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Do you have an iPhone, Blackberry, or similar device?

Wendi

By Wendi,
in General Education Discussion Board

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Wendi

Wendi

Posted
Posted

I have an iPod Touch, and have been really wanting an iPhone. My contract with our current cell phone provider is almost up, and instead of renewing, I want to get an iPhone for Christmas. Dh seems to think this is ridiculous, since I'm not a businessperson who "needs" a Blackberry/iPhone/etc.

 

I use my iPod Touch as an organizer, music and audiobook player, game player, surf the web/check email at Wi-fi spots, etc. I'd love to have the extra features of the iPhone (camera, GPS, etc.) plus be able to access web/email anywhere I am.

 

Is a homeschooler/SAHM having an iPhone a crazy extravagance? Or fairly common? Obviously, this assumes that affordability is not a concern, which it really isn't for us.

 

Wendi

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sleepymommy

sleepymommy

Posted
Posted

 

Is a homeschooler/SAHM having an iPhone a crazy extravagance? Or fairly common? Obviously, this assumes that affordability is not a concern, which it really isn't for us.

 

Wendi

 

This was my thought exactly... until Dh bought me one! I still initially thought is was a big waste of money. But now I love it:D Okay, it's not a necessity, BUT you can put educational apps on there and it's great for organizing. The camera has been wonderful for catching snaps of the kids at the park and places I don't normally want to lug my camera too.

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Aunty Social

Aunty Social

Posted
Posted

I have an IPhone, and it's wonderful! My dh talked me into it when my other phone died (I thought similarly to your dh) and I'm so glad he did. I use it constantly. Soccer practice change? No prob - just enter it in. You want to get together for dinner - sure we're free on x,y,and z. The phone number for the local pizza place - let me look it up.

 

I also love being able to show pictures to people, have a camera for any impromptu "cute kid" moments, and being able to browse the web or check email when I'm waiting for someone to finish whatever activity we're at.

 

Sorry, more info than you needed. I love my phone, can you tell?:tongue_smilie:

 

What I meant to say is "Yes, I have one and it's worth it. You will use it many times a day."

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ElizabethB

ElizabethB

Posted
Posted

My mom thinks I don't need one...but she would never get any pictures if I didn't have one!

 

It's so nice to snap a picture and e-mail it directly from the park.

 

I actually didn't think I "needed" an iPhone, either, but my husband did, and got me one for my birthday. It's been great, we both have iPhones, no landline, so we're not spending much more than when we had a regular phone and we can do so much more. (Being away from family, we have a certain amount of long distance calls that we make every month.)

 

The traffic feature is a must here in Los Angeles, I've saved hours of sitting in traffic already.

 

It's also handy at hospital ERs and similar situations where you didn't bring anything for the kids to do, I will break out the phone after an hour or so and let them take turns playing games or watching a movie. They normally don't get to play on the phones, so it's a nice treat for them and keeps them happy for hours.

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TraceyS/FL

TraceyS/FL

Posted
Posted

I have an iPod Touch and a Palm Treo smart phone.

 

The treo currently has no data on it for financial reasons. That is my main suggestion - ponder the LONG TERM aspect of the data plan. I was not using it enough to justify the extra $$ per month, and it was an expense to cut when it needed to be. If you had told me 2 years ago i would be where i am today financially i would have laughed.

 

The iPhone currently canNOT be used without data unless you are out of contract (and that might just be on the first models).

 

That said, i would probably use the heck out of an iPhone with data - way more than i ever did my Treo. It just works easier, and i'm back in the doctor office cycle. I'm never without either device these days - i'd like to find a smaller phone to use at this point. However i use Handyshopper on it because i'm not happy with the iPhone OS alternatives.

 

But i don't think it's an odd thing to want/need. Just study long and hard the overall, long term cost.

 

For myself, i'll revisit the idea if/when Verizon gets the iPhone next summer.....

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Krista in LA

Krista in LA

Posted
Posted

My dh wanted to get me one when the 3G came out last year. I didn't think I was worth spending the money on. I ended up getting one though and we all really appreciate having it. I think the best is when we are on trips - can get email, navigation, information on things to see and do, etc. We also like to use it when shopping as we can price compare and get product reviews while we are out and about. Of course there are the games too....

 

My dh doesn't regret getting it for me one bit and I try not to think about that monthly bill.

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WTMCassandra

WTMCassandra

Posted
Posted
Is a homeschooler/SAHM having an iPhone a crazy extravagance? Or fairly common? Obviously, this assumes that affordability is not a concern, which it really isn't for us.

 

Wendi

 

No, I consider my iPhone to be a vital homeschooling tool. I have educational games on it (like clones of Set and Rush Hour), flashcards for Latin and Greek and other subjects, my homeschool book inventory, access to Word documents, web access, etc. I have classic ebooks and audiobooks, homeschooling talks to listen to, music and lectures, and on and on.

 

You'd have to pry the thing out of my cold dead fingers to get it away from me.

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Karen FL

Karen FL

Posted
Posted (edited)

I love my iPhone. I am a plain simple Jane kinda gal and I can't begin to list all of the ways in which I love it.

I use my phone when I run. I have an app that tells me when to run and walk and what week of training I'm on.

I have my Lose Weight app which tells me how many calories I have left for the day.

 

If I try to recall something I need for a recipe while I'm in the grocery store I can just surf the web until I find the particular recipe I need.

 

Yesterday, I used it to show the nurse at the allergist's office how big my arm got from my last allergy shot.

 

I have the Bible with 15 or so different translations and my daily reading plan there. I don't even bring my bible to church any more. I love that. I have an injured nerve in my right elbow and the less I have to carry the better.

 

I have our Latin cards on the phone and I take photos of our recitation pages and just pull them up when the children are reciting. I also have the children record their recitations so they can hear themselves and study using the recordings.

 

I am so much more organized as far as all my appointments and things that need to be done at home like changing the a/c filter or whatever.

 

I killed my iPhone a few months ago. I went in the shower to rinse my daughter's hair with the long hose. The very next day I bought a new one.

 

If you buy one, I would reccomend buying an Otter Box case to protect it, especially if you have small children. You can drop the phone a few feet without any damage and have no fear if you get water on it. A couple weeks after I bought my new one my daughter was sitting on the bleachers and her popsicle dripped on it. But it was totally protected because of the Otter Box. The boxes are bulky and not feminine but I don't care.

 

Cindy Rushton featured on blog talk radio, a homeschooling mom, has an iPhone and a Blackberry. LOL. She does have her own business though. :)

 

~Karen

Edited by Karen FL
Added HS info
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TraceyS/FL

TraceyS/FL

Posted
Posted
It's also handy at hospital ERs and similar situations where you didn't bring anything for the kids to do, I will break out the phone after an hour or so and let them take turns playing games or watching a movie. They normally don't get to play on the phones, so it's a nice treat for them and keeps them happy for hours.

 

:tongue_smilie: the hospital here has free wifi i discovered.... i used it with my Touch to check what was on TV.

 

DD sitting there with cuts on her legs full of glass from dropping a bowl didn't find it funny when i found "Trauma Life in the ER" :lol:

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TraceyS/FL

TraceyS/FL

Posted
Posted
No, I consider my iPhone to be a vital homeschooling tool. I have educational games on it (like clones of Set and Rush Hour), flashcards for Latin and Greek and other subjects, my homeschool book inventory, access to Word documents, web access, etc. I have classic ebooks and audiobooks, homeschooling talks to listen to, music and lectures, and on and on.

 

You'd have to pry the thing out of my cold dead fingers to get it away from me.

 

Set, the official version was on sale for 99 cents last week. Not sure if it still is!

 

Off to hunt down rush hour :D

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ChristusG

ChristusG

Posted
Posted (edited)

I haven't read anyone's responses.....but I'm a stay at home mom who homeschools. I do not run a business or have a job (well, you know what I mean LOL). And I do not think I could live without my iPhone!

 

I've had it since March and the thing has become a permanat attachment to me.

 

I keep birthdays and reminders in an app.

I use it for my alarm clock in the morning, my glowing bedside clock at night.

I play games on it when I'm waiting somewhere, my kids play games on it when we are waiting somewhere.

I keep notes in it such as funny things my kids say, Christmas and birthday lists for different people, etc.

I keep my grocery list on it and use it at the store to check off the items I get.

I use the camera on it if I forget my main camera at home.

I use the calendar all the time.

I use the internet any time I'm out of the house and need to look something up, buy something, any time that I'm waiting and get bored, etc.

I use the weather channel app whenever I see a dark cloud rolling in, so that I'll know if we're getting a bad storm or not.

If I hear a great song on the radio and do not know the name, I use my Shazam app to "listen" to a few seconds of the song and then tell me the name of it as well as the singer.

I use it to text my family and keep in touch with them.

Sometimes I download books to the Kindle app to read on the go....that way I never have to remember to grab a book too.\

I check my facebook and my email when I'm away from the computer.

I use the timer to let my kids know how much time they have to do something. Such as "I'm going to read for 15 more minutes, when the buzzer goes off, we are finished." Or I use it for a cooking timer as well.

I use the flashlight app for stumbling around in the dark after I put the kids to bed.

I have a few kids TV shows downloaded to it for long waits at various places.

I use the Travel app for my packing lists when we are going camping or on vacation.

I listen to music on it.

I use the calculator sometimes.

I use the photo album to show off family photos. No more wallet sized photos needed!

I use the GPS all the time when I do not know exactly where a desintation is at. This is especailly useful when we were looking to buy a home a few months ago and I wanted to ride by a particular house that I found on the internet for sale.

I have a Bible app on it and read that during my devotions.

Oh yeah, I also use it as an actual phone as well LOL!

 

So yeah.....it gets a TON of use from me.

Edited by ChristusG
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Audrey

Audrey

Posted
Posted
I have an iPod Touch, and have been really wanting an iPhone. My contract with our current cell phone provider is almost up, and instead of renewing, I want to get an iPhone for Christmas. Dh seems to think this is ridiculous, since I'm not a businessperson who "needs" a Blackberry/iPhone/etc.

 

I use my iPod Touch as an organizer, music and audiobook player, game player, surf the web/check email at Wi-fi spots, etc. I'd love to have the extra features of the iPhone (camera, GPS, etc.) plus be able to access web/email anywhere I am.

 

Is a homeschooler/SAHM having an iPhone a crazy extravagance? Or fairly common? Obviously, this assumes that affordability is not a concern, which it really isn't for us.

 

Wendi

 

I have a BlackBerry Storm -- a model very much like the iPhone. It is issued by my workplace. I do know that two reasons they went with BB over Apple is compatibility issues and cost. After seeing some try to manage a working/home life on the go with an iPhone vs BB, I'd pick a BB for myself if I had to buy it on my own.

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Audrey

Audrey

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Posted
I was given a blackberry by one of my homeschool clients and they pay for the data service!

 

I love it.

 

Since you're using yours for work, too... can I ask? Do you sometimes feel you have a love/hate relationship with your BB? I know I do, but I feel like it's because no matter how I set the alerts, I think I just don't like being *dinged!* at. :laugh:

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eternalknot

eternalknot

Posted
Posted

It's funny how many husbands had to talk wives into iPhones :)

 

My kids' dad pays my cell phone bill; when our prior contract ran out, he got an iPhone and suggested I did also. It was really too much phone for me, so I passed - but I inherited his iTouch from him. Didn't use it much, thought it was a waste. Gave it to a friend.

 

Fast forward a few months and I broke my phone while on a trip. I ask him to have a replacement for me by the time I get back because I need the phone for work. He presents me an iPhone. It annoyed me, was a waste IMO. Plus he knew I didn't want it.

 

Except he knew I WOULD want it once I had it :) and he was right! How did I live without this?? I still don't use all of the features because it's still too much phone for me ... but I big, red, puffy heart this phone. I'm a convert - I vote get it LOL.

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Aggie

Aggie

Posted
Posted

A friend gave me her iphone when she upgraded to the newest one. It is a fabulous tool and I can't imagine not having one now.

 

There have been time when I wished my dh had one, but I couldn't part with mine for even a weekend. :( Of course, he doesn't want one. Yet.....

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TraceyS/FL

TraceyS/FL

Posted
Posted

The base plan, and then the data plan. On average, probably $70/mo for the minimum. It depends though on what you have on your current plan. Single or family plan and all that....

 

http://www.wireless.att.com/iphone/

 

Plus either $99 or $199 for the phone with a 2 year contract.

 

the biggest addition is the data plan:

 

Please note: Data plan for iPhone is required for the life of your iPhone service and cannot be removed in the future.

Data Plan for iPhone

$30.00/month

 

This is NOT limited to the iPhone or AT&T though, Verizon has implemented the same thing. The only reason i'm allowed to not have data on my phone is that my contract is prior to November 08. I'm actually not under a contract right now....

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Audrey

Audrey

Posted
Posted
The base plan, and then the data plan. On average, probably $70/mo for the minimum. It depends though on what you have on your current plan. Single or family plan and all that....

 

http://www.wireless.att.com/iphone/

 

Plus either $99 or $199 for the phone with a 2 year contract.

 

the biggest addition is the data plan:

 

 

 

This is NOT limited to the iPhone or AT&T though, Verizon has implemented the same thing. The only reason i'm allowed to not have data on my phone is that my contract is prior to November 08. I'm actually not under a contract right now....

 

 

For the person who asked about rates: A good question to ask your service provider is whether the data plan is unlimited data or if you are limited to a certain amount of MB/month. Some data plans look great until you realise that you'd use that amount in a day! And, the charges for going over can be horrendous.

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TraceyS/FL

TraceyS/FL

Posted
Posted
For the person who asked about rates: A good question to ask your service provider is whether the data plan is unlimited data or if you are limited to a certain amount of MB/month. Some data plans look great until you realise that you'd use that amount in a day! And, the charges for going over can be horrendous.

 

Here in the states AT&T is the only game in town, and that is a 5gb/mo limit to the "unlimited". Which apparently is hard to actually use up - unless you stream a lot of video.

 

I think in Canada you guys have truly unlimited with Rogers?

 

Back to the States, there hasn't been true "unlimited" for years now... everyone decided that 5gb was it. But yet they still can call it "unlimited".... :glare:

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