On the Great Debate: Smart Phones vs. Regular Phones

I've long since been an advocate of a regular cell phone. You know, one that makes and receives phone calls, and maybe has texting ability. Because you really can't get by in today's world without texting, am I right.

I got my first cell phone when I was 16. Not because I begged my parents for one, or even wanted one for that matter. I had a pager, bitches, it was legit. Cell phones were just starting to come out, they were giant, like Zach Morris' phone. My mom insisted I have one when I started driving, "for emergencies." If I ever got stranded somewhere or thrown into someone's trunk, I'd have my giant Nokia to make a life saving call.

This wasn't your standard cell phone, you couldn't leave it on all day. It had about 5-10 minutes a charge in it before it powered off. You had just enough time to make one quick phone call and it decided you were done. So it sat in my glove box, waiting for the day to be used. It didn't happen often.

Since then, nearly 15 years later, I've had pretty basic phones. I've loved the flip phones I had aside from their obvious texting disadvantages. When texting started becoming more popular, I switched to a phone with a slide down keyboard.

Now, in 2013 while browsing for a new cell phone, I feel like I'm being steered in the direction of a smart phone. There are like three regular phones available, they all suck and they're all $150.00. You'd think they'd drop in price since only seven people might be interested in them. I guess that's just the phone company's way of phasing out old technology.

Smart phones today are expensive, between $200-$400. I mean, really? That much cabbage for a damn phone? I don't even want to spend that much on tires for my car! Not to mention, on top of what you're spending to buy said phone, you'll be dropping at least $100 a month for your "plan." That's right, at least $50 for a minutes and text plan, plus at least another $50 for a data plan.

I haven't been able to justify switching over to a smart phone simply because of the pricing. Not to mention, a few years ago, I bought an iPod touch, which basically does the same thing as a cell phone without making calls, and I don't have to pay for it monthly. I can access the Internet and other apps with wi-fi, check my email, listen to music, and so forth. I spent $200 one time, and I love the thing.

Honestly, there's only one thing pushing me toward a smart phone. The maps! I've got an old GPS which constantly leads me astray. It costs nearly $100 to update the software, come on! With a smart phone, I'd have a constantly current GPS system, not too shabby, since I do a lot of driving for work.

Still, the cheap ass side of me is holding out for as long as possible. Damn, I don't want to spend $100 for a phone every month.