Y'all need to hook me up!

[EricKei]

I use a flip-phone myself. An Alcatel "Big Easy Flip" -- while I was saddened to discover that the device's name has nothing to to with my hometown ^_^;> ...I was delighted to find that it has relatively huge dialing buttons/numbers on it, a feature that comes in handy when you're as nearsighted as I am. That, and I have these huge mitts for hands. I can actually text on the damn thing without getting little callouses on my thumb. We loves it....our precioussssss...

[Aragarthiel]

Mine's a flip phone too, but needs replaced. The keys have started coming off and somehow it has survived being chewed on by a baby almost daily and even spit up in once. That was fun to clean out. My phone's best feature though? When the phone is off, or even when the battery's completely dead, the alarm will go off to remind me to take my pill every day. The battery usually lasts 2-3 days on one charge, but the alarm will continue to go for a week after the battery dies.

[wolfie]

My cousin is someone that can't get cell phone insurance anymore. Any phone she owns is lucky to last 6 months (most don't make it past 3 months.)

I guess I'm the other extreme. My cellphone will be 9 years old in September, and wasn't the top of the line when I got it. I'm looking to replace it, but only because I want to get a smartphone. What was it that Han said to Obi Wan when he saw the lightsabre?

My in-laws can't get insurance on any of their phones anymore because my 15-year-old sister-in-law admittedly intentionally breaks her phones to get new ones. Right now she has some sort of iFruit thing with a cracked screen, but it works otherwise, and they're refusing to get her a new one.

Intentionally breaking her phones to get new ones? Sounds like someone needs some training. Let's say she's got a FruitPhone5, and wants to get a 6, so she breaks the 5. Parents should either not replace it, or get a used FruitPhone4 to replace it. She breaks that? Replaced with a FruitPhone3. No upgrades until she can go 2 years without breaking her phone.

[EricKei]

Ara - Yeah. This thing goes forever, too. As long as 5 days on a single charge (sometimes more), but then, I use maybe 2 hours of talk time per month (tons of texts, tho). It doesn't support any true apps (non touchscreen), and its internet is a joke...but that's fine by me. I use my actual computer for both of those

[Aragarthiel]

Mine's been surviving with a measly 5 minutes on it for a couple of months. I don't even use it to talk with anymore, I keep it for alarms and emergencies. If I need to contact Hubs about something, Yahoo Messenger has a texting feature I can use for free.

[Food Lady]

I've had cell phones since the beginning, and while I do drop them from time to time, I've only had to make one insurance claim, over 15 years ago. Are the super-expensive phones just more breakable or something? I've always had the cheapest options, excepting the first LG Envie. (Oh, how I loved that phone.) And I've never had the ifruit phones because I don't like 'em. So I have no idea why people pay hundreds of dollars for phones that do the same thing as my cheap Android. OK, sorry if you like the fruity phones; no intent to offend. Maybe they are better and I'm just not aware of the differences because I've never had one. Educate me?

[BlaqueKatt]

Are the super-expensive phones just more breakable or something?

well a large glass screen is a tad breakable

Maybe they are better and I'm just not aware of the differences because I've never had one. Educate me?

(I have a galaxy S4)I'm on the internet almost constantly with mine, also I haven't touched a digital camera in over 6 years(I own 3 of them), I've only used my phone.

[morgana]

Anybody remember the LG Chocolate? Yeah; eleven years this month. I call it 'the dinosaur.'

I really should join the 21st century sometime soon, I suppose.

[notalwaysright]

The teachers in my computer classes have a blanket rule. No arguing about iFruit vs anything. It's a good rule.

I've had smart phones for I want to say about 6 years. I haven't (knock on wood!) broken any of them so far. Toward the time when I am due for an upgrade sometimes little things start glitching, but nothing major. I do normally use my phone for pics, but if I was to travel I would most likely use an actual camera. Not the cheapest point and shoot, though.

[Jay 2K Winger]

When my phone recently started st-st-st-stuttering periodically with audio when I'd be playing music over the Bluetooth in my car, or even just sitting at home tooling around in a game, I thought about going to upgrade it-- since I knew I'd be eligible soon.

Rather than call up Red Checkmark (my carrier) and scream at some poor phone jockey like the OP, however, I pulled up my account information in my Red Checkmark app and checked my eligibility, and saw I'm not eligible until the middle of next month.

And you know what? I can wait a month and just deal with the annoyance of the stuttering audio (never applies in calls, at least) until then. Then again, I haz teh common sense.

[EricKei]

Are the super-expensive phones just more breakable or something?

More complicated tech generally means having more moving parts (for mechanical items), or more solid-state parts (for purely electronic ones like a touchscreen-only phone). More parts = more bits that can break = more things that can go wrong. Also, whenever you're dealing with the latest, hot-drek SOTA gear, you can reasonably expect that much, more time and money was invested into making the thing work as advertised, than making it tough and durable. After all, if the things were nigh-unbreakable, there would be minimal need for warranties and rubberized phone cases

[TheSHAD0W]

I don't have insurance on my phone, nor is it in an otter box or the like.

I'm not bragging about being careful with it either, I'm pretty klutzy. Instead I bought a ruggedized phone, to make sure it'd be difficult to damage.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

My personal phone is an S4. I have a hard case on it that cost me $9.99 online and it has already survived several drops.

You'd probably be amazed (well then again, maybe not...) at the number of people who think nothing of laying down $200-$400 on a new nigh end smartphone and refuse to spend $20-$50 on a sturdy case to protect it.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

You'd probably be amazed (well then again, maybe not...) at the number of people who think nothing of laying down $200-$400 on a new nigh end smartphone and refuse to spend $20-$50 on a sturdy case to protect it.

Considering the fact that at the time, I didn't feel like I could afford the extra 8 or so bucks per month for the insurance on my bill when I got my first iFruit, I took a friend's advice and spent $30 for a pink OtterBox from Amazon. Also didn't feel like shelling out $200 or so for the then latest version, so I bought my 3GS for 99 cents.

Same when I upgraded to my current one - the 4S. Got it for 99 cents (extended my contract by 2 years but as I like Death Star wireless and not planning to leave) but I cannot see spending $200 or more for the latest model. Just wait until they come out with another model or two, then then one you want will be really inexpensive (or free) and then do the upgrade. Or at least that's worked for me so far.

That old 3GS is still working fine . . . my brother currently has it.

[Ophbalance]

Sadly, I'm finding that equipment protection is around about worthwhile the first year. After that it's just a never ending pit to send your money into. My SG4 on Sprint was going for $200 last time I looked, should I need to replace it, all over ebay and craigslist. And seeing as how I've had the carrier for I'm on for about 8 years and never done a warranty replacement I'd be better of without it. In fact, I think last time I looked the math for it, just sending the equipment protection amount monthly into a savings account would allow you to do the $250 phone upgrade every 2 years as you'd have that much put away by then.