flip phone vs. smart phone

[squeezebox]

I've gotten by with my flip phone well enough I think. I surf the net & email from my desktop. I just don't need to carry around a computer 24/7. But when a photography friend suggested I spend $400 for a good camera I got sticker shock. My son is always running down the battery on his smart phone. I never do.
So the question is a flip phone and wi fi camera, or even just extra SD cards, or a smart phone with a good built in camera?
The smart phone does more stuff, weather ap, compass, easy texting, probably a bit lighter than the camera and flip, thermometer. Broken smart phone screens. What else?
The flip and camera probably have better battery life. I won't be calling home much, text rarely. Cheaper to keep my current service, T- mobile, than switch to Verizon. If I journal it'll be on paper.
Also looking at a kindle and I believe they said no charge on that wi-fi. Is there any wi-fi charge with the phone?
I'ld like to hear about T-mobile's service on the trail. So I'm confused. Are there things smart phones do that I just don't know about?

[Coffee]

Look into the Moto g from Republic wireless. I'll bet you would save money over your flip phone.

[fastfoxengineering]

I'll say most people I meet on the trail these days is carrying an Android or Iphone smartphone. They text, call, surf the web anywhere (Wifi & Data), calender, notes, apps, weather, and on top of it all, most come with great point and shoot cameras. The impressive photos you can take with a smartphone negate the need to bring a separate camera. That is of course you want to take professional, more complex photo's/videos. However for most, the camera on a Iphone does more than most people will even use for simple photography. Not too mention, most smartphones have removable batteries (meaning you can carry an extra) and removable memory cards (meaning you can carry as much memory as your heart desires). Furthermore, you can upload vids/photos/blogs right from your phone with certain apps. Nowadays, with the enhancements in technology, smartphones when in a proper case are not all that fragile. They can handle drops, moisture, dust, and just the abuse of being on the trail with no worries.

So for everything you get, they are light, compact, and could potentially be the most multi use item in your pack.

I'm still a pen and paper guy when it comes to writing personal journals & letters, however, I prefer my smartphone for keeping track of expenses and such.

Most towns around the trail are hiker friendly and offer free wifi as well as letting you charge up your electronics.

Your note on battery life... newer smartphones typically have much better battery life. Nothing I would worry too much about. Just don't leave it on roaming the internet with 4gLTE running on a streaming movie. Otherwise your phone will die in 1.5hrs.

regards,
fastfox

[squeezebox]

I've never heard of republic wireless. How is their coverage?
And the $$ for the camera can go to covering the cost of phone.

[squeezebox]

So what was your upfront costs? And how much a month do you pay for 1 line? The store never mentions the taxes until 1/2 through the contract.
I currently have a mobile hot spot, I would need that for my home computer. Thanks for helping me figure this out.

[Odd Man Out]

I got a quad band unlocked GSM phone for about 25$ to use when traveling overseas. You can then buy a SIM card, plug it in, and you have a pre paid phone. If you need more time, call the free number and add value to your card. Works in just about every country in the world, so it's great for travel. No it doesn't do what the smart phone does, but if you don't want and/or need that, then this is another option. The phone is ridiculously small and light. You can use it as an MP3 player and alarm clock.

[Coffee]

I've never heard of republic wireless. How is their coverage?
And the $$ for the camera can go to covering the cost of phone.

I paid $179 for the moto g phone and I normally pay around $12/month for just voice and text service, using wifi for data. When I'm on the trail I upgrade temporarily to the plan that includes cell data and pay around $28/month. You can switch back and forth between the two plans. Service is on the Sprint network. Not great but usable in my experience.

[Starchild]

The step from a flip to a smartphone will change how you use the phone on the trail. You will be doing things you won't even think of, and that is constantly expanding as more apps are developed.

As for weight savings vs a flip and camera, it will be negated by the eternal battery pack if your hike is a thru. You can only reasonably expect 3 days or so and heavy usage, a mistake in usage, or trying to make connection in a spotty area can shorten that quite a bit, sometimes unexpectedly, so a reserve of power is usually needed.

[jawnzee]

I've never heard of republic wireless. How is their coverage?
And the $$ for the camera can go to covering the cost of phone.

i use republic wireless and like it a lot. i'm on the $10/mo plan. the phone was $150. the phone will prioritize a connection to wifi, and then the sprint network, and then the verizon network. the algorithms for switching between the different connection types have improved since earlier reviews i had read about. i used to use ting, which is another good option where you pay reasonable rates based on what you have used. based on my data usage, i switched to the republic $25/mo plan for unlimited data to save money and not have to think about my data use, and then i realized i spent too much time on my phone and went down to the $10/mo plan.

can't be beat for the price. i personally would really like an unlimited talk + text dumb phone that was as low as $10/mo but haven't found anything close.