Why I like smartphone over laptop

[Lost_in_Ohio]

Internet immediately availible, no waiting to "power up"

Download apps like weather channel and just type in name of city and get instant forecast..

Built in GPS

I was also concerned about keeping laptop in truck while eating, taking shower. In case someone broke into truck you would be SOL. I can carry smartphone with me everywhere I go.

I also have a laptop but I just keep it home now, just one less thing to lug around. Jumping back into the bunk and hooking up laptop and waiting for 4-5 minutes to power up when I needed certain info not provided by dispatch was bothersome.

Dispatch often does not provide correct phone numbers or directions to customer. I can instantly get all that info on a smartphone.

[Malaki86]

That all sounds good in theory, but I'd have to then carry a huge magnifying glass to be able to see anything on it. I have a 4.3" EVO. I still use the 17" laptop for most of my stuff.

My laptop stays in the truck all the time. I have it mounted so that it's a royal PITA to remove. It stays powered on all of the time except for when I'm at home (every 2-3 weeks for a couple of days). That way if I need it, I can use it immediately. Plus, my laptop is used to watch tv and movies/tv shows I've downloaded. I definitely can't do that with my EVO. Well, I could, but why would I?

[ilikeike]

That all sounds good in theory, but . .

I, too, use EVO and a laptop and agree with you. The smartphone is great for all it can do, especially since it's the hot-spot for my laptop . . if I have a cell signal, I have WiFi and I really like that but it won't replace my laptop.

INTERNET:
Many, probably most web pages are not optimized for mobile and are an absolute pain to navigate on the phone. Those that are tend to sacrifice a lot of their form and function for the sake of being "optimized". That said, it is very convenient to be able to carry the Internet with you at pretty much all times. I was in Portland, OR, recently, parked at Jubitz. I found an app for TRIMET (public transportation); there's a stop opposite their office building at the east side of the complex. From there, I was able to make my way downtown ($1.10) see live English Soccer starting at 0700, to lunch for some of the best fish ever, to Portland's oldest strip club, to a brew pub for . . er . . dinner and back to Jubitz around 2130. All done on the fly, no planning or pre trip.

NAVIGATION:
There's just no comparing a 17" laptop screen to an EVO. The EVO is great and I think it has an even better GPS interface than the DeLorme Street Atlas USA I've been using for 6 years. But that little screen can't deliver the big picture like the laptop does. From everything: planning, searching and executing . . big screen. On the other hand, I was north of Albany, NY, just the other day, and had requested a change to my fuel stop. In predictable fashion, the change came after I had resumed rolling and long after I had passed the sign that says "Last (rest) Area Before Throughway". I was on a route I was quite familiar with and the laptop was off and I wouldn't be inclined to edit my route while negotiating the interstate had it been on. I switched on the phone, called my DM and got the new fuel assignment in Rotterdam; not too far but way out of route and I immediately experienced mind melt. I knew where I was, I know where Rotterdam is but I couldn't link the two. I reached for the EVO, hit NAVIGATE, hit SPEAK DESTINATION and zimscalabim, I'm on my way to Rotterdam. Once I had my bearings, the melt passed and I knew where I was going. EVO would have taken me to within 1 exit of where I wanted to be with no address and no typing; just "Rotterdam, NY", spoken safely, all on the fly.

Note: Search within the Market app under either compass, heading, or bearing (I was looking for a simple compass). In at least one you'll find an app that claims to use the phone to create a "Heads Up" display as you'd expect to find in the cockpit of a fighter jet. It's there and people have commented to say it's amazing. Now that's navigatin".

PHONE:
It is a phone and it's fortunes rise and fall on the strength of Sprint's network. No unexpected problems there. Calls drop but rarely. My only real complaint is the number pad and speaker switch don't display at the same time. Sprint! You're a flarking phone company! Switching back and forth from one another is a pain!

EVO: $199 after 100 rebate (I still haven't received after 45 days, +/-). $69.99 for 450 phone minutes, unlimited (not true, 5 gig*) web and texts, $10 premium data which means absolutely nothing, near as I can tell and $29.99 WiFi hotspot for up to 5 devices (untested except for one laptop) plus the usual taxes and fees and you see it's not cheap. My phone service is higher than my mortgage. Worth it? Every penny. Star rating? 4 out of 5. The touch screen is just too sensitive. It's the biggest part of the pain in navigating web pages. I've mastered the keyboard and don't make many mistakes there but text links and scrolling are a pain. Otherwise, the stuff you can do with this phone is amazing and it's not my first smartphone.

* I had to add . . 5 gig sounds like a lot and it is, but . . if you do a lot of intensive gaming or you like to stream TV and movies, it gets eaten up FAST! The over charges are incredibly outrageous. Talk to your Sprint rep to make sure you understand them. I mean ridiculous! It's like $5 a megabyte (or worse, even) and you can't prevent it by buying a better package. You reach Sprint's "unlimited", prepare to pay. In fairness, a somewhat neutral COSTCO guy selling Verizon told me all carriers are about the same.

[Malaki86]

They have you on a limited plan? The plan I'm on with the EVO is TRULY unlimited. I have 1500 minutes, free nights/weekends, free calls to/from ANY cell, unlimited text (I've sent/received maybe 10) and UNLIMITED data. I also have the $10 premium data (this is for the 4G) and the $29.99 hotspot feature. I also have my wife's phone on my plan (shared minutes). My total with taxes and all is $182/month.

High, sure. But, when compared to the 700 shared minutes I had with my last plan (2 phones) with 0 text messaging, plus the 5gig/month data card for $169, it's a huge bargain. My first month with the EVO, I had downloaded over 12gig - no extra charges.

One thing I did do is purchase ALK CoPilot 8 for the phone (not the truck version). I can't remember the price, but it was low. With this app, you don't have to have a constant internet connection, so - I can use it for my navigation in Canada. When I cross the border into Canada I simply turn off the Data for the phone and don't make/receive any phone calls. I also downloaded a ton of truckstops and converted them to be used in CoPilot. When I get a fuel routing, I only have to do a search for the name and store # of the truckstop they're sending me to (normally Pilot/Flying J or Loves).

[Luzon]

When I cross the border into Canada I simply turn off the Data for the phone...

This is HUGE. For anyone else reading this thread if you have a data plan and cross the border, you'd be very well advised to do the same. It can (will) get very expensive very quickly otherwise.

[Malaki86]

Ya - I found that out the hard way. Before I crossed into Canada with my phone & aircard combo the first time, I called Sprint to ask about the international rates. The guy gave me the numbers for the phone, but told me there was no extra charge for the international data (he was REALLY wrong). I spent about 24hrs in CA and did very little on the internet - just checked a couple web pages and my email a few times. On the very next bill was a charge for over $80 for international data usage. It only took one call to Sprint's customer service and that fee was credited back because of what I was told previously.

Now, when I go to CA, I try to stay at the 5th Wheel truckstops. They have free WiFi.

[ilikeike]

My first month with the EVO, I had downloaded over 12gig - no extra charges . .

Yikes! What month and what did you do, download the tax code?

Double check with Sprint on the 5 gig. My aircard of 2+ years, until late August, or so, was truly unlimited. Then, without warning, Sprint cancelled it due to "excess roaming". I've since learned that excess roaming is code for too much downloading and that it is their way of weeding out the truly unlimited accounts. I got this from Sprint after offering to pay more to avoid the potential mega charges. Trust me. After being cancelled without warning, I shopped aggressively to get Sprint out of my life. I'm pretty satisfied that my information is correct, especially since it was confirmed by the Verizon guy who could have concealed it and simply sold me a new phone. As for Sprint, they sent me a screen shot that showed me roaming in 5 states, all in the course of one day* . . reckon I forgot to turn off the aircard? Now, of course, I have to remind myself to turn off the Wifi which I forgot to do last night: SC, NC, TN and KY. Live and learn.

*I hit the road after watching a few AP news videos. If you don't do anything else, the AP site will automatically show the next video. So, every time I went out of and back into coverage, the aircard would log back on and restart the AP feed! It was many hundreds of megs, I don't remember, exactly. Oh well!

[Luzon]

Yikes! What month and what did you do, download the tax code?

Double check with Sprint on the 5 gig. My aircard of 2+ years, until late August, or so, was truly unlimited. Then, without warning, Sprint cancelled it due to "excess roaming". I've since learned that excess roaming is code for too much downloading and that it is their way of weeding out the truly unlimited accounts. I got this from Sprint after offering to pay more to avoid the potential mega charges. Trust me. After being cancelled without warning, I shopped aggressively to get Sprint out of my life. I'm pretty satisfied that my information is correct, especially since it was confirmed by the Verizon guy who could have concealed it and simply sold me a new phone. As for Sprint, they sent me a screen shot that showed me roaming in 5 states, all in the course of one day* . . reckon I forgot to turn off the aircard? Now, of course, I have to remind myself to turn off the Wifi which I forgot to do last night: SC, NC, TN and KY. Live and learn.

*I hit the road after watching a few AP news videos. If you don't do anything else, the AP site will automatically show the next video. So, every time I went out of and back into coverage, the aircard would log back on and restart the AP feed! It was many hundreds of megs, I don't remember, exactly. Oh well!

Personally, I hate Sprint. In fact, if Sprint were the very last cell phone company in existance I'd be using smoke signals to communicate. Hate em!

[Malaki86]

Ok - I was off on my data amounts. I *think* I saw the 12gig on the stats app on the phone a few days ago (long after the last bill came out).

Anyway, here's a usage breakdown from last month's bill:

Sprint Data Unlimited 6,636,959
Sprint Data - 09/24 to 09/24 Unlimited 7,893

Again - I was *not* charged anything additional for the data over 5gig.

Here are my plan details:

Your Base Plan includes

Everything Data, Anytime Minutes, Call Detail, Caller ID, Domestic LD Rate $0
Add On Services for (304) xxx-xxxx
Sprint Mobile Hotspot, Unlimited Nights&Weekends-7pm, Premium Data $10, Unlimited Any Mobile, Anytime, VoiceMail Included

Here is my current usage:

Sprint Data (xxxxxxxxxx)
Used15,001,866KB/ Unlimited
Remaining Unlimited