on a touchscreen phone doesn't have the same effect.
Someone should make an app for that like "angry hang up" or something, with the crash sound customizable or something.
That sounds awesome.
Who's with me?

Yep, Angry Hang Up sounds great. You're onto something there. You could even have it so that it mimics the sound of the phone being thrown across the room at the wall and falling behind the sofa. You could carry on ranting as though to someone else, because the phone muffles and quietens the mic making you sound far away. then another press fakes the sound of you picking it up and turning it off.

Or it mimics the sound of you stamping on the phone until it croaks

 

[Bob Maxey]

I strongly agree with this.

Just ask any iPhone user what type of processor their phone has?
They will just shrug they shoulders...I don't know.
Same thing applies for most with android phones. There are a lot people that still call every phone that runs android a "droid".
Or don't even know what software version they phone is on.
I think they just want a smart phone only for Facebook...

Does knowing this really matter?

Gathered here are people who know everything about their phones and they can tell you what their processor is and how many cores. They know what Gingerbread or ICS is.

Most users do not get caught up in the minutia and as long as their phone works, everything's Jake.

 

[pbf98]

Some people don't see a need for customizing their phones, and if thats the case so be it. You have started seeing more and more people using smartphones because the carriers have started to make it cheaper to obtain them vs the flip phones they're use to.

Someone i knew that said he'd never get a smartphone ended up with one because it made the family plan cheaper, his Razr cost only $50 where if he would have gotten the flip phone he wanted it would have cost him over $100 (for a basic one) on contract. Its not only the consumer, but also the supplier that is getting people to change.

To those people that "don't know how to use it" did you think that it may just be because they want to use it as a phone, cause thats what its purpose is isn't it? Eventually all the phones in use will be smartphone its not a fashion statement and its not a trend, its just whats available with current technology advances

 

[SiempreTuna]

Well.

Seems I'm officially a less than average user.

Guess I ought to feel some shame given where we are, but frankly I don't care what processor my phone has (or what's on the servers at work), I've never moded any phone (if it needed moding I wouldn't have bought it in the first place) and I have hardly any apps installed so do nothing very exciting with it.

I'm in IT and frankly, if a user has to know any of this sort guff, you've failed. It should all be totally transparent to the user - one thing Apple do get right.

I drive a car: I have no idea what goes on in the dirty bit under the lid at the front. If I need to, that means it's a lousy car.

Talking of cars, just like to point out that Ferraris and Porsches are very different beasts: a Porsche (aka Beetle/Bug Sport) usually functions as an everyday run around (certainly that's how I used mine) while a Ferrari is strictly a hobby car.

Not sure about recent Ferraris, but they're still Italian so I'm guessing are still insanely unreliable - a colleague who had one claimed if he spent more than 20 minutes in traffic, it would over heat.

The average annual mileage of things like Ferraris and Astons is 1200 miles. There are loads of 'em round my way but you only ever see them on sunny days - this being the UK, it's kind of a surprise they manage 1200 miles.

 

[Bob Maxey]

I think that's pretty short sighted to want to restrict smartphones to people who will mod/customize them Kaiser17. Without the general public there would be no smartphone market. Manufacturers would cut there loses and move on to something else ie What's trending. It happened with PDAs and it could happen to smartphones as well. So rejoice that your a geek but don't try to limit others access. You may get what you want.

What about "restricting" the "geeks" patrolling the AF that do not write software or hack the kernel? What's up with that? What is wrong with these people? they sure do not get the most from their phones unless they write software and compile this and that.

Most people simply do not care about customizing much past changing ringtones and wallpapers. Anymore than someone that buys a new car cares about custom paint jobs, pin stripes and getting 850 BHP.

Perhaps they discover an alternative launcher, but all they want is FB, Twitter, email and messages. And the occasional phone call.

 

[Kaiser17]

Lmao oh man did this thread get huge, everyone misunderstood my point or I could've worded it better.

O well. Good to see everyone sharing their thoughts.

 

[huh]

I'm still waiting for this. hopefully the" beam me up" app will come pre-installed!

 

[Frisco]

Lmao oh man did this thread get huge, everyone misunderstood my point or I could've worded it better.

O well. Good to see everyone sharing their thoughts.

Well, "I see older people leaving their Androids the way they were out of box with little too no changes/customizations at all.

"These are smartphones, people that don't know how to use them, shouldn't buy them."

That could have been worded differently. But it's worded the way you did, so it is being responded to as such, and offended me because I'm one of the oldest in the forums and pretty much know the ins and outs of most smart phones fairly well, and enjoy customizing. I do admit to staying away from rooting now that the things have gotten such huge/fast CPUs and graphics apparatus.. bloatware is now just extra icons as far as I'm concerned, and most of those can be hidden and/or deactivated.

Perhaps something worded differentlly would have made a good point without having the negative appearances it has for some (I mess up that way all the time; I'll post something and then find out weeks later that somebody was offended, and I'm surprised until I try to look at it from their standpoint.. it's all about wording ):

How about: "Sometimes I wonder if some people who buy these things having any idea at all what the capabilities are. Maybe they don't care; they just have the newest coolest stuff around."

Stuff like that.

 

[Speed Daemon]

Lmao oh man did this thread get huge, everyone misunderstood my point or I could've worded it better.

We are like children; you have no control.

 

[Kaiser17]

Well, "I see older people leaving their Androids the way they were out of box with little too no changes/customizations at all.

"These are smartphones, people that don't know how to use them, shouldn't buy them."

That could have been worded differently. But it's worded the way you did, so it is being responded to as such, and offended me because I'm one of the oldest in the forums and pretty much know the ins and outs of most smart phones fairly well, and enjoy customizing. I do admit to staying away from rooting now that the things have gotten such huge/fast CPUs and graphics apparatus.. bloatware is now just extra icons as far as I'm concerned, and most of those can be hidden and/or deactivated.

Perhaps something worded differentlly would have made a good point without having the negative appearances it has for some (I mess up that way all the time; I'll post something and then find out weeks later that somebody was offended, and I'm surprised until I try to look at it from their standpoint.. it's all about wording ):

How about: "Sometimes I wonder if some people who buy these things having any idea at all what the capabilities are. Maybe they don't care; they just have the newest coolest stuff around."

Stuff like that.

Yea I could have worded it differently, I didn't mean to offend so many people that I did haha, my posts often come of as offensive to many people when I don't mean to offend people but at the same time want their thoughts an opinions on the subject.

 

[!on]

Totally agree with the OP.

Most people on contract are getting a free phone & it's firstly fashion, secondly specs that drive their choice. Sadly enough, people are making these choices to make themselves look better (fake status symbol). They just need a phone that does calls & text. I had to show a colleague how to add widgets to his homescreen once .

The contracts are partly to blame for this, because people can get a new shiny one after a year or so & don't get to know their phones that well.

Also these supposed 'pocket personal computers' don't give us root access out the box. Never understood that! The owner is the administrator! So why do we have a dumbed down OS? Is it for our own safety? Perhaps the unlocked / unbranded phones should have root access by default.

 

[unnamedny]

Yea I could have worded it differently, I didn't mean to offend so many people that I did haha, my posts often come of as offensive to many people when I don't mean to offend people but at the same time want their thoughts an opinions on the subject.

its not the wording, you meant what you did, none likes to be told what to buy and what to use and what not to. Think about it yourself. I'm noticing more and more that older people have great memory and have so much knowledge. They remember poems that they learned back in high school and know math like they got out of college yesterday. That's because people used to read alot more and life was not so simplified. Now 60 year old is going to come here and tell you how stupid you are, you wouldn't like it would you?


I'm in my twenties and I really hate fancy widgets and wallpapers. My home screen is just 40 shortcuts and Circle Launcher and black screen. It doesn't mean I should go back to dumb phones.

 

[Kaiser17]

its not the wording, you meant what you did, none likes to be told what to buy and what to use and what not to. Think about it yourself. I'm noticing more and more that older people have great memory and have so much knowledge. They remember poems that they learned back in high school and know math like they got out of college yesterday. That's because people used to read alot more and life was not so simplified. Now 60 year old is going to come here and tell you how stupid you are, you wouldn't like it would you?


I'm in my twenties and I really hate fancy widgets and wallpapers. My home screen is just 40 shortcuts and Circle Launcher and black screen. It doesn't mean I should go back to dumb phones.

First off, I don't need you to tell me what I meant to say.

And secondly where did I ever say older folks dont have great memory or knowledge? Dont twist my words.

A mod should close this topic because im tired of people not understanding my point and instead taking it to a whole new direction.

 

[Bob Maxey]

First off, I don't need you to tell me what I meant to say.

And secondly where did I ever say older folks dont have great memory or knowledge? Dont twist my words.

A mod should close this topic because im tired of people not understanding my point and instead taking it to a whole new direction.

No anger. Simply restate your point and let us try it again. I do not like threads closed because the OP does not state his or her query clearly and becomes upset when people run with it.

You said this: "I see everyone with either an Android or iPhone now, how many actually know how to use them?

For example I see older people leaving their Androids the way they were out of box with little too no changes/customizations at all."

You are suggesting that older people do not change this or that because they do not know how. I am an older person and I likely know as much about iPhones and Android devices as any young squirt. Us old farts know allot about allot.

Restate your question and let it remain is my vote!

 

[Bob Maxey]

Most people on contract are getting a free phone & it's firstly fashion, secondly specs that drive their choice. Sadly enough, people are making these choices to make themselves look better (fake status symbol). They just need a phone that does calls & text. I had to show a colleague how to add widgets to his homescreen once .

The contracts are partly to blame for this, because people can get a new shiny one after a year or so & don't get to know their phones that well.

Also these supposed 'pocket personal computers' don't give us root access out the box. Never understood that! The owner is the administrator! So why do we have a dumbed down OS? Is it for our own safety? Perhaps the unlocked / unbranded phones should have root access by default.

Pleeeeeeeeze. First, you are not getting a free phone, are you kidding me? Rolleyes. You pay for it through the life of your contract. Secondly, most people do not consider their phones to be fashion accessories. Yes, they might choose a phone for its looks or color but that is because we have vast choices.

And most people likely do not know anything about their device specs. I know specs about your phone that you likely do not know. One does not need to know specifications about everything they own to be a happy user.

Forget root access and what it means. Most could give a rat's red rump about root access and if you think users need to have it, you need education.

My phones do everything my laptop does. Well, almost. I can create documents, tweet, Facebook, email, listen to music, watch TV, and download files.

Do not be one of those people that thinks unless you know everything about your device you are a dummy. Fact is, millions of happy users like their devices and they do not need root access or intimate knowledge of their device to be productive.

 

[Bob Maxey]

We are like children; you have no control.

I might suggest we are like a herd of cats. Children can learn and grow and we have parents... I mean mods to "spank" us when we misbehave.

Ever try to herd a bunch of cats? They run all over the place.

 

[Bob Maxey]

How about: "Sometimes I wonder if some people who buy these things having any idea at all what the capabilities are. Maybe they don't care; they just have the newest coolest stuff around."

Stuff like that.

That works. I do think we all want the newest coolest stuff around.

 

[big_z]

These are smartphones, people that don't know how to use them, shouldn't buy them..

Sorry, but who are you to tell people what they should and shouldn't buy? If you're concerned about them wasting money that's one thing, but it doesn't sound like that's your concern. It sounds more like a "you should enjoy your phone like I enjoy mine" rant.

Here's why "old people" don't customize phones: they know their time is limited and they don't want to spend the majority of it screwing around with a device. They have more important things to do. They have important people to see and talk to. They have important sights to see.

When I was a teenager (a few years before cell phones became ubiquitous), two years was FOREVER. I could see customizing the crap out of a phone because, hey, I was going to have it FOREVER. I'm over 30 now, and two years doesn't seem all that long. Why should I spend all that time customizing and rooting a device that I may not have in 2 years? Hell, I didn't even have my first LTEvo for 5 months: I bought it September, got it about the way that I wanted, and then left it in my robe pocket and washed it on New Year's Eve. All that work, gone. Why would I want to waste my time doing all that again?

 

[Speed Daemon]

First off, I don't need you to tell me what I meant to say.

And secondly where did I ever say older folks dont have great memory or knowledge? Dont twist my words.

A mod should close this topic because im tired of people not understanding my point and instead taking it to a whole new direction.

Amen to that!

I believe in others' rights to express themselves. But that right does NOT include redefining what other people said. My motto is "speak for yourself only, and if you have nothing on your own, fell free to remain silent."

I also stand against those who want to make this easy to understand observation a political issue.

For the record, I'm one of these:

"For example I see older people leaving their Androids the way they were out of box with little too no changes/customizations at all."

I'm "older", and aside from having the same wallpaper that was on my previous phone (the sales tech must have done that) I have no customizations at all. Stock theme. Nothing but apps.

I'm fine with that, although I did want a bit of CPU to handle the encryption algorithms that my SSH apps use without bogging down. So what?

 

[AntimonyER]

I believe this thread has run its course.

Closed.