How do YOU use a Smartphone?

[djlong]

Something someone said in the android thread got me thinking. He didn't know what people used a Smartphone for. So I figured that's as good a reason as any to let people know what kinds of things people do with their smartphones.

I had a Palm Treo 700w for about 3+ years before my recent upgrade to an HTC Touch Pro 2. Here's what I've done with those phones..

Wrote a program that was a glorified stopwatch but would store the lap times in a database.

Played several kinds of games - Space Trader, Bookworm, Bejewelled, Scrabble and Monopoly most notably.

Web surfing - I've had an unlimited data plan on my phone since the beginning. Anything from looking up movie times when a sudden urge hits the group to (now) calling up Google Maps to check traffic. I also read news from places like the NY Times, MSNBC, ZDNet, Engadget, etc.

Kept spreadsheets for car expenses, travel expenses, figuring out how many alimony checks my ex-wife hasn't cashed.

Notes - LOTS of notes. Things like product keys, notes taken in a store for comparisons, shopping lists, etc.

They also tend to hold more text messages. My Treo had almost 8000 text messages in it when I looked at the numbers in my Inbox and Sent.

My new phone actually takes pretty good pictures in a nice widescreen (16x9) ratio.

I'm also having some fun with the GPS on my new phone. I haven't yet tried out the WiFi.

It's also my morning alarm clock.

Anyone else out there?

EDIT: I forgot - I make phone calls on it too! (and use it as a data/modem as a backup method to get to the internet on my laptop)

[davring]

Perfect timing on your post as I was looking just yesterday at the iPhone 3GS 16 gig. Been reading different reviews today. Looks interesting. Looking forward to more information from others after your post, thanks.

[Game Fan]

I use my Iphone for work and pleasure. I never thought I'd use it much. Boy was I ever wrong. My biggest issue was battery life. I just got a MiLi battery extender. I charge it every night and it never goes flat. It's a little heavier and bulkier, but it's worth it.

[rudeney]

I have an old HTC Apache (a.k.a. Verizon XV6700). I use mine mainly as a phone and for e-mail (both personal and corporate). I also use it as a modem to my laptop via tethering. I have the Facebook app loaded on it, but I'm not really that into FB, so it's there just when I need to kill time. Another app I use extensively is MS Live Search with it's speech recognition. I find that very useful. I have a few simple games (solitaire, minesweeper, etc.) again, just to kill time.

[hdtvfan0001]

Phone is Job 1.

Contacts, calendar, and e-mail are Job 2.

Internet Browser is Job 3.

Instant Mesenger is Job 4.

Everything else is not equal to those 4....but added value from time to time.

[davring]

Phone is Job 1.

Contacts, calendar, and e-mail are Job 2.

Internet Browser is Job 3.

Instant Mesenger is Job 4.

Everything else is not equal to those 4....but added value from time to time.

Very good order of use, good points to ponder, looks like the iPhone would suffice. I think I would use the Google maps app as we travel regularly.

[Grentz]

Phone #1
Texting #2

Would like to have email but the data plans are too expensive at this point. I mainly have a smartphone for the full keyboard and nicer screen/interface of windows mobile. Every now and then I play with an app or two, but nothing regularly. I have used the Blackjack for the last 3+ yrs and it has been a great phone.

[lflorack]

I use my BlackBerry 8330 Curve (in no particular order) for:

Phone
Maps/GPS
Instant Messaging
email
calendaring and appointments
task lists
weather
Internet access of all kinds
some game playing
Note-taking and retrieval
listening to music
ebook reading
Facebook access
Contact management
Alarms/reminders
Calculator
Expense management for traveling
Amazon shopping/ordering
DVR scheduling
Project management
taking quick pictures
voice memo-taking
etc, etc, etc


Suffice it to say I couldn't live without a smartphone.

[tcusta00]

I think phone and data have an equal share of the job in my case.

Since I got the iPhone 3Gs in July:

Data Sent: 431 MB
Data Rec'd: 2.8 GB

Talk Time: 8 hrs 38 mins

[Stewart Vernon]

I have an iPhone 3G 16GB model.

Mostly used as a phone, for games, maps right now... but I'm also working on learning to program so I can write some things of my own at some point.

[rudeney]

Contacts, calendar, and e-mail are Job 2.

Oh yeah, I forgot about calendar - that's a big one! And contacts, of course. I like having all these items sync to Exchange.

[Stuart Sweet]

I use my phone as a phone. I have a Samsung Blackjack II. I hardly ever get on the internet with it (because the browser is so poor.) The key for me is Outlook integration. I need to have my complete contact list and appointments with me.

I tend not to check my e-mail on the phone, and do not have e-mails pushed to it.

[redsoxfan26]

Samsung Instinct

Phone
texting
Check e-mail
many uses as GPS
MP3 player

[Ken S]

Blackberry Curve here.

1. Communications - Phone, email, texts, IMs...whatever way a child, wife or client needs to contact me it's available.

2. Contacts

3. Calendar

4. Information Lookups

5. News and Stock information

6. Pandora

7. GPS functions

8. Notes

9. Bluetooth tethering for my Netbook when WIFI isn't available.

[Tom Robertson]

T-mobile MDA for 3+ years now HTC Touch Pro 2. Basically integrates PDA, pager, modem, and phone. And now adds GPS.

I've enjoyed email, contacts, notes, tasks, internet, a few games, and of course the phone. :)

Cheers,
Tom

[houskamp]

come on guys, be honest...
games games games and more games :lol:

[Go Beavs]

No "smartphone" here.

I do use my cellphone for calling people and as a personal phonebook.

I'm pretty low tech on that front.

[Ken S]

come on guys, be honest...
games games games and more games :lol:

Nahh, while I love games I can't think of any game I have enjoyed playing on a tiny screen.

The iPhone does do quite a bit better at games and video than others, but as my wife learned watching a couple of iTunes purchases episodes of Mad Men will kill an iPhone's battery very quickly. Games and video are much better played on something like the Sony PSP.

[HDJulie]

My first smartphone was a Blackberry Curve that my sister gave me. I thought it was cool but didn't use it for much other than as a phone because I couldn't see the screen & I didn't like the interface. Now that I have an iPhone, I use it for phone, texting, some email, Internet, & several apps that connect to the Internet, such as weather, news, & football apps.

[ncxcstud]

I use my phone as a phone. I have a Samsung Blackjack II. I hardly ever get on the internet with it (because the browser is so poor.) The key for me is Outlook integration. I need to have my complete contact list and appointments with me.

I tend not to check my e-mail on the phone, and do not have e-mails pushed to it.


I have a BJII too Stuart. The web browser is terrible...the Opera Mobile Browser is much better IMO.

Of course, I don't use data at all anymore so it lowered our bill by 20 bucks.

BTW - if you haven't been to it yet, check out www.myblackjack2.com for neat hints and hacks for the Blackjack 2 ;)

[bobukcat]

My Moto Q9C gets used mostly for (in order of usage, not priority):

1) Cell Phone
2) E-mail (corporate), Calendar and Contacts synched to Outlook / Exchange
3) Texting
4) Alarm Clock
5) GPS Nav
6)Internet Browsing (quick google searches, no extended browsing) / FB updates
7) Solitaire (when I'm bored, sitting in traffic, waiting for someone, etc)
8) Camera
9) MP3 Player (I have an Ipod Touch I prefer as a portable music player but in a pinch the phone works well).

[dshu82]

Just upgraded from original iPhone to 3G S, 32 GB.

Work E-mail
Personal E-mail
Texting
Phone
Web Browsing / Apps
Ipod

[dennisj00]

The iPhone basically replaces my laptop for traveling. Email, browsing, texting, and the occasional game or iPod use. Most important is terminal server if I have to get to a server.

If I'm going for a few days, I still pack the laptop. Day trips - not.

[phat78boy]

On pretty much a daily basis here are my WinMo activities

-Email
-VPN into customers network
-RDP server for customers network
-Make changes to word and excel documents on the fly
-Use TV out for powerpoint presentation (weekly)
-Use network tools for troubleshooting at jobsite (for ex., ping or telnet to make sure IP or port forward setup is correct. Easier then hooking up outside connection to laptop)
-Wireless surveys
-Portable HDD (16GB microSD)
-Browse Web
-Play games
-Phone as modem
-Quick notes
-Calendar meetings (accepting, scheduling, and reminding)
-Business card scanner
-Music (streaming and local)
-TV (Sprint and ORB)
-Pictures
-GPS (Both location and site survey with satellite view)
-Making calls....of course