What do you miss the most about life pre smartphones

What do you miss the most about the time before cellphones/technology took over?

Waiting in a queue outside a telephone booth,just to talk to someone for few minutes.

My parents were engaged and were about to get married within few months.

They used to go to the nearest telephone booth on sundays and wait for their turn and then used to talk for about 5 minutes and then hung up. They really used to look forward for sundays.

Waiting patiently for so long just to talk to someone for few minutes was the way to show how much you love each other and they really used to cherish those few minutes of talking to each other.

Even while narrating these incidents to me,my parents used to give a wide smile to each other.

Now-a-days that essence of love has lost somewhere. Everyone is just a message or a call away. We have started undervaluing the people and their feelings because everyone is available so easily and at any time.

This world of technology has really made our lives easier but we are still devoid of that feeling of love and care hidden behind that patience while standing outside those booths and that smile on the face while narrating these incidents.

So many memories to cherish behind those phone calls !!

What are the features of your smartphone/tablet you wouldn't miss if they were gone?

On the Samsung S3... the "answer this phone call" gesture.

It takes, evidently, enough CPU to play my ringtone and also animate the UI for answering the call, that my phone often "goes dark" - dimming the screen as it gives the CPU as much power as it needs.  Regrettably that means the UI's not responsive to actually answering the call.

I can't say how many times I've found myself swiping my finger over that darn green circle, over and over, trying to get the phone to actually ANSWER the call and be an actual telephone instead of a glorified mini-tablet-computer, only to watch the call go off to voicemail.

I wouldn't miss it one bit if that went away and the phone would answer if I pushed any (or even one specific) physical/hardware button.

Why does my Redmi 1S phone miss the set alarm most of the times?

No, it does not. The alarm will set off even if your device is switched off.

I think the problem in your might be low sound. Always make sure you set the alarm volume to the max. I suggest also turning on the vibration when it goes off.

EDIT: If you still are somewhat skeptical, why not add 3–4 alarms? Each one with a difference of about 2–3 minutes from each other.

Do you know people who don't use smart phones?

Yes. Me.

A year ago I had a Samsung, while I was in town I dropped it and needed to phone my Father urgently on a different matter, so I hopped into the EE store and quickly bought this for £10.

A few weeks later I found myself still using the same phone quite happily. I also discovered that I wasn’t constantly pulling my phone out to check Facebook every 10/20 minutes. I would only use Facebook on my mobile if I was out and about, rarely on my laptop in my house, and now I don’t have Facebook anymore, I discovered I wasn’t using it at all and I wasn’t missing anything, so I de-activated my Facebook and haven’t looked back. Also my anxiety and some insecurities have if not all, nearly gone as that what Facebook does to us, we constantly compare ourselves whether it’s consciously or sub-consciously to other peoples (dare I say fake) Facebook life. Don’t get me wrong, Facebook has its good points, but ever since I dropped my smart phone on that wet, Saturday afternoon in Buchanan Street, Glasgow, I have been much more productive in my life. Whenever I sit and wait for the train, nowadays instead of taking my phone out and reading on peoples Facebook posts (which let’s be honest, I honestly do not care about), I sit and read a book which is far more interesting.

And for Music?

Just bought myself a cheap second hand I-Pod.

What do you miss most in your life?

I grew up in poverty with 9 brothers and sisters and 2 disabled parents. My father is the reason I’ve done just about anything and everything in my life. He’s the greatest person I’ve ever met.

My mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor and paranoid schizophrenia. She became so ill that the voices inside her head would tell her to kill us. She would lock us in closets and set the floor on fire. We became so used to this procedure that we hid butter knives in every closet just in case we had to escape. After burning down our house twice, my father decided to quit his job because he didn’t feel comfortable leaving us alone or abandoning his sick wife. My mother may sound evil, but she was the most beautiful and friendliest woman I’ve ever known before her brain started to deteriorate.

Although poor, my father would make sure we ate every day even if it meant sacrificing his own portions. I didn’t learn about the luxury of eating 3 meals a day until I joined the military. Sometimes our daily meal would be cereal and water or boiled water and bouillon cubes.

Whether I’d ask him for a gift on Christmas or the reason why we’re poor, he never told me a single lie. He would walk with me around the neighborhood and explain the drug addicts, dealers, gangs, prostitutes, homeless, etc. He was always trying to make me aware of my surroundings without swaying from the truth.

He was also a great role model and a man who lived by his word. He truly believed in leading by example. He never neglected or belittled anyone. Every person in our neighborhood knew of him and felt comfortable approaching him.

While growing up he would always hold me tight and say, “I got you in a love-lock”. As a child, I would hysterically laugh while playfully fighting and begging for him to let me go. As a 6’5” and 240lb soldier, I’d still hysterically laugh by his bedside and pretend I couldn’t get out of his grips even though his hands grew fragile from cancer.

Today, I wish my father could still put me in a “love-lock”. I don’t miss poverty, but I do miss my father. I’d re-experience everything just to be able to spend time with him again.