Dumbphone, and I don’t even use that very often. A smartphone would be more expensive, cost more in upkeep, and not add much to my life. Might be nice on occasion to be able to get online while I’m out and about, but honestly I don’t get out that much :P

Normally either at home with my desktop, or out somewhere where I can pop out a laptop. I can imagine situations where a smartphone would fill a need but I don’t encounter them often enough to warrant the cost.

I use WebOS. Initially it was because I needed a new phone, and for a broke college student, the free pixi plus was a no brainer for me. I find Android to be functional, but lacking in the usability and aesthetic department. The common WebOS issue is an excellent operating system on poor hardware. This is correct, but with some overclocking and a realization that a bleeding fast operating system isn’t the be all end all, I am enjoying the experience.

I use Android on a Nexus One. Android is well thought-out and can do basically anything you’d want. The Market filters apps based on your phone, so even users who are stuck on old versions can download and run any app they see in the Market (assuming it’s coded well–the Market also filters for features, like an app that requires a camera won’t show up for a device that has no camera). I like that they actually thought about the mobile experience and how it’s different from the desktop, so apps can communicate with each other without having to know what apps are available (e.g., sharing a link). It’s also nice to be able to wake up to Pandora every morning.

When I bought my N1, the iPhone had significantly worse hardware and the OS was far more limited. The iPhone hardware has improved since then and the OS itself is a bit better, but it still doesn’t do a lot of what I want. Too much is hidden from the end user, which makes it easier to use, but less capable (take email attachments for example).

WebOS actually seemed pretty slick but the hardware wasn’t. It has a chance to succeed, but time has been ticking away and it has a long way to catch up now.

Windows and RIM… haven’t even considered them.

I ended up winning a G1 (Developer version) at LinuxCon in 2009. It took me a few months before i finally got around to putting Cyanogenmod on it (mainly because i was afraid i’d brick it), but now i’d never go back.

I don’t think i’d consider buying a phone if CM (or at least some good custom rom based on it) wasn’t available for it. When it came time for my GF and I to upgrade phones, i made sure we got ones that supported cyanogenmod. We ended up getting the MyTouch 3G slide, which I rooted and put CM on within about 5 minutes of it arriving in the mail (I made one test call first).

In regards to MS phones, one interesting thing i’ve noticed is that some Android users seem to prefer the Win7 Phone interface to other android launchers. There’s at least one, if not more, home replacement apps that just replicate the win 7 look and feel. I’m sure there are iphone style ones too, but that doesnt suprise me as much.

My only gripe with my current phone (and a lot of android phones actually) is the keyboard lacks a numbers row, so you have to fn+q for one fn+w for 2…etc. Most of the emulators i have assume there is a numbers row, with a layout similar to the G1. I really love the G1’s keyboard, but (and i feel kinda weird saying this) it only has 96mb of ram (110 now with a hack), which doesnt seem to be nearly enough for anything on droid these days. I’m currently using it as a boxee remote and voip phone, with a very slim custom rom its a bit slow to switch between the 2 apps i use on it, but it works well enough without crashing much.

My previous phone before i got the G1 was a Motorola FONE F3…probably the cheapest phone in existance (i got mine for $10), and also the most durable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_FONE_F3

Android user and a happy one at that. While I must recognize that the IPhone look slicker, I was put off by the price. The plan is for me not much more expensive than my old dumbphone was (if I take the usual inflation into account). I like the fact that all I need is there. I mostly use it for reading news in the public transports, dealing with my (Google/FB) contact list, surfing the net and transferring some big files like pre-print .pdf that I don’t want to put in an e-mail. I will switch to a better one (most likely another HTC) essentially for the nice mini-keyboard.

I don’t have any form of cell phone. I just don’t have a need for one. If I did get a cell phone it would probably be just a plain old dumb phone. I would rather just leave the internet at home.

Believe it or not, my first smartphone is the Ngage QD, around 2004. Mainly bought it as it was the cheapest Symbian phone around. And piracy for Symbian is ultra rampant at the time. Just need to know which forum to find stuff.

Moved on to the N95 after that, then to the iPhone 3G. And then 3GS a year later. Was “conned” into prolonging my contract with the iPhone 4 as there was some telco event at my office building and my current job has additional benefits under a corporate plan so I signed up for the heck of it. But got bored with the whole iOS thing. So sold it off just a month later to purchase a HTC Desire HD. Android seems much more functional than iOS, albeit much less pretty.

I’m kinda pining for a Xperia Play for now, as I read somewhere that the slide-out gamepad works for emulators. Not only will I have the internet in my pocket, but the NES, SNES, Genesis, Neo Geo and PS1 too. That would be amazingly awesome!

I’ve got an Android phone (Milestone/Droid on VZW), and iPad supplied by work.

Personally, I’m a big fan of the Android OS. Have some problems here and there with the Droid being perhaps a little weak, but hardware has improved dramatically since. Don’t like iOS much, but it’s no surprise as I’m not a big fan of Macs. (Yes, writing this on a Mac however) Android just feels a lot more natural to me as a typical Windows/Unix user.

At present I have a 10-year old palm pilot and a feature-less pay-as-you-go cell phone. I wouldn’t mind having a smartphone, but the cost is prohibitive for me as a grad student. Also because I am a grad student, I go to work/school on campus all day, where I am sitting at a computer with the internet. When I come home, I get back on the computer with the internet. I don’t need to carry the internet in my pocket for the remaining 30 minutes of the day where I walk back and forth.

I still use my good old dumbphone… why is there no such choice in the poll? (it’s not a flip phone).

(trollin’ a bit)

> If you don’t currently own a smart phone, why not?

Because it works fine. Because smartphones are expensive. Because smartphones’ plans are racket. Because they don’t fit in my pocket (my dumbphone does). Because they are heavy. Because I can copy-paste, run several tasks at the same time and send / receive MMS for years. Because I can dev on it with a *free* SDK and the IDE I like (Eclipse, Netbeans…). Because nobody tells me if I’m allowed or not to install an app on *my* phone. Because it’s an UMS device…

> Is it by choice?

Yes.

> Why would you choose not to carry the internet in your pocket?

But… I *have* the internet in my pocket! Who said it was only for smartphones?
Though, I’ve to admit I miss a real keyboard.

(/trollin)

Best regards,