Without our smartphones, where would we be in 2025?

[connda]

Without our smartphones, where would we be in 2025?

 

A hell of a lot happier.

[KhunLA]

Go back to using a paper map, oh joy.  Unless nav toys  aren't included.  Though I never had one.

 

Really don't use the smartphone much.  Have plenty of camera, but it is handy for snaps.   GPS use mainly.  Could live without a phone, as long as laptops are allowed.  

 

If talking no internet, then that's a who different ball game.  Researching 'shopping', all is so much easier with internet.

 

If not have a smartphone, wouldn't really phase me.

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

6 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Smart phones are amazing devices...   My life has become far more convenient because of them. 

It hasn't changed, I'm still able to socialise as much as I ever wanted to, they're great for arranging sporting events (various football and sports groups).

Awesome for keep in touch with the family overseas, with my Wife here when out and about separately through the day.

Information at our finger tips... Cinema tomorrow ? sure...  info at our finger tips.

 

The social media aspect - I think is great: I love to see how my friends are getting on in the UK when they post photos of their family, one of their children has reached a milestone.

 

As far as the toxic side of social media - It ONYL influences us as much as we allow it it - So have any of the Snapchat, Insta, Facebook,  X on your phone etc if you want...  I can't be bothered with that stuff, other can and thats up to them. 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you do any of those things before the smart phone. It was possible.

 

Some, I couldn't...  but I'd have to arrange my life a different way.

 

Can I live without a Smartphone ??... Most certainly... Do want to ? Absolutely not....   

 

But, as with anything, pretty much everything.... there comes a level of responsibility, whether it be drinking beer, eating food, using a smart device or driving... 

... The worst, the most sociably inept, the poorerst mannered should not be dictataing our opinions on these devices. 

 

....  I don't judge restaurants because some buffoons have no dining habits. 

.... I don't judge beer because some people can't take their alcohol and act like idiots.

.... I don't judge cars because some idiots drink drive.

.... I don't judge smart devices because some fail to use them to their advantage or fail to control their use.

 

 

I caught my son trying to eat and use his iPad at the same time yesterday - we had serious words.

We go out for dinner regularly, phones off the table (or at least 'face down' if one of us are expecting a call).

 

My Son is on his iPad now...  Chilled relaxed, watching his iPad (YouTube) how to make a football... 

He'd previously cooked his own dinner (he wanted to - and cooked Tomato and mozzarella gnocchi bake)

I'm on this forum...

 

Everything is about balance... 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

57 minutes ago, connda said:

Without our smartphones, where would we be in 2025?

 

A hell of a lot happier.

 

Why ???   are YOU unhappy because of your smart phone ?

[richard_smith237]

12 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Go back to using a paper map, oh joy.  Unless nav toys  aren't included.  Though I never had one.

 

Really don't use the smartphone much.  Have plenty of camera, but it is handy for snaps.   GPS use mainly.  Could live without a phone, as long as laptops are allowed.  

 

If talking no internet, then that's a who different ball game.  Researching 'shopping', all is so much easier with internet.

 

If not have a smartphone, wouldn't really phase me.

 

Where would you find your 'charging station' when out on the road ?

... and then how would you pay for it ?

 

People like you and I would come unstuck quite quickly without a smart phone - they are integrated into our lives.

 

But as you wrote - IF no internet, then then a smart phone becomes somewhat moot.... 

 

 

[KhunLA]

43 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Where would you find your 'charging station' when out on the road ?

... and then how would you pay for it ?

 

People like you and I would come unstuck quite quickly without a smart phone - they are integrated into our lives.

 

But as you wrote - IF no internet, then then a smart phone becomes somewhat moot.... 

 

 

Finding wouldn't be a problem, in TH anyway.  They simply make them payable like petrol pumps, maybe slide CC for payment.

 

No internet would definitely suck, as simplifies everything.

 

We all did manage to function just fine before the internet & smartphones.  Drove across the USA without either.

 

For some, it would probably be a blessing, and make them have to interact with other humans ... 

[Yagoda]

3 hours ago, FriscoKid said:

NYC is a turlet. 

Ever been there?

[FriscoKid]

1 hour ago, Yagoda said:

Ever been there?

What you should be asking me is where have I not been. 

[Asean Tiger]

10 hours ago, KannikaP said:

So you prefer the sound of cassette than CD or mp3.   

Not my point butfidelity (Maxell XLSll, etc.) recorded off a HiFi casette deck was good not but never close to Reel to Reel.

The Walkman squelched the ghetto blasters in public. Now people's  personal pastimes are often rudely unavoidable or even a danger. Innocent persons are literally killed because of texting on the roads. Unbelievable but now we must have announcements on airplanes and trains to not use bluetooth speakers or watch inappropriate content on a  tablet or laptop

 

Have you ever attended a dinner in the 1970s where some of your friends spent most of the evening reading a newspaper or playing board games by themselves? It would have been unthinkable. Now it is considered acceptable behavior

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, Asean Tiger said:

Not my point butfidelity (Maxell XLSll, etc.) recorded off a HiFi casette deck was good not but never close to Reel to Reel.

The Walkman squelched the ghetto blasters in public. Now people's  personal pastimes are often rudely unavoidable or even a danger. Innocent persons are literally killed because of texting on the roads.

 

When I was younger, a close friend was killed because a guy was changing over his tape in his car and drifted head on into her... 

 

We can apply bias however we want... but the same careless idiots will do the same careless things whatever the tech....  

 

 

2 minutes ago, Asean Tiger said:

Unbelievable but now we must have announcements on airplanes and trains to not use bluetooth speakers or watch inappropriate content on a  tablet or laptop

 

Good point - On a flight very recenelty an irritable cretin played videos on his phone with his seat partner...  for all around to hear...  it took all my reserve not to speak up.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Asean Tiger said:

Have you ever attended a dinner in the 1970s where some of your friends spent most of the evening reading a newspaper or playing board games by themselves? It would have been unthinkable. Now it is considered acceptable behavior

 

Again, agree...   But, that depends on the circles with whom we 'interact'...    

Even recently, I've never attended social event (wedding etc) or a dinner party, or regular dinner at a friends where any friends spent more than fleeting moment glancing at a message.... phones mostly used for photos...  

 

People still have manners... but those who don't never had and never will.

[Asean Tiger]

56 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

When I was younger, a close friend was killed because a guy was changing over his tape in his car and drifted head on into her... 

 

We can apply bias however we want... but the same careless idiots will do the same careless things whatever the tech....  

 

You are right about that distracted driving. Has always been illegal for a reason. My friend hit someone on a bridge because he reached for a CD. I did same looking at.. A ROADMAP!  What is that grandpa? Those bound guides every tradesman had  that are probably never sold anymore.  Fortunately both in slow traffic and nothing more than bumper damage

 

Good point - On a flight very recenelty an irritable cretin played videos on his phone with his seat partner...  for all around to hear...  it took all my reserve not to speak up.

And if you said anything they react with aggression. Better to hit the Cabin Attendant call button

 

 

 

 

Again, agree...   But, that depends on the circles with whom we 'interact'...    

Even recently, I've never attended social event (wedding etc) or a dinner party, or regular dinner at a friends where any friends spent more than fleeting moment glancing at a message.... phones mostly used for photos...  

 

 

 

[KannikaP]

5 hours ago, Asean Tiger said:

Not my point butfidelity (Maxell XLSll, etc.) recorded off a HiFi casette deck was good not but never close to Reel to Reel.

The Walkman squelched the ghetto blasters in public. Now people's  personal pastimes are often rudely unavoidable or even a danger. Innocent persons are literally killed because of texting on the roads. Unbelievable but now we must have announcements on airplanes and trains to not use bluetooth speakers or watch inappropriate content on a  tablet or laptop

 

Have you ever attended a dinner in the 1970s where some of your friends spent most of the evening reading a newspaper or playing board games by themselves? It would have been unthinkable. Now it is considered acceptable behavior

 

 

 

You didn't answer my question, CDs or mp3, or flac.

[JimHuaHin]

Answer - saner, more socialable and our eyes would be healthier.

[Yagoda]

9 hours ago, FriscoKid said:

What you should be asking me is where have I not been. 

Wow. Impressive. Mars. right?

[FriscoKid]

33 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

Wow. Impressive. Mars. right?

Stupid. Is that you Elon?

[Yagoda]

3 minutes ago, FriscoKid said:

Stupid. Is that you Elon?

I wish. Id trade my good looks and mundane existence to be a lumpy autistic billionaire that in 100 years, will have his picture on the wall on the Cafeteria on Mars Base 2.

 

He wants to be Hari Seldon.

[Asean Tiger]

18 hours ago, KannikaP said:

So you prefer the sound of cassette than CD or mp3.   

Probably Vinyl then cassette then CD which don't have much prescence or range.   I don't have experience lately with cassettes however and they say FLAC is better than MP3 but I have to take their word for it. My high freq hearing is 30 percent GONE and constant tinnitus  

 

I had an enthusiast in early 1990s with  expensive MacIntosh tube amps and huge horn speakers in his home  play me opera and classical recordings side by side.  CD vs LP vinyl vs original collectors item 78rpm records played on some kind of victrola with bamboo phonograph needles.  

 

The 78's were by far the best sound blew CD away.

 

 

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, Asean Tiger said:

Probably Vinyl then cassette then CD which don't have much prescence or range.   I don't have experience lately with cassettes however and they say FLAC is better than MP3 but I have to take their word for it. My high freq hearing is 30 percent GONE and constant tinnitus  

 

I had an enthusiast in early 1990s with  expensive MacIntosh tube amps and huge horn speakers in his home  play me opera and classical recordings side by side.  CD vs LP vinyl vs original collectors item 78rpm records played on some kind of victrola with bamboo phonograph needles.  

 

The 78's were by far the best sound blew CD away.

 

 

You really need to think. How can a needle in a plastic groove going round and round on a turntable, vibrating a coil in the cartridge, with all the snap, crackles and pops, and rumble, be better than a CD taken from the original master mix, or sampled from a pristine LP via DS-SD converters costing thousands. The range of a CD far exceeds that of a vinyl (yes VINyl not VYnil) LP. 

FLACs are noticeably better than mp3s, mainly because mp3s are heavily compressed to keep their size down, but most mp3s are listened to on phones & cheapo headphone/earbuds.

Somewhere on You Tube, also compressed, there is a film of an experiment where the same music was played to the audience via dog's bo11ox sound system, from the master tapes, CDs, flacs and mp3s. Guess which won!

As we age, out high frequency hearing deteriorates, I cannot hear above 11kHz, and blew a tweeter in my Paradigm speakers trying to get more top end. Just got to live with it.

[wombat]

Not being able to expose politicians online?

[koolkarl]

Without them kids and the younger generation would be far more sociable, not addicted to gaming, more respectful and stop treating the internet as their parents. 

[ross163103]

A lot better off.......

[goldenbrwn1]

On 5/26/2025 at 8:49 AM, Lacessit said:

Smartphones are just a tool. Like any tool, they can be misused.

 

I really wonder what the Thais did before smartphones.

Talked even more on the phone than they do now . One thing that smart phones have done to Thais that I noticed is on the BTS . Rarely see anymore a Thai now give up their seat to an elder whilst playing with their smart phones 

[Task Master]

You could ask the same about the automobile, the airplane, indoor plumbing, electric toaster, etc ad infinitum. A tool is a tool used by a tool.

[Photoguy21]

Happier

[Burma Bill]

On 5/26/2025 at 8:13 AM, hankypankee said:

And the final question: what would we do with all that free time?

 

Easy for me - I use my personal Dell computer. I do not own a smartphone (and never will!)

[Surasak]

Stuck with one of these perhaps?

[Surasak]

On 5/26/2025 at 9:24 AM, Ralf001 said:

if there was no smart phones I'd be walking round with a tablet in my pocket !

 

For the head aches no doubt?

[frank83628]

COVID would never have got as far as it did if it wasn't for smart phones and social media. Everyone is connected to the internet 24/7, if it was a case of having to tune into a certain website or read online a large percentage of the worlds population wouldnt have bothered, only those 40+ 

[KannikaP]

44 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

 

Easy for me - I use my personal Dell computer. I do not own a smartphone (and never will!)

Come on, tell us all why please.

[digger70]

Without our smartphones, where would we be in 2025?

 

Same place as in 2015 when things were working better than having a stupid smart phone .

A phone is for making and receiving phone calls. a computer/laptop  can do all your  work/transferring funds from  home .

No need to have funds transferred in seconds  for me it takes 2 or 3 days ,nothing wrong with that if someone needs funds Just wait

No need to be on Asean now /FB/TikTok  24/7 or take pics and vids from everything one sees.