As long as I’m obsessing about smart phones and the choice between Android and iPhone, we might as well consider the New Luddite option: no cell phones. Over at diaspora*, Doc Edward Morbius has a post that argues that smart phones are foolish and not nearly as useful as the old way. The “old way” is a land line, a Rolodex, a paper journal/appointment book, a calculator, and, of course, scratch paper.
The old way was better, Morbius says, because those devices weren’t integrated and you could use more than one of them at the same time. If you wanted to look up an address in your Rolodex while on the phone, it was no trouble because they were separate devices. Even putting aside for a moment that I can still do that with my iPhone, the argument is beyond silly. Yes, a smart phone implies a slightly different workflow but it’s generally a better workflow and anyone who denies that is just being willfully obtuse.
People who make these arguments always do the same thing: they ignore that you have all the world’s information and all your personal data instantly available—not to mention a phone that’s associated uniquely with you—and concentrate instead on some minor detail like “yes, but I can’t use my calculator as easily while I’m on the phone.” It is, really, an 8-year-old’s argument.
Going off the grid by ditching your phone is more than an inconvenience. It’s simply not feasible for anyone who wants to remain a part of society. It’s true you probably don’t need one down on the commune, though.