Computer technology vs. Smart Phones.

I've had a computer for the last 20+ years. And no way am I a geek. I can turn it on, and use it. I got an Iphone a few months ago. That's when I began to notice how old school computers were. To check if my medications from my pharmacy were ready, I had to click on the site, log in, click on different programs, and subprograms. But using my phone, I pushed the phone three times. It seems to me that phones are a better fit for most of us? I'm not sure why, buy I feel like some kind of heretic.
 

I love to write and I learned "touch typing" from a correspondence course when I was in high school. Can't imagine sitting and "chicken pecking" away on a smartphone. I suppose this is why there are so many people writing 1 line statements these days.
The phone should have a pop up screen with a choice of whatever word you begin to type in. Mine for example if a type " t " it will give "the" as an option. I can tap that choice to skip completing the word
 
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This is my first cell phone. I still have it and it would work if it wasn't analogue. It did all I ever want, made and received calls and texting. Although the latter could be a pain. Look at the digits, each one has a group of letters, you had to press the digit button as many times as the letter you wanted was in order. For example, the letter 'S' is fourth on the number seven, so that meant four presses on the number seven button in order to achieve the letter 'S.'

My smart phone is eleven years old now, and it's still far too smart for me. I don't even know how it connects to the internet, there again, I'm not that bothered.
 
I have a Samsung S21 smart phone but do all my texting on my Dell 7000 PC using Dell Mobile Connect. I use my smart phone only to record all my health information (blood pressure, weight, sleep time, etc.) in the Samsung Health app on the phone. I also rarely get calls there. Most of my calls are made and received on my landline phone.
 
To be more term accurate, smartphones are very much computers as all have microprocessors with position/keyboard control. The efficiency of using various computer appliances strongly depends on skills of the person and less with specific device types. That noted, a desktop or laptop is going to be the choice with more skilled users while those with less skills, a smartphone or touch pad.

As someone that worked at a few Silicon Valley company computer engineering departments during the rise of computers, not only do I prefer desktops or laptops but often run complex script operations on command line windows. I dislike how smartphone advocates have tried to dumb down recent versions of Windows. Microsoft has backed off various attempts to make the Windows display more like smartphones because skilled users like this person strongly condemned many such "improvements" that tended to so hide many Control Panel operations that users usually had to annoyingly use Search functions. Although I find smartphones fine for simple operations, there are many that become tedious, prone to being sent off into unintended pages where one is soon lost. Smartphone operations requiring selecting, copying, and pasting text across multiple pages are particularly annoying.
 
Predictive Text ! It can be a blessing as well as a curse...
My word processor has this predictive text. I have shut if off as I have found it very annoying. For every time it has put in the correct word, it also puts in the wrong word. I find the system very stressful but that's just me. Others might think it's the greatest invention since "mother's milk."
 
My word processor has this predictive text. I have shut if off as I have found it very annoying. For every time it has put in the correct word, it also puts in the wrong word. I find the system very stressful but that's just me. Others might think it's the greatest invention since "mother's milk."
I hate predictive text so I have it turned off on my computer.. but it is handy on my iphone, because the buttons are so small I'm a slow texter , so predictive text comes in useful... :D
 
I carried a small basic 3G cell phone for years....hardly ever used it....just a means of communication when away from the house, in case we needed to talk to the kids, or had some car trouble, etc. Then, a few weeks ago, Tracfone said it would no longer be supported after this coming March, so they offered a good deal on a "smart phone", and I switched. What a Nuisance! I spent quite a bit of time getting it set up to just be a Phone...without a bunch of needless Aps, and it going off every few minutes with some unnecessary messages and "news". I've only carried it for about a month, but if any I have any problems with it, I may just go buy a basic Flip phone.....IF they still make them.
 
I carried a small basic 3G cell phone for years....hardly ever used it....just a means of communication when away from the house, in case we needed to talk to the kids, or had some car trouble, etc. Then, a few weeks ago, Tracfone said it would no longer be supported after this coming March, so they offered a good deal on a "smart phone", and I switched. What a Nuisance! I spent quite a bit of time getting it set up to just be a Phone...without a bunch of needless Aps, and it going off every few minutes with some unnecessary messages and "news". I've only carried it for about a month, but if any I have any problems with it, I may just go buy a basic Flip phone.....IF they still make them.
When I was 'snowbirding' I had a smartphone to pay my bills (our internet was hit or miss) I used the provider's data connection. Home for good I decided to go back to a flipper from ConCell. Turn it on for trips/emergencies, send my calls to wife's. Never looked back.
 
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I text nearly everything on my iphone because of my poor hearing....love the predictive text...also all voicemails are transcribed into text, that's a big deal for me.
 
Where you enter your text there's like a toolbar across the top with an icon that looks like a microphone. Tap that and go from there. I like mine a lot, but I guess it isn't used to my voice yet....it's supposed to get used to your speech pattern, so I was told.
OH I see it..(y). in my whatsapp on my Iphone it's down bottom right next to the camera for anyone else whose looking...
 
No matter how convenient, there's certain things I prefer not to do on my phone. Some I do on my tablet, others I have to be on my computer. I would never do Senior Forum on my phone and would only do Facebook if I absolutely had no other choice. I don't use my banking apps on my phone although I could now that I have a VPN on it.

What makes the phones (and tablets) so convenient are the apps. I remember before I got my iPhone years ago, I was hearing so much about apps. Seems people were going crazy for them and I wondered why. I found out when I got the iPhone. I've had Android devices for several years now but there's plenty of apps on them too. I recently realized it's much easier to navigate my pharmacy site using the app. There are a few other sites that I prefer using the apps over the computer. And of course, our emails are readily available without logging in. except I have a business email that is not accessible unless I log in and that's by choice.
 
I have a flip phone but only use it very seldom. Sometimes a month goes by and I don't even look at it. Anyway, walking the hallway this morning, I met this "little old lady" who asked me if I knew anything about her Apple phone. I said NO! I keep away from them. She told me she had a problem because she keeps getting all these adds and the "delete" button does not work. I said I'm sorry but I can't help her but suggested she find a 5 year old kid. Usually they can fix most things on computers or smartphones. Just kidding but not really!
 


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