Special offer
Tony Lewis, Summit Real Estate Group Valencia & Aliso Viejo (Summit Real Estate Group)

Spam prevention
Ambassador
2,684,009
Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

People are getting weary of the technology.   Confusing screens, never-ending updates, app this and app that.   Yes, having a mini-computer in your hand can be a good thing, but sometimes you just want to make a phone call.  

 

Apr 23, 2022 07:04 AM
Rainmaker
901,524
Carla Freund
Keller Williams Preferred Realty - Raleigh, NC
NC Real Estate Transition & Relocation 919-602-848

Smaller and not connected to the car. - The first one we had was one of the big ones that go in the car.

Unlimited calling - Like Richie said, they're very expensive. I don't know how the low to moderate income folks can afford those monthly bills. When I was starting out this would have been a huge hit to my budget. I do recall getting my first phone after my car battery died and I was on the side of the road with my new born. My husband said, remember, this is only for emergencies. It cost too much to use it otherwise. I never used it.

It has all the things - Now we can do so much on our phones. I use it to sign in at the gym, order/pay when I go to CFA, I can access listings and documents, I use it to listen to music, take photos, open lockboxes, check social media, see where my family is before I call them, search bathroom designs, and so much more!

We're tethered to it - ;-( This is the downside. It is hard to get a break because we're so assessable to people.

Apr 23, 2022 06:07 AM
Rainmaker
2,781,153
Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

In today's tech world, I take ex exception to their costs. They should be way cheaper

Apr 23, 2022 05:52 AM
Ambassador
2,436,099
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

Much smaller, a lot more memory/data space, much better connections, lots of apps. I don't consider them phones anymore - now they are mobile offices and entertainment systems.

Apr 23, 2022 04:47 AM
Rainmaker
1,502,998
Ryan Huggins - Thousand Oaks, CA
https://HugginsHomes.com - Thousand Oaks, CA
Residential Real Estate and Investment Properties

Reception is a big one.  Others include:
They used to be tied to a car

Size & portability (Motorolla's big phones from the "Saved by the Bell" era, to the Motorolla "Star Tech" flip phones to the micro ones of the Razr.

Speed of the data networks

Remember "Night & Weekend" minutes and anytime minutes?

Texts used to cost to send/receive

Mobiles were a status symbol, then an etiquette issue, now you don't often see people talking on them in theaters or at restaurants and making a big show of it.

They aren't just for Doctors and captains of industry any more!

Built-in antennas

A LOT more towers now and micro towers.  Still some areas with bad reception, like my neighborhood.

Batteries used to be user replaceable.

They've gone from "dumb" devices that were simply phones to T9 texting to full keyboards to being mini computers.  Some you can hook up to a monitor and a keyboard & mouse.

Privacy has gone out the window

Video calls are a thing now

They've replaced landlines for many, making it very hard to remove yourself from them.

I remember when leaving home without your phone was no big deal.  Now it's almost like leaving an arm behind.

 

Those are the ones off the top of my head.

Apr 23, 2022 08:53 AM
Rainmaker
1,196,798
Doug Dawes
Keller Williams Evolution - 447 Boston Street, Suite #5, Topsfield, MA - Topsfield, MA
Your Personal Realtor®

The first ones were large and ackward to use. They came with a handset

Apr 23, 2022 07:04 AM
Rainmaker
5,868,472
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

I remember HUGE phone bills when calling long distance and now there are apps where you can call International for free.   They are computers now, with almost everything you can do on a desktop.

Apr 23, 2022 06:59 AM
Rainmaker
820,728
Eileen Burns 954.483.3912
Trans State Commercial Realty Inc. - Fort Lauderdale, FL
FLorida Real Estate Connector

Each carrier has planned obsolescence, so you are compelled to upgrade.  Battery life is an issue.  Reception depending on your provider and distance to cell tower.  So many bells and whistles that many do not utilize.  

I agree with Richie Alan Naggar they should not be so expensive.  Loyalty customers mean zip.  I was with Sprint for 20+ years.  They never reached out to me to offer promotions like price reduction unless you were new customers😎.  Now Sprint sells to T-Mobile and you lose benefits if you listen to those fast talking reps in the store providing inaccurate information for your decision process on the time to upgrade to which phone. 

Apr 23, 2022 06:56 AM
Rainmaker
2,390,549
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Ward County Notary Services - Minot, ND
Owner of Ward Co Notary Services retired RE Broker

Yes, reception has certainly improved Tony Lewis but I reflect back to the Bag phone and then the chase to be the smallest flip phone and now I see iPhones that remind me of those GIANT boomboxes of the 70's. Gee whiz, I liked the little flip phones the best.

Apr 23, 2022 10:33 AM
Ambassador
3,125,651
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can!
Red Rock Real Estate (435) 632-9374 - St. George, UT
St. George Utah Area Residential Sales Agent

Phones are now computers and a necessary item in business.

Apr 23, 2022 07:22 AM
Ambassador
1,452,769
Susan Emo
Sotheby's International Realty Canada - Brokerage - Kingston, ON
Kingston and the 1000 Islands Area

They're now rarely used to make phone calls?

Apr 23, 2022 10:31 AM
Ambassador
3,345,091
Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist
KD Realty - 408.972.1822 - San Jose, CA
Probate Real Estate Services

The continued increase in prices of the devices and the monthly charges for service. 

Certainly many advances in technology as well.

Apr 23, 2022 09:07 AM
Rainmaker
5,216,381
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Chicago, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

They do more things today and people use them more for other things than talking.

Apr 23, 2022 04:34 AM
Ambassador
5,048,883
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Too many to list! Size, price, functionality, complexity...

Apr 23, 2022 09:26 AM
Rainmaker
584,621
Shayne Stone
HomeSmart - Fulshear, TX
"Your Rock Solid Choice Realtor" RETIRED

LOL - I remember that, Tony Lewis. and/or driving into a tunnel as well. And we use to have that as an excuse to hang up.

Now a days, I look for places where I would lose a signal and the only place I can find is aboard a cruise ship - LMAO...

 

 

Apr 23, 2022 08:27 AM
Rainmaker
7,835,407
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

To many changes to list. I was in the business long before we had cell phones.

Apr 23, 2022 08:24 AM
Rainmaker
679,404
Diana Dahlberg
1 Month Realty - Pleasant Prairie, WI
Real Estate in Kenosha, WI since 1994 262-308-3563

When I think of 20-30 years ago ... we had bigger computers, the phones are heavy and clunky and unstable, and we carried cameras, and boom-boxes, etc.  Now it's just a small hand-held phone that does it all!  In the overall consideration, it's better.

Apr 23, 2022 05:30 PM
Rainmaker
1,555,968
Gary Frimann, CRS, GRI, SRES
Eagle Ridge Realty / Signature Homes & Estates - Gilroy, CA
REALTOR and Broker

More reception, more features, and it is great that there are unlimited minutes.  No more "Let me call you back after 7 when my minutes are free".  I think my first service allowed for 75 free minutes a month during prime time.  

Apr 24, 2022 06:16 AM
Rainmaker
805,799
Steve Higgins
RE/MAX Kelowna - Kelowna, BC

The size, the phone plans, facetime,  they are no longer just a phone. However living in the mountains the coverage is horrible. I have dropped calls all the time. 

Apr 23, 2022 06:15 PM
Rainer
378,517
Don Baker
Lane Realty - Eatonton, GA
Lake Sinclair Specialist

don't pay by the minute, but prices came way down.... now have gone way back up for actual phone.

Apr 23, 2022 01:46 PM
Ambassador
6,393,154
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

Amazing little computers, unfortunate that most people underutilize them.

Apr 23, 2022 12:39 PM
Rainmaker
1,844,271
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Have to agree with you there & also going thru tunnels. Other times it's mindboggling & then, like today, I can't get the weather to come up.

I like the flat style vs the clamshell. 

Apr 24, 2022 06:27 AM
Rainmaker
1,311,397
John Juarez
The Medford Real Estate Team - Fremont, CA
ePRO, SRES, GRI, PMN

I remember the first time that I saw someone with a portable phone. It was huge and clunky. The owner was in line in my bank (I was the manger of the bank.) He was in line at the waiting counter, filling out his deposit ticket. After a few minutes had gone by and he was gone, I noticed that he forgot to take the phone that he had put on the counter as he did his paperwork.

Apr 24, 2022 09:48 AM
Rainer
337,854
Adam Feinberg
Elegran - Manhattan, NY
NYC Condo, Co-op, and Townhouse Advisor

My 1st phone in 1996 had 20 minutes a month included- but free nights (after 9pm) and weekends. I was graduating from NYU and needed a reliable phone # where I could be assured my roommate wouldn't forget to give me messages. I hold onto my phones for a long time, but I have managed to go through a lot of them over the years. The thing is now the phones are more evolutionary rather than revolutionary- and I don't feel compelled to upgrade often. I would probably still have my iPhone 6S if the battery issues weren't so buggy on that model. That said- I do enjoy using the NFC tap and go feature on my current phone- especially useful for paying for the subway without a separate card. 

Apr 27, 2022 08:45 PM
Rainmaker
921,504
Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041
ReMax Realtec Group - Palm Harbor, FL
Making FLORIDA Real Estate EZ

Hmmmm, it seems this has exposed the willingness of the population to be pillaged and plunders for the sake of the perception of convenience.
So well executed it the advertising propaganda that iPhone recent ad simply says, "Now in GREEN."
Due to the spamming of cell phone owners MOST calls go to VM anyway. So what is the perception of convenience we are pay nearly $1,000 per phone, all about. OH, yes, I forgot, the convenience of knowing a recent purchase of an iPhone just occurred on my Amazon account. It good to know that no security exists online. That is new.

Apr 25, 2022 05:05 AM
Rainmaker
2,241,011
Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573
MOOERS REALTY - Houlton, ME
Northern Maine Real Estate-Aroostook County Broker

With more towers, you have less of the two or three black spots of cell loss. But even when you did, you let the other end of the tin can and string know "I may lose you on a bad patch of cell coverage... but will call back or at least text to keep the conversation going, to help you get what you need Tony Lewis ! Canadian cell towers can be friend or foe depending on your mobile carrier too when you live in a USA border town.

canadian maine cell towers

Apr 25, 2022 04:19 AM