How many of you actually travel with SMART phones?

[Beegod Santana]

I really hate anti technology posts. They're illogical for the most part, and There's just as many articles saying technology is actually making us smarter.

I wouldn't worry about it too much, technology is moving along just fine regardless of my discomforts regarding smart phones. Ultimately I think smart phones can be amazing tools in the right scenario, but like all tools they should be handled in manner which is as productive and as harmless to the user as possible. Recognizing just how much is too much when it comes to these new devices is something that our culture really hasn't touched on at all yet. I see lots of people becoming cyborgs before my very eyes and personally, I'm not sure I like it. Perhaps it is a natural evolution and fighting it is simply mad...

...but it reeks like an opiate of the masses to me.

 

[CXR1037]

it reeks like an opiate of the masses to me.

By and large I agree. I think smart people will use their phones productively, but I've certainly seen people waste time with a smartphone on otherwise banal stuff.

A lot of people seem to get annoyed when you walk into a room/elevator/whatever and everyone is on their phones. While some people are Facebooking or watching stupid videos, I'm on my phone reading news articles. So maybe it's the lack of knowing what the user is doing that makes people dislike smartphones effects on social situations. Would a book or newspaper be much different?

I also agree with Matt - smartphones and the like are having a lot of positive impacts on people, too. It's like anything else - moderation.

CxR - it's great fun to look at Google maps from a dark boxcar and see that you're 32.8 miles away from the yard

 

[crow jane]

Come on cXr, you know you already have every mile post in america memorized

cxr- foamer simpson

 

[RnJ]

Also, when you're in the mountains, physical maps can get pretty gnarly. Offline maps on your smartphone are nice when you're lost of Fuck off-trail

When I need maps the most, there's not usually a WiFi signal around, let alone free. I'm really into MapsToGo Lite for iOD, which is a free version of offline maps -- not quite as detailed and updated as Google Maps, but easily good enough for hitchhiking and seeing which way to get down to the yard. You just pre-download each country, or each state if concerning the USA.

What sort of offline maps have you used?

 

[eske silver]

Some food for thought,
http://www.forbes.com/sites/netapp/...ng-our-attentions-spans-and-making-us-dumber/

You believe everything you read on the Main Money Magazine website, eh? Cool.

When I need maps the most, there's not usually a WiFi signal around, let alone free.

Why does everyone keep skipping over the word "offline"?

What sort of offline maps have you used?

I've used all sorts, pretty much anything I can find on cydia or through the tors.
Mostly, I've been working on finishing up the trails in Marin and I prefer paper maps.
Find a a map that works and douse that baby in Neverwet
Yaaaaayy science!!

 

[RnJ]

Why quote me? I talked about offline maps in the following sentence.

I think this is true, and badass, and hot as ever:

 

[Beegod Santana]

You believe everything you read on the Main Money Magazine website, eh? Cool.

Not at all. You can find similar studies all over the web. I posted the Forbes article because I found it interesting that even they reported on it. Mainly because smartphones are such huge moola now.

"Why does everyone keep skipping over the word "offline"?"

I'll admit that I skimmed over that key word when I first responded to your post but I stand by my earlier statement still. That relying on a battery powered screen in the wilderness is silly. For me its like a curse. GPS's fritz on me immediately and my phone dies in the first hour of being in the woods.

 

[eske silver]

Silly.

You're not doing right.
Extra batteries and solar charger keep me mapped for weeks.
That and I don't only rely on my phone. Far from it.

 

[shittickit]

if people are really anti technology how are they posting on a website

 

[psychofoamer]

Yep I did for maybe half of the time. Extremely useful tool. I could use GPs. Check weather, scope out hitchout and catch out spots, fly spots, find a grocery store, get on Craigslist to find work, rides and sex...it's an extremely useful tool. And hell I think almost every traveler I've run into the past year or so has had one. They are extremely affordable these days and you can get prepaid data or use wifi.

 

[milkhauler]

I travel with an S3 and Tab S 8.4.
The phone is for using google earth if I have to venture into a larger city. Google earthnis awsome. The tab is for watching movies or YT vids at a truck stop.

 

[Deleted member 13433]

I used to always have either a 1st gen motorola droid or Blackberry Torch on me when I'd be doing these epic 10 hour kayak trips for the purposes of documenting everything I saw [I do wildlife monitoring/rescue/river clean up as a volunteer - solo project of mine]

When the BB got destroyed, there went literally 1500 pictures of my wildlife work....

I think smart phone are good if they are used as tools and not as a distraction.

Myself personally - I never carry anything like that - because for me - it became too much of a distraction and ruined what I was trying to experience in the first place.

Besides, I'm old and feeble when it comes to this new tech stuff.
I did fine without them, and will continue to do so in the future.

*disclaimer - this is being written on a 1st generation HP mini netbook, which gets its wifi from my 1st generation Nokia Windows Phone - which never leaves this room.
The netbook runs Windows 7, and is good enough for me for what it is I need to accomplish.

I do have a giant Alienware system that was given to me by a kind soul who felt my dial up system running windows 98 was beyond pathetic, but at least that system worked all the time, until my dial up service ceased to exist.

As for the Alienware, I can't even figure out how to turn it on which is a pity because that served as a photo database as well

 

[landpirate]

moved to technology

 

[cultofsam]

I have a ten dollar smart phone I got at king soopers. I use it on wifi for maps, contacting friends and family, reading articles, pictures, Craigslist, etc. Oh and I need music in my life lol.

 

[I give up]

Old post but nice it's up. Hell ya smart phone smart tool info and life line in a star trek package. And burners are like 30 a month, I think of the price of upkeep

 

[PAN AM HOBO]

nope still stuck trying to find a pay phone

 

[Blood]

I'm a total android convert now. The iphone just seems bland to me now in comparison.

i tend to agree with you that apples IOS sucks and looks dated.. that and you need a credit card to sign up for freaking itunes even before you can put an apple gift card on your acct. google don't do that crap

 

[UrTech]

With my note 5 rooted. I use mock location and imei spoofing for free stuff via apps. Csc Mobile app gives you 5 $ for downloading and signing up. It uses your device is and imei number to track installs. By spoofing your info most apps fall for it.