guest post by fdl

HOW SMART IS A SMART PHONE?

FINANCIALLY SPEAKING, OF COURSE

How do you make such life altering decisions?

• Do you decide how much it will cost per month and evaluate how much easier your life would be if you had all those cool features?
• Do you walk into a local electronic shop, fall to your knees and say, “Make my day, damn the cost’?
• Do you decide to take the leap because your phone is at the end of its contract and you have to make a change anyway?  You’ve upgraded every other time your contract ended, paying more each time.  Why not now?
• Do you need to get the latest in electronic devices-always.

Here I am, still undecided.  How much do they really cost per month?  According to a 2009 article by Mark Sullivan in PC World, the Apple iPhone is top of the line expensive.   The veteran writer examined the two year cost, the average contract length for a wireless device, of eight of the most popular Smartphone’s.

Using a chart, he gives the monthly charge plus the total cost over a two year period of these popular Smartphones.  Interestingly, all the phones come in at around $3,800 over the two years or monthly for around $150.  Two of the phones were less expensive.  The HTC-61 and the Palm-pre come out a bit cheaper overall.

Would I be cool or just a fool?

But, honestly, do you need this extra expense?   Will it really make your day better?  Will it save valuable time?  No doubt you’ll look totally cool.   Picture it.  There you are.  Sitting on the train, or at your desk, or in the break room, glassy eyed, staring into your palm where rests a tiny gadget delivering awesome information.

I know someone who doesn’t even have an email address or ever surfs the web-but that little Smartphone trinket soaks him for $150 bucks a month.  I know someone else who uses his Smartphone constantly. He checks his numerous emails, tweets, phones business associates, utilizes the GPS feature and generally ‘stays connected’.  It costs him the same $150 bucks a month, minimum.

So, where would you or I fall in our use of this terrific little money sponge?  Come on, do you really need that extra expense?

I Don’t Need A Smart-phone

All this discussion and my previous research on the topic convinced me that at this time, I am paying enough for my cell service.  I don’t need continuous internet, or GPS, or…well the list goes on.  I would look so cool staring intently into my hand, fingers curled, eyes glazed over, not hearing anything going on around me.

But, that will just have to be later on, like next year, when my ship comes in and I have money to throw away.

Not now.

Stay cool,

FDL

FDL writes about clutter and organization at The Fast DECLUTTER Blog

What are your thoughts-are any of you still in the dark ages with just a cell phone?