This is so cool - no maps!

I use Virgin mobile as well. It is great for the price.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: And i LIKE Waffle House, dammit!

Then there's probably an app that will get you to the nearest one pronto. and let them know just how much you want it smothered and covered before you even get there!

SupraWes wrote:

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: And i LIKE Waffle House, dammit!

Then there's probably an app that will get you to the nearest one pronto.

Boy did i ever see THAT coming.

carguy123 wrote: My only issue is that my wife says my phone is smarter than me. (or is it I?) see what I mean.

I ( am is the understood completion of the phrase )

EvanB wrote: I use Virgin mobile as well. It is great for the price.

I use Net 10... it pretty much a call out phone only .... the only time it's turned on is when I'm on a trip ( on at work could get me fired )

fast_eddie_72 wrote:

tuna55 wrote: Nice, but waaaaaaaaay too pricey for those data plans. Pass.

Not sure what you're paying now, but we thought this was a very good deal. Lots of plain old "minutes" plans that cost a lot more. http://www.virginmobileusa.com/cell-phone-plans/beyond-talk-plans.jsp "With Virgin Mobile Get Unlimited Web, Data Messaging & Email, Plus Hundreds of Talk Minutes, All For Just $35/Month." I get unlimited data with my Blackberry from work, but my wife uses Virgin pre-pay. Works great for us. Before the Blackberry, I had a $10 phone and a plan that cost me about $8 a month. I don't use my phone a lot, so didn't ever use enough minutes to worry about. So, compared to that, it's expensive. But most folks are paying at least that much just for phone service.

smart phone = way to much $$$$$ my Net 10 runs less than $20/mo and I have over 4000 min at the moment

Wow a lots happened here since I left.

So far with my iPhone I've found a super neat place to eat, avoided a huge traffic jam in Dallas, saved 7 cents a gallon on gas, zoomed in on a particularly strange intersection to find out if we'd have gone the logical way we'd have gone the wrong way and THE most important chore was finding a rest stop so I could go pee.

In the old days we'd have stopped at the next filling station, overpaid for gas and probably got a disease from a dirty toilet seat.

Oh, and fodder for the Ford vs Chevy truck debate in another thread, so far we've averaged 21.1 mpg with combined city and hwy driving in my F150.

And need I mention I am reading the forum and posting on the real Internet while my wife drives?

The Valentine 1 has already saved us from one hwy patrol trap of multiple patrol cars a short distance from each other. Thank you for arrows and a count of how many radars are out there

Forgot to mention I am running the 4.6 not the Eco-boost

At a little more than 300 miles our mpg has risen to 21.4. We have a higher percentage of hwy miles now, but we're not being frugal of foot. We've had a large number of semis that have demanded to be passed and we are usually traveling @ 75+. That ain't bad for a V8.

When we baby it we can get close to 23 mpg long range and 24 short term

Smartphones are cool and all, but not the be all and end all of life.

I use mine daily. Instead of getting off my lazy butt to go look at the sky, I check the radar on my phone. Instead of peace, quiet and time to myself, anyone can reach me at any time. Being on call 24/7/365 means you don't get to turn it off or leave it at home. Rather than reading a good book on lunch break, I hop on the forums and see what craziness you guys and gals are up to. Or possibly check the news to see how much more of the world has gone the crapper. Texting used to make my wife think sending me an grocery list is just as good as a trip to the store. It took her a few times to realize I don't do texting...ever. It's like having a tumor you can put down when you take a shower.

There are a few good things about it. Tethering for mobile internet is useful. Being able to look up a set of instructions online rather than going down to my truck to get them is useful. Email can be handy, especially when passing photos and information to my partner for ordering. Other than that, over all it's a net loss for me.

I would love to go back to the days when we didn't even have a house phone, much less a cell phone. If someone wanted to talk to you back then, there was no doubt that it was important. They had to get in the car and drive to the house. Almost makes me wish the economy would go ahead an crash all the way so I could drop this thing in the nearest trash can. I always wanted to try my hand a farming.

Aaaaaand how much do you pay a month for all that 'making your life easier?'

That's what I thought. I'll hang onto my dumb phone and maps, which don't ever need charging or don't ever not turn on for no reason at all.

Grizz wrote: Besides, my current phone is indestructable.

My current phone is held together with some scotch tape. Someday I suppose I'll get a smart phone.

SWMBO has an iPhone and it does come in handy on trips. I just don't want to carry something that big in my pocket.

fast_eddie_72 wrote:

tuna55 wrote: Nice, but waaaaaaaaay too pricey for those data plans. Pass.

Not sure what you're paying now, but we thought this was a very good deal. Lots of plain old "minutes" plans that cost a lot more. http://www.virginmobileusa.com/cell-phone-plans/beyond-talk-plans.jsp "With Virgin Mobile Get Unlimited Web, Data Messaging & Email, Plus Hundreds of Talk Minutes, All For Just $35/Month." I get unlimited data with my Blackberry from work, but my wife uses Virgin pre-pay. Works great for us. Before the Blackberry, I had a $10 phone and a plan that cost me about $8 a month. I don't use my phone a lot, so didn't ever use enough minutes to worry about. So, compared to that, it's expensive. But most folks are paying at least that much just for phone service.

Wow, this does look like a good deal.
This Android for $149 with no BS contract looks nice and I bet I could find it for $20 or so cheaper without trying too hard. I see that Virgin's website has Blackberries listed too for $179 but Walmart shows them for $99 and still plans starting at $35 http://www.walmart.com/ip/Virgin-Mobile-BlackBerry-8530-Prepaid-Cell-Phone/14321311

Twin_Cam wrote: Aaaaaand how much do you pay a month for all that 'making your life easier?' That's what I thought. I'll hang onto my dumb phone and maps, which don't ever need charging or don't ever not turn on for no reason at all.

Do you carry your maps with you everywhere? (and keep in mind maps are ONLY ONE of the minor features in a smart phone) Can you sit in a bar or trackside and whip out your maps and make plans, compare routes, show your buddy where to go, how to get there or the secret short cut. Then will you map magically show you gas, food, stores, lodging, etc? NO, I didn't think so.

I pay a lot less than the phone gives me back. If nothing else in having more time during the day to do things I want to do. I was never lost when I moved to a new town. I'm never lost going to a client's office. I can find anything with no doubting, going slow looking, making U turns and best yet, as a guy I don't EVER have to ask for directions!!

Even on a trip it's almost as if you are a long time local. You know exactly where to go to get beer. You know how to get anywhere. You know the menus at all the restaurants and the pricing. You even know what the fronts of the buildings look like so that you can spot it "up the street" from you.

I'm sitting in a hotel that was a no-brainer. No searching for room as we entered a strange town. We looked to see what was available before we got here. We checked prices and booked the room.

The Maps program took us right to it. It was as if we knew exactly where we wanted to go. This means we will get to bed sooner and we saved money. On this one trip alone we will save much more than a month's worth of data will cost us plus our lives have been easier the whole month and we've saved time and money every day besides this one.

We saved 9 cents a gallon for our second tank of gas compared to all the prices we would have had to take because we didn't know what was up the road just an exit or 2.

We found restrooms when we wanted them so no uncomfortable driving till it hurt. The trip so far has been all fun and no pain. Oh, we were asked for directions at a gas station and we just whipped out the phone and gave them as if we were the locals.

We've stayed in touch with friends and family thru FB so the trip has been more fun.

Our radar detector saved us a couple of times. You do have a radar detector don't you? You wondered if a radar detector would benefit you until you got one didn't you. Or did you get one because you got a ticket and decided you'd get a detector so you'd never get a ticket again?

You resistors don't make yourself look cool or knowledgeable by using your brain and deciding it costs too much. You make yourself seem hidebound, stiff, and ignorant. Notice I did not say stupid. Ignorant is you don't know, stupid is you can't know.

You are using your brain, but you don't have the facts to make a fully informed decision and you don't even know it. When you change, not if, you will wonder why you didn't do it years before.

All those guys who hollered "get a horse" finally got a car and their lives were better. We all have cars

This thread wasn't started to try to convince anyone to go out and get a smartphone, it was more of a sudden realization just how much things had changed in the 21st century and how glad I was that things were so easy nowadays.

But some things never change - we filled the truck up with useless food, put in our favorite CDs, turned the stereo up to 11 and have been singing along at the top of our lungs - ROAD TRIP!!!!

tuna55 wrote:

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Uhh.... ANGRY BIRDS. Need i say more?

I have seen T shirts and weird references. Now I have to assume it's an app of some sort.

you can DL angry birds in chrome (web browser) for free...

anyway... I personally love mine... I use it more as a mini tablet and mp3 player... but i've used it for navigation and other tidbits :)...

I still carry an atlas in my car... prob out of date being that I got it 10 years back... and I always have my laptop with me when I travel which has MS streets and trips on it, and I tend to compare that with googlemaps before a longer trip...

honestly i'd prefer a proper auto GPS over the smart phone... but I wouldn't use it often enough to matter...

I plan to use my phone as a speedometer when I get the s10 up... :)...

carguy123 wrote: You resistors don't make yourself look cool or knowledgeable by using your brain and deciding it costs too much. You make yourself seem hidebound, stiff, and ignorant. Notice I did not say stupid. Ignorant is you don't know, stupid is you can't know.

carguy123 wrote: This thread wasn't started to try to convince anyone to go out and get a smartphone, it was more of a sudden realization just how much things had changed in the 21st century and how glad I was that things were so easy nowadays.

This reply wasn't started to convince anyone that you sir are more than a bit condescending, preachy, and irritating. Notice I did not say shiny happy person. Condescending is acting with patronizing superiority, shiny happy person is sorta what you are acting like.

I'm happy you are happy with your phone dude, but there is no reason to be so evangelical about it. You cannot force me to get one, even by calling me names. Not everyone will get one, not everyone wants one, not everyone needs one, not everyone wants to pay for one. We get it you are a big believer. Enjoy it, but no need to be so preachy about it.

I had 3 minutes of use on my phone last month. I think it will take pictures if I bothered to try. Nothing else. I've never ridden a horse,but I do know how to set points,or adjust an SU. I'll move on when I have to.

"Technology has enriched the lives of many technicians." P.J.O'R, (I think.)

I guess I just don't see the need to know exactly where I will stop and eat and exactly where I'll get gas next. That's half the fun, to me.

Also, consider this. In a real emergency, what will help you more: your "smart" phone, which will not work because the cell networks will all be down and/or jammed, or the experience of improvising and figuring things out without Googling them?

Plus I don't think Google has directions on how to build a weapon for self-defense in the event of the zombie apocalypse. Well they probably do

DeadSkunk wrote: I had 3 minutes of use on my phone last month.

I maybe had five minutes on mine. There's a difference between resisting, and simply not having a need.

To carguy 123: settle down.

I just can't resist.

Also, it's "resister." A "resistor" is part of an electrical circuit.